Right on the first few notes and words of her rendition of “Narito Ako” by Regine Velasquez, Katrina Velarde already earned the nod of her icon’s belove husband, Ogie Alcasid, during her appearance on “Your Face Sounds Familiar” as its guest performer in the fifth round.
During her interview with hosts Vhong Navarro and Jhong Hilario, she disclosed that the “Asia’s Songbird” is the “number 1” artist she loves to impersonate because she has been her ultimate idol. She further confessed how Regine never fails to make her kilig everytime she sees her, so she couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed to perform as her on TV.
“Noong sumasali pa ako sa mga amateur singing contest, may mga nagsasabi na sa akin na para raw ka-boses ko si Ate [Regine]. So, in-embrace ko naman siya kasi talagang si Ate Reg na talaga ang inspiration ko. Even no’ng six years palang ako when I started sing, kay Ate Reg na talaga ako nakikilig,” Katrina related when asked by Vhong how she was able to figure out that she actually sounded like her idol.
Since she has been known as the “Suklay Diva,” Jhong didn’t miss the chance to dare her to a singing challenge, wherein she had to sing “Narito Ako” again but in the voices of the other artists that she usually imitates—Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera, and even celebrity Rufa Mae Quinto—and using the exact comb that she’d used to film herself belting out “Dangerously In Love 2” by Beyoncé while holding a plastic comb as her microphone.
Ogie took the opportunity to tell Katrina that he’s such a fan of hers, as well as that he appreciates her performance as her for loving his wife, who actually loves her in return. He also imparted how her performance gave him goosebumps as it reminded him of the moment when Regine received a standing ovation from audiences who attended one of her shows at the Folk Arts Theater many years ago.
Guest juror Nyoy Volante took pride in having experienced working with her in the past and invited her to join “Your Face Sounds Familiar” next time as a celebrity performer. Meanwhile, his fellow guest juror Klarisse de Guzman recalled how they used to join similar singing contestants before, so she’s happy to see her perform live again.
And lastly, juror Sharon Cuneta conveyed her amazement over the power-belter's performance, wishing for her to join this show since she had what it takes to be a celebrity performer. Klarisse then made one last request for her, which Katrina willingly granted.
Catch the amazing transformations of your favorite celebrity performers on “Your Face Sounds Familiar,” Saturdays and Sundays, 7:15PM on Kapamilya Channel, ALLTV2, A2Z, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), and iWant.