They may have come from different batches of “It’s Showtime’s” long-running reality singing competition “Tawag ng Tanghalan,” yet not a lot of people are perhaps aware that “Season 6” grand champion Lyka Estrella and “The School Showdown” grand winner Carmelle Collado that they are actually friends.
And after conquering the “TNT” platform during their respective stints, both of them have been taking on the stage of the ABS-CBN Studios legendary musical variety show “ASAP” as part of the “ASAP New Gen Champions” and two of “ASAP New Gen Divas” along with their fellow TNT alumna Marielle Montellano.
Ahead of a recent concert that they starred in alongside other local icons, ABS-CBN Studios had the chance to catch up with Carmelle and Lyka via their guesting on Kapamilya Chat, wherein they didn’t just talk about their blooming careers and friendship, but also their respective awesome experiences on “ASAP.”
Lyka was the first one to reminisce on her most unforgettable backstage moments on the show, sharing that it was when she “fangirled” so hard on Popstar Royalty Sarah Geronimo upon seeing her for the very first time. It was also a surreal feeling for her when she finally got to meet Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, Morissette Amon, and the other divas in her early days on “ASAP,” then got to perform with them eventually, since she used to only watch them on TV.
For Carmelle, her favorite off-cam moment with her “ASAP” family is every time the artists and staff would gather in one area to pray before they go live or start taping, with Mr. Pure Energy Gary Valenciano leading them. She also recalled feeling shy the very first time that she stepped on the “ASAP” stage, not knowing how she would approach the stars whom she used to only see onscreen. Thus, she’s really thankful that everyone was approachable and made her feel welcome in their family, which she actually didn’t expect since most of them were already big stars in the industry.
Lyka went on to add that moment she cried during her rehearsals with Angeline Quinto while singing “Patuloy ang Pangarap,” which she used to be her winning piece during her “Tawag ng Tanghalan” stint. She felt overwhelmed and overjoyed by that unbelievable experience singing alongside one of her idols, who consoled her while she was sobbing.
With regard to their most memorable “ASAP” performances, Carmelle said that it’s whenever she is part of the opening number, especially when it is for live telecast. It might be really nerve-wracking, but the high energy being passed on to them by their colleagues never fails to invigorate her and eliminate her jitters.
Meanwhile, it seemed impossible for Lyka to pinpoint just one performance, as she reiterated how much she enjoys bonding with her fellow artists before and after they appear onstage.
When asked about the public’s warm and rave reception for their singing trio with Marielle known as “ASAP New Gen Divas,” the “At Ang Hirap” hitmaker stated that she feels nothing but “sobrang grateful [and] sobrang saya”. Knowing that they could serve as an inspiration or role model to the younger generations or aspiring singers, they make sure to always give their 101%.
“Nao-overwhelm po talaga ako sobra. Kasi hindi ko po ine-expect na ganito ‘yong mangyayari, na aabangan kami sa ‘ASAP,’ ‘yong mga prods namin,” Carmelle related and went on to discuss how tough their production numbers actually are.
“Happy kami na ‘yong pinagpaguran namin, nagugustuhan din po ng mga Kapamilyas natin,” Carmelle remarked.
Catch Lyka and Carmelle on “ASAP” every Sunday at 12 noon on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL)s, A2Z, TV5 and iWant.