After weeks of channeling some of music’s biggest icons on “Your Face Sounds Familiar,” Jarlo Base, Akira Morishita, Marielle Montellano and JM dela Cerna are looking ahead to new music, acting projects and live performances, saying the competition changed both their artistry and career plans.
For Base and Morishita, two of the season’s standout performers, the hit impersonation contest challenged them to confront fears, expand their musical instincts and imagine possibilities beyond what they had planned before joining the show.
Base said one of the biggest turning points came before he even performed his first number. Before taking the stage as Usher, he said he nearly let nerves get the better of him.
“I was really nervous before going up. I told myself, ‘Wait a minute, I don’t know what to do.’ I even felt like I wanted to leave. But I said, ‘Lord, I don’t care anymore,’ and I let go,” Base recalled during Star Magic Spotlight press conference.
But according to him, that moment became a lesson he now carries into his career.
“My number one favorite discovery about myself is whenever we set ourselves to do something, no matter how scared we are or how impossible we think it is, we can do it. This show challenged me to do things I never imagined I would do,” he said.
That mindset is shaping his next music releases. Known for his songwriting and production work, Base said he plans to move into more upbeat material after learning from the artists he portrayed.
“Before it was chill R&B. Now I want to make it more groovy, more danceable, more lively songs. I learned a lot from the icons we studied,” he said.
On the other hand, Morishita said the competition also changed how he sees himself as a performer. Used to performing as part of P-Pop boy group BGYO, he said the show proved he could command a stage on his own.
“I realized I can do it no matter what. I thought there were things I couldn’t do, genres I couldn’t sing, performances I couldn’t carry by myself. But I discovered I can,” he enthused.
The experience also pushed him creatively saying, “The songwriter inside me ignited again.”
Morishita said he hopes to bring that growth into future BGYO projects while remaining open to global opportunities for Filipino acts.
“If BGYO gets that kind of opportunity, I’ll be so happy. In a way we are presenting the Philippines to other countries,” he said.
Both artists also said acting could be part of what comes next.
Morishita said he wants to explore dramatic roles unlike his offstage personality.
“Because I’m a bubbly, smiley person, I want to try the more edgy side of a character,” he said.
For Base, acting is also a possibility, though music remains his focus.
Asked what’s special about being in the show, Base said, “It’s the family we built. Even when your performance is not okay, there are people who tell you it’s okay.”
Meanwhile, grand winners Marielle Montellano and JM dela Cerna, said the show has strengthened both their artistry and their partnership as the duo JMielle.
The pair are now preparing for their concert, “JMIELLE: Sings The Icons,” while looking to build on the momentum of their championship run.
Dela Cerna said the competition changed how he thinks about risk.
“The greatest risk is not taking any risk at all. That’s really what I took from ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar.’ It pushed me out of my shell,” he said.
Montellano said the show made her more intentional as a performer.
“Being part of ‘Your Face’ pushed me to become more intentional, not just with my music. You have to put your heart into it, your soul, and how you connect with the audience,” she mentioned.
Both said the pressure of weekly transformations deepened their trust in one another.
“Our connection grew stronger. We became more open and honest with each other,” Dela Cerna admitted.
Montellano said they learned to welcome feedback and different creative perspectives.
From unique transformations to vocally challenging performances, the show also pushed the duo into unfamiliar territory. Dela Cerna said his Nicki Minaj transformation stood out as one of his most memorable, while Montellano pointed to Christina Aguilera and Jessica Sanchez as among her toughest assignments.
Asked what advice they would give future contestants, the two returned to a similar message and that is to let go and trust the process.
“It’s good to let go of your artistry sometimes. You need to be an empty vessel so you can become the icon,” Montellano said.
Dela Cerna said simply, “Just enjoy it. That’s the purpose of the show.”
