KZ Tandingan beats her idol Jessie J

Filipina singer KZ Tandingan snagged first place for the Philippines in China’s international singing contest, “Singer 2018,” beating her idol, British pop star Jessie J, who came in second in the competition.

KZ’s jazzy take on Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” wowed the contest’s Chinese audience, including Jessie J, who sang “Ain’t Nobody.”

The Davao native surprised watchers with her flawless execution of a Tagalog rap in the middle of the song.

Due to the performance on February 9 in China, KZ won the majority of the studio audience’s votes, giving Jessie her second defeat.

Jessie has finished second for two weeks now, after being on the top during the show’s first three weeks.

Both KZ and Jessie will return in the contest next week for another face-off.

KZ, who rose to fame in the Philippines after winning the local version of “The X Factor,” joined “Singer 2018” in its current season’s fifth episode, following three consecutive weeks that saw Jessie J as the audience favorite.

“Singer 2018” is China’s most popular reality TV singing competition and pits professional singers from around the world as they vie to win audience votes.

The votes decide each week’s winner and eliminated contestant. Following the eliminations, the show introduces a new challenger. 

KZ is up against Taiwanese pop singers Angela Chang and Sam Lee this season, while former contestants of the competition include Chinese-American pop star Coco Lee and Hong Kong singer Sandy Lam.

KZ is currently a mainstay alongside some of the most popular artists in the country in top-rating variety show “ASAP,” which airs on ABS-CBN. She has also released two albums under ABS-CBN’s record label Star Music.

After her win on “The X Factor Philippines,” KZ went on to achieve success as both a singer and composer and became known as the “Soul Supreme” with chart-topping hits such as “Mahal Ko o Mahal Ako” and “Huwag Ka Nang Umiyak.”

She has conquered TV and stages all around the world, with stints as a contestant in the Philippine edition of “Your Face Sounds Familiar” and a judge and mentor on “We Love OPM.” The 25-year-old has also performed in concerts around the Philippines, Japan and Dubai, including her first solo concert held in Manila in 2015, and an innovative digital interactive concert on ABS-CBN’s online music platform One Music PH in 2017.

KZ’s debut in “Singer 2018” airs on China’s Hunan TV at 8 p.m. The season will culminate with a live finale on April 13.