On paper, JM Dela Cerna and Marielle Montellano’s task of transforming into Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as "Wicked" characters Glinda and Elphaba for Round 5 of “Your Face Sounds Familiar” sounded like a major leap, but much like the lyrics of "Defying Gravity" (the song they performed) says, they came ready to defy expectations and soar beyond limits—and clinch their second win on the show.
WATCH: JMielle earns a rousing ovation for their exceptional Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande duet
JM had to honor Cynthia's soaring female vocals, stepping into the Tony winner's shoes in full prosthetics and costume, while Marielle was returning to the stage still in recovery from an illness. Yet these Bisaya pride proved that nothing is ever truly out of reach if they show up with heart, trust their craft, and believe in the magic they're capable of creating together.
This "Wicked" transformation might just be their boldest YFSF challenge yet, pushing them out of their comfort zones. JM had the heavier character work as it was his first time embodying a female icon for the show. Speaking with ABS-CBN Studios after their win, he recalled how his transformation was a literal race against the clock. He only had around half an hour to get into full prosthetics and costume since he was the last to be glammed up before the show started. But despite the time crunch, the prosthetics team, working together with celebrity makeup artist Hajie Alejandro, pulled it off flawlessly, with the prosthetics staying secure throughout the entire performance. “Sobrang on point,” he described, giving credit to the glam teams for their dedication.
While JM tackled the physical demands of being painted into Elphaba’s green skin, Marielle also endured an almost three-hour Ariana makeover, all while still easing back from a two-week health setback. “I’m still on medication po,” she shared. “Honestly po, wala po akong expectations kasi nga po kakabalik ko lang. But I’m so happy na gano’n ‘yung naging turnout ng performance namin.”
Their weekly "Your Face Sounds Familiar" preparation process usually starts with the voice. Once their assigned artists are revealed by the "iconator," they both begin their vocal work and then later on just trust the transformation team fully when it comes to the look.
Ariana’s voice was already familiar to her ear, as she’s been an avid listener of the “Dangerous Woman” icon since her younger days on the American sitcom "Victorious" but actually 'becoming her' was a delicate task. "Mahirap talaga po siya kasi manipis 'yung voice niya. She's been through a lot of eras na manipis ‘yung voice niya," said Marielle. Adding to the difficulty was the fact that many of the lines she had to sing weren’t originally Glinda’s in the original "Wicked" performance, so she had to make sure that even if it wasn’t technically Ariana’s part, it still sounded like "her." Marielle noted that although her theater experience in high school wasn't extensive, it still provided her with a foundation in discipline that proved useful in demanding weeks like this.
For JM, copying Cynthia’s voice wasn’t as straightforward as matching someone with an instantly recognizable tone, and he admitted, “Hindi siya gano’n ka-distinct na parang Celine [Dion] na alam mo na agad kung paano gayahin. Depende kasi ‘yung boses niya sa role.” So he leaned on vocal mixing and performance instinct to land his parts, “Kinanta ko na lang talaga." At the end of the day, the mindset is simply to give their best in whatever they do, perfect match or not.
For YFSF, the "TNT Duets" champs have been experimenting with different teamwork rhythms, choosing this time to study their icons separately at first. They allow each other to explore their roles independently before eventually syncing up during their joint rehearsals. As JM put, “Hindi kami ‘yung tipo na, ‘dito ka ha, dito ako.’” Probably it's a method built on trust and on how attuned they already are to one another’s strengths. “Nagugulat na lang kami kasi alam na pala namin ‘yung part ng isa’t isa. Nakikinig pala kami.”
When asked how proud they were of each other, Marielle spoke about how JM rose to the challenge of a role as layered as Elphaba, especially given that portraying a female character made it twice as difficult for him, “Sobrang proud talaga ako sa kanya." And she was even more proud knowing that in the previous two weeks, JM had carried their tandem onstage even as he performed solo. JM, meanwhile, praised how Marielle’s voice naturally suited Ariana’s signature 'floating' tone, which he said landed perfectly onstage.
Their performance of “Defying Gravity” earned them their second YFSF win, to which they also their mentors, Klarisse De Guzman and Nyoy Volante, who gave them helpful pointers, particularly Klarisse's technique on vocal positioning, "'Yung forward pero paatras," or balancing two sensations between forward resonance and a feeling of openness at the back of the mouth and throat.
And while the audience only ever gets to see the final performance, JM pointed out that what most people don’t realize is the sheer amount of work that happens behind the scenes. Some might even assume that because they’re seasoned in competitions and already coming off a second win, the process must be easier from here, but JM and Marielle responded almost in unison, “Hindi po talaga," because every transformation still challenges them differently.
Should Ariana and Cynthia see the performance, JMielle hopes the icons would feel happy with it and perhaps say that Filipinos really are exceptional singers.
Do not miss an episode of “Your Face Sounds Familiar” every weekend night, 7:15PM on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z and iWant. Viewers can also catch it on TV5 every Saturday, at 8:15PM, and Sundays, at 8:30 PM.