The Voice US winner Sofronio Vasquez took a trip down memory lane and recounted his experience as an Overseas Filipino Worker.
After his stint in Tawag ng Tanghalan, Sofronio worked in a cruise ship as a singer.
"Nag-work ako ng cruise ship, I worked with one kontrata lang and hindi ko na natuloy kasi hindi rin madali," he recounted in an interview with PUSH Bets.
The singer recalled that he was working six days a week and was performing different genres of music daily.
"Kumbaga dito sa Philippines 'yung kantahan ko was ballad. There I had to adapt and I had to learn. Monday for rock songs, Tuesday for a Motown… kumbaga meron silang mga themes and you have to deal with that every day," he shared.
The singer went on: "Kaya nga merong mga times na kapag tulog ako, pagod na pagod ako, pag gising ko pagod pa rin ako."
Aside from being away from his family, one of the challenges he also encountered during his work in the cruise ship was adjusting to different cultures.
"Bukod sa malayo ka sa family, bukod sa pagod, I think one major challenging part was to adapt the culture because iba-ibang lahi 'yung sumasakay sa cruise and iba 'yung humor ng Filipinos," he explained.
The singer went on: "Iba 'yung humor ng ibang lahi so you have to adapt. Challenging siya in a way and in a sense na [iisipin mo kung] mao-offend mo kaya sila if ito 'yung ijo-joke mo? Because if you sing on stage, you are not just a singer; you perform and you entertain them."
Despite the challenges, Sofronio remarked that the experience led him to find a new family among his fellow Filipinos.
"I learned and I got to bond with our OFWs and now, looking back, tuwang-tuwa ako kasi natuto rin akong makisama. Kahit malayo ka sa pamilya, 'yung family mo ['yung] katrabaho mo, especially Filipinos," he said.
After returning to the Philippines, the pandemic hit and shows were put on hold. Sofronio shared that he resorted to becoming an online seller at that time to earn money.
"Wala ng music nun. Kumbaga ano 'yung magiging option? Nagbenta din ako ng biko. Ako mismo gumagawa. Nagpapa-book ako sa mga online [apps]. Pandemic 'to and hindi ako nahiya mag-reach out sa big stars ng ABS-CBN, si Karylle ng Showtime, Tyang Amy, dati Ms. K Brosas," he recalled.
"Naging maganda naman 'yung income pero along the way sabi ko 'yung pagod ko, kulang pa rin," he said.
After the pandemic, Sofronio decided to pursue a dental career in the US.
"Nagpunta ako sa America, trying to push another chapter dun sa dental career ko at nakapagtrabaho ulit ako," he relayed. "Ayun na-stumble naman ako ng isang audition, try ko nga, and [now] I am here.”
Sofronio is the first Filipino to win The Voice US.
Following his win, the singer took home $100,000 or ₱5.9M from the reality singing competition.
"Gagamitin ko 'yung pera na 'yun of course as investment dun sa music," he relayed on his plans for his winnings in a recent interview with Karen Davila.
He went on: "Kasi music talaga eh and now I was given the chance to penetrate the mainstream which is America, gagamitin ko talaga 'yun. Kumbaga if I have to produce myself, if I have to reach out to people, big names, always naman akong ganun. Kumbaga, a no is a no, and a yes is a yes. So try lang ako. Kung makatanggap ako ng no, then move on to another."
Sofronio was also automatically signed with a record label in the US. "Meron din po ako talagang automatic na recording label dun sa Republic Records," he shared.