Tracking the “Your Face Sounds Familiar” leaderboard, it’s safe to say Jason Dy's no-holds-barred transformations have secured him a spot among this season’s frontrunners.
But while the acts may come off as just "for fun," the competition has actually been rewiring him deep as an artist. ABS-CBN Studios caught up with Jason to talk about how his gender-switch experiences have broadened his respect for female performers, how he manages his competitive side amid score shake-ups, and the lesson from Coach Sarah Geronimo that continues to guide him more than a decade after winning “The Voice of the Philippines."
From Britney to Cardi B
Jason's relationship with gender swaps on “YFSF” has evolved with every round. His first was Britney Spears during Week 4—a baptism by fire that threw him into unfamiliar territory under pressure.
"First gender switch, so bago lahat. I didn't know what to expect," he recalls. "May wig na mahabang hair tapos may in-ear monitors kami. And then 'yung corset pa, hirap na hirap ka rin kasi masikip, mahirap mag-breathe at gumalaw, very restrictive. Tapos naka-heels, although no'ng nag-Sam Smith ako [sa Round 2] naka-heels na ako, so medyo na-practice ko na 'yun."
If Britney was more about physical discomfort, his next female transformation into Cher in Round 6 made him feel the challenge vocally. “Mahirap din ’yun kasi iba ‘yung boses niya. Hirap gayahin,” he says plainly.
His third gender-switch happened just recently during Round 10 where he channeled Cardi B. Although it still came with its fair share of unique challenges, there was no more shock factor in the process and the discomfort was more manageable than intimidating, "At least I had an idea what I’m getting myself into." The uncertainty was replaced with preparation, and he even elevated his Cardi number by being very hands-on, earning him his second win on the show.
Taking on the roles of female performers, even briefly, altered Jason’s perspective. He observed that while male artists typically go onstage with streamlined preparation, their female counterparts endure meticulous layers of styling, glam sessions, fittings, and intricate adjustments before stepping into the spotlight.
“Kaming mga lalaki, in and out lang kami sa stage. It takes us at most an hour—matagal na ’yun,” he reflects. “Pero women, female performers, they go through a lot. It takes a village to come up with all of this. Hats off ako sa lahat ng female performers.”
He felt it physically—the corsets, the wigs and makeup, the finesse in every movement. And with that came empathy. At the same time, these gender switches widened his own artistry, “Na-apply ko din sa sarili ko ‘yung pagiging confident, pagiging more loose, more adventurous as an artist.”
The 'Sarah G' Discipline
In many ways, that mindset traces back to 2015 when he won "The Voice of the Philippines" Season 2 under the mentorship of Coach Sarah. With the online trend of looking back at who you were a decade ago, we asked Jason what lessons from that chapter remain with him.
He shares that most of his takeaways were modeled by the Popstar Royalty herself—principles he continues to apply to this day. "She emphasized talaga na you have to feel the song, you have to enjoy your performance, you have to know what the song is trying to say, what it's trying to convey sa puso mo...'yung mga lyrics, 'yung message kumbaga na gustong ipahiwatig ng song."
And when you’re shaped by Sarah G's discipline, it’s impossible not to inherit her grit onstage. "Si Coach, as a very talented performer, parang 'chinanel' ko din siya dito [sa YFSF].'Yung stage presence, ‘yung, 'stage ko ‘to maangas ako mag-perform.'"
For Jason, his coach is the very definition of real transformation, as she may be bashful offstage but expect her to turn fierce once the spotlight hits.
"Si Coach Sarah talagang nagta-transform siya," he says. "She's a little shy, she's very conservative and very soft-spoken, but when she's on stage you see the transformation, like, may nagki-click. So 'yun 'yung gusto ko, na mawala sa utak nila 'yung Jason Dy at gusto ko makita nila si Cardi B," he recounts, relating the lesson to his recent winning "YFSF" act as Cardi B.
And by judging by his recent performances, it’s a lesson that still works.
On Competition and Scoreboard
“Yes and no,” Jason answers when asked if he’s naturally competitive. “There are times when I’m very competitive kasi I’m very hard on myself. Kailangan may self-talk ako lagi. ‘Hindi ka nanalo, okay lang ah.’”
Admittedly, he still carries traces of that young Jason—the one who went through countless auditions and contests, facing rejection after rejection before “The Voice,” which was the ultimatum he set for himself. “Last ko na ’yun. Sabi ko, ‘pag hindi pa rin ako nakapasok, tigil na ako.”
And that mindset—of drawing a line in the sand—also influences how he "competes" today. He's in a televised contest again, but this time, the real opponent is just himself. “I always want to one-up myself. Dapat mas magaling ako dun sa last performance ko.”
But that doesn’t mean the weekly rankings on “YFSF” don’t cross his mind, especially when the numbers fluctuate. There are weeks when he tops the jury, only to see the overall tally reshuffled once co-performer scores are factored in. Fans may react during those rounds when expectations are high and the outcome lands differently, but for Jason, perspective has to remain steady.
“It’s the way the game works,” he remarks. “Sometimes what resonates with the judges might not resonate with the performers. We might have different opinions.”
So instead of anchoring himself to the scoreboard, he focuses on effort. “I don’t expect to win. I hope to win,” he clarifies. “I’m hoping na makuha ko 'yung highest score, pero hindi naman ako lagi nag-e-expect na ito, mananalo ako this week.”
He knows managing expectations is part of surviving a competition format. So, when a week doesn’t end with a trophy, he goes back to a simpler metric where the only thing he measures is whether or not he gave everything he could.
"I temper my expectations, so 'pag hindi ako nananalo, it's okay, at least I feel like I did well and I put my 100% into the performance. 'Yun lang naman 'yung goal ko every performance, gusto kong galingan, manalo man ako o hindi basta feeling ko sa sarili ko na magaling 'yung ginawa ko at binigay ko," reflects the Prince of Soul.
Last night, Jason transformed into Benson Boone, the icon he “stole” from Akira Morishita, obviously a playful act of revenge after Akira previously stole James Reid from him. “It’s a playful competition. We all love each other. It’s all in good fun.”
Friendly rivalry aside, he’s also a huge fan of the “Beautiful Things” hitmaker. In fact, he had already dressed up as the American singer-songwriter for Halloween before. It is therefore unsurprising that he approached this transformation with nothing less than his full 100 percent once again.
Catch Jason on “Your Face Sounds Familiar,” airing weeknights, 7:15PM on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, ALLTV, and iWant.