With his striking looks, natural charm, and undeniable talent, it’s likely easy for BGYO member Akira Morishita to draw attention and captivate hearts. Just when many thought he had already revealed the full extent of his abilities through his performances with the group and as a solo artist, he surprised and delighted everyone, especially the ACEs (as what BGYO’s fandom is called) when he joined the fourth season of “Your Face Sounds Familiar” as one of its celebrity performers.
And eight rounds into the competition, he finally got to claim the weekly winner title through his astonishing transformation into K-Pop superstar and BLACKPINK member Lisa and his spectacular performance of her hit song “Money.”
While he may be used to performing in front of any crowd, he confessed during his exclusive interview with ABS-CBN Studios that he actually still experiences stage fright, especially whenever he’s on the “Your Face Sounds Familiar” stage since he’s used to performing with his bandmates Gelo Rivera, Mikki Claver, JL Torreliza, and Nate Porcalla. He related that it felt strange at first—although they had solo acts in their concerts, and he had already other endeavors as a solo artist—so he needed to make some adjustments.
When asked how his four bandmates reacted as soon as they found out that he would be part of the show, he recounted that they initially burst into laughter. However, they have been very supportive of him, to the point that they surprised him by joining him onstage as they transformed into the members of legendary ‘90s boyband Backstreet Boys and performed “Last Christmas.”
Impersonating other personalities might initially be an unchartered territory for him, yet he didn’t hesitate to accept the offer of becoming a celebrity performer. As someone who’s up for any challenges, he seized the opportunity not only for him to be able to further hone and showcase his capabilities but to also meet and work alongside other artists and production people.
And these, he thought, are the significant contributions of being part of “Your Face Sounds Familiar” to him both as an individual and as an artist. He’s thankful to have found new friends and a new family in the industry, which really helped with his mental well-being. At the same time, as he and his fellow celebrity performers transform into various personalities in every round, this allowed him to realize and observe the different ways and styles that other artists perform, which he could apply or adapt in his own performances. However, he claimed that he’s still the same artist that he was before his stint here, except that his knowledge and familiarity about various songs have expanded, as well as his appreciation for music have further grown.
Moreover, being part of the show has also helped not only with his career but also with his band, since more people came to know him and BGYO. He explained, “Mas lumawak ‘yong pagkakakilala sa amin ng tao [and] not just me kasi as BGYO Akira ako sa ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar.’ In a way, kahit na sabihin mong mag-isa ako dyan, ‘pag sinearch ng tao, ‘Sino ba ‘yong BGYO Akira?’ Makikita nila ‘yong BGYO. Very helpful [kaya] very happy din ako na kasama ako.”
The “Ace Idol” admitted that even though he watches his performances every round, he can’t bring himself to watch them right away because they feel cringe. However, he acknowledges the importance of reviewing his previous acts in order to assess the improvements that he needs to make for the next.
With regard to his top favorites among his eight performances, he disclosed that aside from Jungkook of BTS and Harry Styles, it would be none other than Tom Jones. Even though he lost that round, he was pleased that despite the differences in their vocal range and singing style—not to mention the era—he was still able to pull it off so well. He was proud not to hear any tinge of his own voice, which made him realize that he could actually be a baritone.
Meanwhile, he confessed about struggling during his Charlie Puth performance, recalling that his voice was actually not in good condition at the time since that particular episode was filmed a few days after BGYO’s concert.
Not a lot of people may know it, but before becoming a member of BGYO, Akira has been in the local entertainment since he was a kid, starting out as a commercial model and a young actor in films and movies. However, he had never considered his experiences in acting and performing as his edge or advantage against his fellow celebrity performers.
“Ibang klase ‘yong panggagaya eh. Kung actor ka, ikaw ‘yong gumagawa ng story mo, ng character mo itself, kung anong klaseng atake ba nito. Pero kapag mayroon kang ipo-portray na artist, kailangan mong kunin ‘yong nuances nila,” he said.
Then he added, “In a way, may kaunting help ‘yong part na ‘yon pero hindi talaga siya totally as an advantage kasi iba talaga ‘yong panggagaya sa paggawa ng character. Ang hirap.”
As the celebrity performers pressed on the iconizer by the end of the eighth to determine the artists they are going to impersonate next, Akira decided to steal Jason Dy’s icon, James Reid, after seeing that it was Michael Bolton whom he was supposed to impersonate. When asked why he did so, he admitted about feeling that he’s going to have a hard time mimicking him, particularly his voice, and remarked, “Medyo pagod na tayo.” However, he acknowledges that impersonating James will have its fair share of challenges since he has his own way of singing and performing.
As this writer mentioned that it was a good call since James and him somehow have the same vibe, he fondly reminisced that during a trip in the United Kingdom, some of our kababayans there had actually mistaken him for James, joking that it made him want to migrate there.
Akira capped the interview by conveying his heartfelt gratitude to everyone supporting him and “Your Face Sounds Familiar.”
“Gusto ko lang po mag-thank you sa lahat ng ACEs sa laging pagsuporta and sa pagmamahal na binibigay ninyo. And sa lahat po ng nanonood ng ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar,’ maraming, maraming salamat. I hope na napapasaya namin kayo. I love you all and let’s remember na this show is for the enjoyment of everyone. Huwag naman tayo masyadong maging critic,” he said.
How will Akira fare in the next round? Let’s find out by not missing an episode of “Your Face Sounds Familiar,” Saturdays and Sundays, 7:15PM on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Channel sa ALLTV2, A2Z, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL) and iWant.