Golden Buzzer recipient Matty J 'did his research' on Simon Cowell, 'Britain's Got Talent' judges

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MANILA, Philippines — A good performer prepares for every eventuality, especially when uncertainty has the upper hand.

Such was the case for Filipino singer Matty Juniosa, who wowed the judges of "Britain's Got Talent" Series 19 with his performance of Prince's "Purple Rain."

Matty's audition was so good that judge Simon Cowell — backed by the cheering crowd — pressed the Golden Buzzer, shooting the straight into the competition's semi-final round.

After the confetti had fallen, Simon joined Matty (who introduced himself as Matty J) onstage and told him "Purple Rain" was one of his favorite songs.

Philstar.com spoke to Matty, who is currently based in Scotland, in an exclusive interview and asked how well he knew Simon's preferences to auditionees.

"Honestly, the reason why I came on this show is because I knew that I was ready for it this time, and I did my research!" Matty laughed.

Matty admitted to watching a lot of videos of Simon particular of other competition shows he was on, particularly "American Idol" which Matty grew up on, because the singer had the goal of impressing him.

"We know the kind of critic that he is, and it's not unwarranted. He's criticizing people like that because he's making stars, basically," he added.

The singer reiterated something he had said during his audition that he joined "Britain's Got Talent" to erase the lingering thought he's a singing competition loser, having previously been on "Philippine Idol" in 2019.

Beyond joining a competition again, Matty viewed "Britain's Got Talent" as a great platform for a showcase and let people see what he's all about.

"Even before I moved here, I've been laying the groundwork. I genuinely tried to do my research," he continued. "I tried to look into getting to know the judges, getting to know what KSI's audience is like, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden's audiences as well. Like, what are their humor?"

Matty acknowledged not wanting to come off as someone who overanalyzes but rather as person tasked with curating a showcase, happy that the effort paid off.

He also shared genuinely loving "Purple Rain," from the way it was written to Prince's performance video of it.

"When Prince gets on the guitar... unfortunately I can't play the guitar. If I could, I would!" Matty told Philstar.com. "But 'Purple Rain,' to me, is one of the greatest songs ever written."

"Britain's Got Talent" Series 19 will continue airing audition episodes until April 18, then the semifinal rounds will begin the week after.

Auditionees who received a Golden Buzzer like Matty so far are Paralympian and aerialist Paul Nunnari, multimedia group Antigravity, teenage magician Rafferty Coope, comedian Ted Hill, and The Hawkstone Farmers Choir. — Video from the Britain's Got Talent YouTube channel

RELATED: Filipino singer earns Simon Cowell’s golden buzzer in ‘Britain’s Got Talent’