A ‘totally unique’ Filipino singer earned a standing ovation during his America’s Got Talent: The Champions audition, after giving an unbelievable performance of Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli’s beloved duet, The Prayer.
Showcasing his incredibly versatile vocal skills, Marcelito Pomoy, 35, sang the parts for both Dion and Bocelli, switching seamlessly between the male tenor and female soprano voices.
The judging panel were left utterly wowed by Pomoy’s one-of-a-kind talent, with Heidi Klum describing his sound as being ‘so out of this world’.
Pomoy’s audition began very sweetly, with his wife Joanne joining him onstage for emotional support. No doubt he was more than a little nervous about singing before the famously harsh Simon Cowell, but his determination to succeed was clear from the get-go.
When asked by Cowell whether he intended to win the competition, Pomoy gave a firm and confident ‘Yes,’ earning him an appreciative thumbs up. And then his audition began, with a flawless opening that left the audience completely stunned.
At first, it was as if Dion herself was onstage, with Pomoy’s voice matching her almost note for note. And then – as if unleashing a separate voicebox entirely – Pomoy channelled Bocelli’s deep, masculine tones.
You can watch Pomoy’s astonishing performance in the following clip:
There wasn’t a closed mouth in the room during the performance, with Pomoy doing things with his voice I didn’t think were possible without a full-blown demonic possession.
After wrapping the solo/duet up, audience members and judges alike rose to their feet in rapturous applause. And it’s fair to say the performance went well.
Howie Mandel showered him with the following praise:
Oh my God. That was so unique! You are a beautiful, wonderful singer with a young woman trapped inside of you.
Alesha Dixon added:
I want to see something different, something unique, and Marcelito you just gave that to us. It was absolutely brilliant.
Cowell said:
That was what I call a 10. As simple as that.
This isn’t the first time Pomoy’s voice has left people mesmerised. He won season two of Pilipinas Got Talent back in 2011 and has already released two studio albums.
Although Pomoy failed to get a ‘golden buzzer’ from the panel – which would have automatically qualified him for the semi-finals – he proceeded to the next phase after earning the fan vote.
A spin-off of the original US talent show, America’s Got Talent: The Champions brings together former contestants and champions of its worldwide franchises.
Participants hail from countries including the US, the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Holland, Italy, Russia, Poland and Norway, among others.
All the very best of luck to Marcelito Pomoy as he moves forward with his journey!
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.