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MANILA, Philippines – Following the success of Gwyn Dorado and Arabella Dela Cruz in South Korean singing competitions Sing Again 4 and Veiled Cup, two more Filipinos are taking the world by storm — this time, in the UK.
Matty Juniosa and Kristel Herrera are the latest Filipinos to showcase their vocal chops on the 2026 edition of Britain’s Got Talent.
Matty Juniosa: Always reaching out for something new
Just like music, 27-year-old Matty Juniosa’s dedication is boundless, limited only as far as he is willing to go — and he has gone far.
In his recent audition for the 19th season of Britain’s Got Talent (BGT), Juniosa gave a powerful rendition of “Purple Rain,” for which Simon Cowell granted him the coveted Golden Buzzer. (He chose to perform Prince’s powerhouse track as he had learned from his research that it was Cowell’s favorite song.)
This earns him the right to skip the “bootcamp” audition stages to go straight to the semi-finals later in April. Each judge traditionally only has a single opportunity per season to award a buzzer, giving a huge advantage to only the most outstanding, distinct, and emotionally moving acts.
Juniosa understands the value of honing one’s artistry, a purpose he has cultivated from a young age as a member of his high school choir, Musica Paulinos, at St. Paul College of Makati. A 2018 American Studies graduate of De La Salle University, he balanced his academic responsibilities as a singer for Innersoul, the university’s premier vocal performance group.
A year out of college, he competed in the debut season of Idol Philippines 2019, where he finished as a Top 12 finalist. While he didn’t earn the title of the show’s very first grand Idol, he did win in his own right by becoming an iDoll. Following the competition’s conclusion, he teamed up with fellow finalists Enzo Almario and Lucas Garcia to form the trio known as iDolls.
The team flourished, separately and together. Each of the three released their respective singles — Garcia’s “Tinatapos Ko Na,” Juniosa’s “Sayaw ng mga Tala,” and Almario’s “Extensyon” — in 2020. In 2021, they channeled bold harmonies and unflinching pride in the queer power anthem “Kapangyarihan,” the group’s debut single released under ABS-CBN Music’s Star Pop label.
iDolls took on several stages for three years — from ABS-CBN programs like ASAP Natin ‘To and Season 3 of Your Face Sounds Familiar and variety shows like It’s Showtime and Gandang Gabi Vice — before disbanding in 2022. Love and support flowed from the separation as Juniosa announced his decision to move to the United Kingdom to pursue a BFA in Musical Theater at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland under a partial scholarship.
The curtains rose on a whole new, dramatic chapter of his career. He has portrayed a series of iconic roles: Lola in Kinky Boots and Clopin in The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the 2024 Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Sonja in a 2025 production of Oscar at the Crown, and Muzha in Ne Zha earlier this year in January.
Having recently graduated from his musical theater program, he supplemented his impressive line of production credits with work as a part-time waiter in Glasgow, Scotland, where he now resides.
Still, Juniosa’s heart yearned to return to competitive reality TV. During BGT’s March 28 episode, he wowed audiences with both his prowess and charm, riffing rhythmically and comedically. But he was also unafraid to be vulnerable, sharing his determination to overcome being a “singing competition loser” with judges Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and KSI.
No matter the outcome, it is clear Juniosa is off to a spectacular start to his BGT run. He will advance to the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent Season 19 on April 26.
Kristel Herrera: An onstage shapeshifter
Hailing from Halifax in West Yorkshire, Herrera had shyly walked up the stage and was quick to admit that she was nervous. But the judges and crowd would soon witness the Filipina transform into a vocal powerhouse, impressing with an effortless rendition of Whitney Houston’s “Run To You.”
She easily earned all four yeses and a standing ovation from regular judges Amanda Holden, KSI, Alesha Dixon, and guest judge Stacey Solomon. This means that she immediately advances to the next round, and will have the chance to compete in the semi-finals.
“Honestly, I’m blown away by that entire performance. What I’m finding extraordinary is how sort of little and shrunk you are, and when you sang, you turned into a complete diva, baby,” Holden told her.
“That was unbelievable. Your husband must be over the moon being able to hear that every day of his life. I wanna see more,” YouTuber and musician KSI said.
Solomon and Dixon, meanwhile, commended her vocal technique.
“I look at you, and I don’t think you realize just how incredible you are. The way you go from head voice to chest voice so effortlessly is unbelievable and I really hope that you get more confidence because you’re incredible,” Solomon said.
Despite her reserved demeanor on Britain’s Got Talent, Herrera was never one to keep her singing prowess under wraps. Since 2014, she had been sharing her song covers and performance videos on YouTube.
But the talent show stage is where Herrera grew her audience. Before becoming a rising star on Britain’s Got Talent, she was a contestant on Tawag ng Tanghalan in 2020, and had been based in Sampaloc, Manila, then. At the Filipino reality singing competition, Herrera had impressed the judges with the same Whitney Houston song wearing a similar yellow top — rendering the success behind her latest talent show audition all the more special.
While Herrera had joined the COVID-19 lockdown version of Tawag ng Tanghalan, her partner, Mumby, still showed up to support her, albeit virtually. Back then, Mumby had just been her long-time boyfriend, but he proposed to her on the show through a video call. And so her Britain’s Got Talent stint, where he came to cheer her on in person as her now-husband, doubled as a full-circle moment for them both.
Herrera is also a theater actress, having starred in UK productions of The Wizard of Oz and Robin Hood. She and her husband have proven to be a dynamic duo, constantly appearing in musicals alongside each other — and even portraying Belle and Beast, respectively, in Carriageworks Theatre’s Beauty and the Beast in 2024, among other shows. – Rappler.com
Raine Romero is a Rappler intern studying AB Political Science with a Minor in Creative Writing at De La Salle University.
