Musical pair JM Dela Cerna and Marielle Montellano recently appeared on Kapamilya Chat, where they enthusiastically looked back on their journey in “Your Face Sounds Familiar” and took part in a series of fun games prepared just for them.
Collectively known as “JMielle,” they commenced the interview by reflecting on their “YFSF” experience. JM amusingly let out a deep sigh before sharing, “Mahirap talaga. Sabi ko nga, parang isang rollercoaster talaga ‘yong journey namin sa ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar.’ Nandoon lahat ng pagod, ng saya, of course, ng fun, and excitement.”
Marielle echoed his sentiments, noting how they shared both the highs and lows of the competition as a team. While they are ultimately happy with how their journey unfolded, she admitted that nerves were unavoidable, especially with every new set of icons they had to portray, many of whom are major names in both the local and international entertainment scenes.
Over the six months they spent on the show, it’s impossible for JMielle to not have had a bunch of unforgettable off-cam moments. JM disclosed how Marielle often bursts into laughter whenever she sees his transformations, particularly during his gender-switch performances. Marielle explained that she simply finds it amusing to see him morph into entirely different personas, given how accustomed she is to how he looks off-screen after years of working together.
The Cebuana singer also cited their transformations as the most memorable aspect of their “YFSF” journey, as these allowed her to witness firsthand the level of dedication their fellow celebrity performers poured into their respective portrayals. According to her, once everyone begins fully immersing themselves in their assigned icons, they become almost impossible to talk to until their performances are done.
When quizzed about their pre-performance rituals, the duo said that there’s actually none, except that they simply immerse themselves in their assigned icons, say a prayer for guidance, and review their parts to ensure nothing is forgotten.
What makes their partnership work, as per Marielle, is their discipline in preparing individually before coming together for rehearsals so that both of them already have a solid grasp of their parts by the time they meet. JM reiterated that they would assess each other’s performances, make corrections, and exchange observations to ensure they deliver nothing short of their best. Besides, having known each other for years, both as individuals and as artists, they can easily pick up on subtle cues—whether through eye contact, nods, smiles, breathing, or other expressions.
As the only 2-in-1 contestants in the competition, JMielle also shared which of their fellow performers could make interesting duos. JM suggested Alexa Ilacad and BGYO’s Akira Morishita, while Marielle named Rufa Mae Quinto and Jason Dy, noting the latter’s ability to mimic the comedienne. This prompted JM to jokingly suggest forming a trio by adding
Alexa, since she impersonated the Comedy Bombshell in the 12th round.
With regard to the most challenging transformation or performance they’d ever done on the program, the Birit Duo agrees that it’s definitely their finale act. It can be recalled that they recreated the epic duet of “And I Am Telling You” by Jennifer Holliday and Jessica Sanchez from “American Idol” Season 11 for the “YFSF” grand showdown last April 12.
JM confessed that they didn’t undergo much preparation for that performance since aside from needing to conserve their voices for the demanding number, they were also working within a tight five-day preparation window.
“Kasi maraming pinagdaanan ‘yong finale na icons namin. So, nang na-finalize na namin na si Jessica Sanchez at si Jennifer Holliday, parang sinabi na rin namin sa selves namin na, ‘Hindi tayo pwedeng mag-risk ng boses natin na sa bawat rehearsal, binibigay lahat,” Marielle related.
She continued, “Very challenging kasi hindi mo mai-internalize kasi hindi mo magagawa. Parang nakatago lang muna siya. Pero kasi kapag binigay mo sa bawat rehearsal, mawawala talaga [‘yong boses].”
Despite the limited preparation, JMielle was still able to amazingly pull off that mind-blowing performance, which received an overwhelming positive reception. Marielle expressed her happiness over the audience’s appreciation, especially considering the immense effort they
invested—especially JM, who not only underwent a physical transformation but also tackled his icon’s intense “incredible vocal calisthenics.”
As a balladeer, JM disclosed that he had never practiced growls or that particular vocal placement before. However, by studying the original performance of Jessica and Jennifer, he found a way to safely mimic the technique. Marielle, in turn, shared how she witnessed JM carefully develop a method that would allow him to execute the vocals without straining his voice or overwhelming listeners.
At the same time, JM praised Marielle for successfully executing her impersonation of Jessica despite the huge differences in their vocal placements and styles. Marielle divulged that she’d managed to do so by copying the shape or position of Jessica’s mouth while singing.
The duo also revealed that before finalizing their grand finals number, they had actually considered other options, including portraying Zendaya and Zac Efron from the 2017 musical film “The Greatest Showman.” They even granted the Kapamilya Chat host’s request for them to sing a short rendition of “Rewrite the Stars” during the interview.
While they got to try doing a gender switch through their “Hot Legs” act in the 11th round—where Marielle transformed into Rod Stewart and JM into Tina Turner—both of them are apparently game to take on each other’s icons. Marielle revealed that she would love to portray either Andrea Bocelli or Luciano Pavarotti, while JM said he’d be more than willing to support her by taking on the role of Celine Dion. As for their favorite individual performances, she said that it would be her transformations to KZ Tandingan and Ariana Grande as Glinda from “Wicked,” while he named Andrea Bocelli and Jennifer Holliday.
Now that they’re being hailed as “Double Champs” after winning both “Tawag ng Tanghalan Duets” in 2023 and “Your Face Sounds Familiar 4,” Marielle said that they joined both competitions without any expectations, especially since all their fellow contestants were equally talented and competent. She just believes that God has favored them by blessing them with those triumphs.
On the other hand, JM emphasized that they never dwell on their accomplishments, as they choose instead to focus on their goal of excellence and give their best regardless of the outcome. At present, he shared that he simply feels deeply blessed for everything happening in their lives and is grateful for the people around them—especially their ABS-CBN management.
The interview proper wrapped up with JMielle expressing their heartfelt gratitude to their ardent fans for the unwavering love and support they’ve been showering them both as individual artists and as a duo, as well as to the avid viewers of “Your Face Sounds Familiar” who have supported them and the other celebrity performers throughout the competition.