MANILA, Philippines — With a little help from co-host Morrisette Amon, Michael Bolton has officially chosen the Philippine representative to Bolt of Talent, Fox Network Group Asia’s new reality singing competition headlined by the American singer and songwriter himself.
In the premiere telecast of the seven-part series, two Filipino talents battled it out in a series of tasks to be the country’s representative to the show’s next round of competition. And the person who will carry the Philippine flag is none other than Lance Busa.
In the Aug. 16 episode of the show, Lance and Hans Dimayuga were introduced as the two Filipino singers vying for a chance to compete with other Bolt of Talent contenders from Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand. From the more than 300 aspiring Pinoy talents who submitted their portfolio and video to Fox Network Group Asia, 10 were selected but only Lance and Hans were chosen to perform before Bolton when he visited the country in May.
In the same episode, the two amateur singers recorded a studio version of Said I Love You…But I Lied. Lance recorded a contemporary R&B version of the 1993 chart-topper, while Hans recorded a funk-rap version. Thereafter, they performed their version live in front of Bolton and Morrisette. The winner for that round was handpicked by the American singer and announced through a radio show.
“I was dumbfounded when they played my version on the radio. I was in front of the legend (I used to just) see on TV, and this person was telling me that I’m moving to the next round. It’s impossible to meet someone of that stature on a normal day, what more when this person tells you that you’re an exceptionally good singer,” Lance shared with The STAR in an exclusive interview.
Lance, who was born and raised in Butuan City, also said that although he gave his all for that round, he wasn’t keeping his expectations high.
“It’s really a challenge when you are competing with someone who is very familiar with music and very knowledgeable in terms of the technicality of his craft,” explained the 22-year-old aspiring singer.
Both Lance and Hans were products of reality singing competitions. Lance reached the grand finals of GMA Network’s boy band search, To The Top, while the indie singer-songwriter Hans was a teammate of Morrisette under Team Sarah (Geronimo) during the first season of The Voice of the Philippines.
Hans then went on to hone his skills in theater via Repertory Philippines and continued to perform in small venues and bars. Meanwhile, Lance got an opportunity to become a contact star of GMA Artist Center but felt like he was “left in the dark.”
“Although I didn’t win, they quickly got me for a contract but I was not given a singing gig. I’ve been trying for so many years now — since college until I graduated. (For two years), I was in GMA for acting gigs but not for singing. I was not utilized for something that I’m good at. So, I thought maybe I wasn’t really meant to be a singer,” he shared.
Without any clear direction on his career path as a singer, Lance thought of already quitting. He was discouraged and felt that music wasn’t really for him.
“That’s the story that Michael Bolton wanted to know about me. He wanted to know why I wanted to quit,” the young singer said.
Growing up in a musical family, Lance was exposed to jazz and soul music. Like most Filipino households, he would sing in family gatherings. And as a child, he practiced by singing for his uncles when they gathered for a drink during weekends. He revealed that he started doing this when he was five years old.
“It’s informal singing. My parents knew that I could sing well but they didn’t want me to pursue a career in this industry. They wanted me to get a real job and build a career somewhere else,” he shared.
And that constant reminder from his parents and his failure to win in a local reality talent show made him think that he wasn’t cut out to be a singer. But things changed when he met Arnell Ignacio, who personally approached him after stumbling upon a video on Facebook showing him singing in a karaoke.
Arnell started mentoring the young singer and began motivating him to pursue what he has already started.
“I think that’s what Michael Bolton and I have in common. During our taping, he told us his own story. He said it took him so long to find his own music. He got signed when he was 16 and got dropped by several record labels so many times until someone approached him and told him to change his sound,” Lance said.
“If that person started at 16 and was still persistent until he was almost 40, I mean, how am I supposed to say that I am done?”
In that moment, according to Lance, he realized that there are more artists out there who are confronted by the same struggle. It kind of opened his mind that he has a mentor who constantly encourages him and there’s a legendary singer who also believes in his talent.
“I was already in the center of that moment where I really wanted to give up. Then Arnell came and then this opportunity knocked on my door. What more can I ask for? Now that I am here, all I need is to utilize this support system to win this competition,” he said.
Lance has made it to the Top 2 and will compete against Thailand’s Mild Nawin in the final episode of Bolt of Talent airing tomorrow, Sept. 27, at 9:30 p.m. on Star World. The winner will join Bolton in his upcoming world tour and will receive a dream record deal and other exciting prizes, including a Subaru ambassadorship.