The Voice Teens Philippines: Semifinals [Team Sharon & Team Bamboo]

.. and just like that, we're officially at the homestretch as we name the four singers to compete in next week's Finale. Quite frankly, given how strong the talent was this year based on the excruciatingly long Blind Auditions, I can't say that this was the best possible combination of finalists. That being said, it's anyone's game at this point and that makes for an unpredictable run to the finish. If anything, tonight's performances and results were clear indications of such uncertainty. 

TEAM SHARON

Jeremy Glinoga

Sign of the Times

Can I officially declare Jeremy as THE darkhorse of the competition? His version wasn't anywhere near perfect - his vocals sounded strained when he started to stretch his upper range - but Sign of the Times is a deceptively difficult song to sing and he shockingly pulled it off. He sounded gorgeous during the verses, his falsetto was a lot stronger than I expected, he connected well with the material, and there's an innate star quality to him that can't be taught. I wish he stayed on the piano though. 8

Christy Lagapa

Don't Cry For Me Argentina

Just like Jeremy, Christy had some problems with her performances, but somehow her mistakes were a lot more magnified just because the band accompaniment and backing vocals weren't as loud and overpowering in this instance. No, it's never fair, but it was more obvious and that did her in. I thought her vocals were absolutely divine and pristine until that noticeably shaky long note near the end. She did manage to salvage the rest of the performance, but I didn't think it was enough. 7

ELIMINATED

Christy Lagapa

TEAM BAMBOO

Emarjhun De Guzman

Butterfly

What a shame. After last week, Emarjhun was poised to be the last one standing for Team Bamboo - just because Isabela is, arguably, not as good - but his vocals failed him tonight. He sounded really hoarse all throughout and he was really struggling to hit those high notes, which was essentially the meat of the song. It's unfortunate, really, because he could've given Mica and Jona a run for their money next week. Sigh. 6.5

Isabela Vinzon

You And I

Why was her voice sounded annoyingly affected? Ugh. Vocally, her handle on pitch was consistent, and there's power to her vocals, but there was something about her version of You And I that didn't feel and sound right from the phrasing to her goaty vibrato down to her vocal inflections. Like last week, she was still trying way too hard to impress that it now almost came off too desperate. Plus, the whole staging was quite a mess. Why did she even leave the piano if she'll eventually go back at the end? I've said this so many times when I review reality singing shows, but it bears repeating: don't leave the piano. EVER. No performance in any reality singing competition has ever been made better by making the incredibly unmotivated decision to leave the keys to go work the stage. Just sit there and tell your story. 6.5 

ELIMINATED

Emarjhun De Guzman