After months of belting through the blinds, battles, knockouts, and live shows, The Voice declared its Season 26 winner on Tuesday night, and Sofronio Vasquez couldn’t be more delighted that it was him who America voted in for the win. The pop-R&B singer was a four-chair-turner for his cover of Rose Royce’s “I’m Goin’ Down,” and his domination only continued from there.
In the battles, he beat Aliyah Khaylyn on their duet of Jennifer Rush’s “The Power of Love.” In the knockouts, he won with his performance of “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me.” Then, in the playoffs, he advanced thanks to his performances of Roy Orbison’s “Crying,” Elvis Presley’s “If I Can Dream,” and the Police’s “Every Breath You Take.” He capped off the season with performances of “Unstoppable,” “A Million Dreams,” and “Who’s Lovin’ You.”
He also makes history as the first male winner of Asian descent (as he was born in the Phillippines) and worked hard to define his particular vocals alongside coach Michael Bublé. So how does he feel about being the season’s victor? What was his favorite performance of the season? And what is in store for him next? TV Insider caught up with Sofronio Vasquez to find out!
You’re the first Asian male winner of the show. What does it mean to you to bring that representation to The Voice?
Sofronio Vasquez: It means the world to me. It’s just a dream… In the Philippines, to be a winner and to be competing at an international level, it’s such a powerful message for us Filipinos to be like how ambitious we are as a human because we always wanted to be seen and be heard in a good way. And that representation is also just a celebration for everyone’s dream that even the biggest, most unimaginable dream, that’s gonna be possible when you just do it.
How have your fans back home been responding to all this?
They are crazy about it. I can’t stop myself from just smiling. They’re all so emotional. When I see in their reaction videos that they were shouting, it was like a Manny Pacquiao fight. From boxing… We love Manny Pacquiao, and every time he wins a boxing fight, it’s a celebration. That’s what I feel when I watch their videos. It’s like, “Wow, you guys are just awesome.”
Can you walk back a little bit about it and just reflect on finding your voice this season?
So, joining The Voice, I always had this vision of me being a soul singer. But having to work with Michael Bublé, he’s just an artist with an out-of-this-world music box. He thinks that music is limitless regardless if you’re a soul, a classic, an R&B… He just throws songs from the ’60s, ’70s, contemporary songs, and he’s been trying to maneuver it in his way, and I’m so glad that it worked out for me and him. And even with Shye.
Looking back on the season, what song performance do you think really represented you?
At first, singing Roy Orbison’s “Cryin’” was a hesitation because I really didn’t hear the song ever once before, but having it online and having to perform it on stage, and just Michael’s trust and his confidence of giving that song to me is just a way of me sharing my story that you know what, even if you think that song is not as big and as powerful as everyone, as long as you have to put your heart in it, it’s gonna be a beautiful experience on stage and you’ll just give your heart, and that’s the performance for me.
Beyond just helping you find different songs, how else did Michael Bublé help you as a coach?
He’s just wonderful. He always checks on everyone that’s on his team. Me and Shye, we would always get a morning text like, “How are you doing? How’s the rehearsal going? Did you like your arrangement? Can I see your outfits for the night?” He also makes sure that we are at peace even if we are not for sure. When we are on stage, I would always remember we’re holding hands — usually with Shye because we are the representatives of Team Bublé and he would just mouth, “Relax, you got this.” … He’s very confident.
What did Shye and the other Top 5 members say to you after your win?
Oh, they are so lovely. They are very, very happy, very, very happy for me. It’s not a competition for us like for the Top 5 and even the Top 8. It’s a family and because we won—literally, I mean, we did the finals and from 150 contestants down to five, that’s a gift. They are just happy and I’m also as happy for them. We are just excited to move forward and do tours together.
What advice would you give to someone who’s auditioning for this show?
I think good advice would be just reflect on yourselves. If you have this dream and you have this goal in life, remember that in any goal, there’s gonna be a road longer than you could imagine. And in that road, there will be bumpy situations, but bumpy roads are not there to stop you. It resets you just like, “Hey, it’s a bump and you just move forward.” And nothing worth doing is easy so you just have to go for it and try.