From being a 24-year-old lad from Butuan City who used to serenade girls in place of their real suitors or partners and record demo tracks for other artists, it can really be said that Jason Dy has already gone far both in life and career. He has now won many hearts with his lovely voice that is definitely swoon-worthy and has earned himself a spot in the local entertainment scene.
Ever since joining “The Voice Philippines Season 2” in 2014 under the team of Coach Sarah Geronimo and eventually winning the competition, a lot of doors have indeed opened for him. He has become a regular performer on “ASAP,” appeared in several TV and live shows, recorded albums and sang songs of his own, showcased his acting chops in a couple of Kapamilya programs, and served as one of the judges in “Tawag ng Tanghalan.”
As he marks his 10th anniversary in showbiz this 2025, Jason is committed to showing everyone more of him—or perhaps even other facets of him that we probably haven’t seen yet through the years that he has been performing on various stages—by joining “Your Face Sounds Familiar,” which is now on its fourth season and 10th year as well.
And in the second week of the reality competition, it was him who stood out the most among the eight celebrity performers through his beyond impressive portrayal of award-winning English singer-songwriter Sam Smith performing “Dancing With A Stranger.” With how he really looked like his icon—from the physical appearance to the moves—as well as how he truly sounded like him, there was no wonder that it was him whom the jury and some of his fellow contenders had chosen to be the winner.
Thus, right after the announcement of the second-week winner, ABS-CBN Studios grabbed the chance to speak with Jason about his exceptional performance that was too good to be missed, as well as his experience so far in “Your Face Sounds Familiar.”
For you to get the precise “feels” of our fun and insightful conversation with him, we’re sharing a portion of it below.
How does it feel to be hailed as the Week 2 winner?
“Sobrang saya. Ang laking relief, sobrang gratifying [dahil] nagbunga ‘yong late-night rehearsals, ‘yong pag-aaral ng mga kanta [at] ng choreography. Nakakatuwa na binoto ako ng judges at ng co-contestants ko.”
After seeing all the performances, did you have any hunch that you would win?
“Actually, no. I went into the show na ang mindset ko was just to perform and I really didn’t pay attention that much to the competition side of it, so everytime na magpe-perform ako, I just go there and do my best. Of course, you wanna do a good job. More than winning the week, I just wanna do a good job sa performance ko. So, ‘yon ang goal ko everytime.
Hindi ko na iniisip ‘yong, ‘Ay, mananalo ako tonight.’ Ang tumatakbo sa isip ko, sana maganda ‘yong performance ko.”
Since all of them did their best to pull off their respective acts, what do you think made you stand out?
“More than anything, I think I just had fun. I just enjoyed my performance. Kasi talagang kinabahan naman talaga ako. Paakyat pa lang ako sa iconator, talagang may halong kaba na kasi I really wanna do a good job. But once I got to the stage and I got my first line out and I saw the reception of the crowd, parang naging okay na ang disposition ko, naging happy na ako.”
What were the preparations you went through for this specific performance?
“I worked with, of course, our mentors, si Coach Nyoy [Volante] at si Coach Klang [de Guzman], and then ‘yong ibang coaches din natin, si Coach Ryan, ‘yong voice coach namin, and si Coach Dan, our choreographer. And nanood ako ng maraming, maraming, maraming, maraming, maraming YouTube live performances ni Sam Smith nitong song na ‘to.
So, inaral ko ‘yong mga moves niya, ‘yong mga sayaw niya, pati ‘yong intro niya sa song. I was able to watch him when he came here to Manila. He performed this song also and I have a video on my phone. Prinactice ko rin ‘yon, pinanood ko rin ‘yon. So, I catered my intro sa performance, how he would do it doon sa tour niya.”
How long did you prepare for it?
“When we got the [icons] sa iconator’, so for like a week. We had a week to prepare and ever since na binigay sa akin, on that day nanood na ako agad, nag-research na ako agad, and I reached out to our coaches and mentors for help.”
From simply watching him on videos and at his concert, how does it feel to impersonate Sam Smith?
“Masaya. Parang full circle moment kasi suwerte talaga si Sam Smith sa akin. When I was in ‘The Voice [Philippines Season 2], I did his song ‘Stay With Me’ for the Blind Auditions and then ngayon, I did his song again and I ended up winning. So, malaking swerte o anting-anting ang mga kanta ni Sam Smith sa akin.”
What was your initial reaction upon finding out that Sam Smith would be your icon for the Week 2?
“Naku halo-halong saya at excitement at pressure kasi it’s not easy to do him. He has a very distinct voice. I’m a huge fan also and I really love his music. I wanted to do a good job, so I put a lot of pressure on myself na talagang galingan ko kasi I didn’t want to make a mockery of him. I wanted to honor him and pay tribute to him as a person and as an artist. Mixed emotions talaga, pero mas nangingibabaw ‘yong excitement, ‘yong saya.”
Did you have any input with regard to your physical transformation?
“No. I let the whole creative team or the production team do what they do because they’re experts at it. So, I was just there for the ride tapos nag-observe lang ako kung ano ‘yong mga nangyari. I was slowly seeing the progression of my look.”
(Jason went on to add that it was really a matter of trusting the process since, at first, there seemed to be no resemblance to the artist. But in the end, it came out really impressive as he indeed looked like Sam Smith. It also took him and the team four hours to complete his final look)
What was the most challenging part of your Week 2 performance?
“Ang challenging [part] is the whole look [because] there’s a lot of things to consider. The outfit medyo constrictive siya kasi I was wearing a corset, I’m wearing a lot of layers, I’m wearing heels. And then ‘yong performance aspect mismo [dahil] hindi lang siya kanta, may dance din. So, I need to think about the blockings and the steps and the choreography. Not only that, I also have to be conscious about imitating Sam’s voice. Maraming iniisip but I think those were the most challenging parts of the performance.”
Did you make any discoveries about yourself after this performance?
“Na kaya ko pa palang sumayaw. Kasi it has been a while since I danced. When I was in college, I used to dance for a dance group. Matagal ko na siyang hindi nagagamit na skill, so feeling ko nag-atrophy na siya. But it was nice to tap back into that skill again. Parang na-reignite ‘yong love ko for dancing, for movement.”
Was there something in your performance that you would like to change or improve?
“None na kasi nanalo na tayo eh. Regardless of if I won or not, I was happy with what I did.”
Ka-Familiars! Show your love and support to Jason Dy by cheering on him in the next rounds of “Your Face Sounds Familiar,” Saturdays and Sundays on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, A2Z, TV5 and iWant!