The Voice Season 26 winner, Sofronio Vasquez, made reality TV history as the first Filipino and Asian to win the competition. It was an emotional moment for the singer, as well as his first-time coach, Michael Bublé.

Sofronio Vasquez Was Called “The King Of Auditions” In The Philippines After “Countless” Rejections On Singing Competitions

Sofronio pursued singing while juggling a dentistry degree at Misamis University in 2015, where he got a scholarship, thanks to his uncle’s help. He started by auditioning for The Voice Philippines, where no coach turned for him.

He then joined another local TV competition called, Tawag ng Tanghalan, as well as a singing contest segment on the variety show, It’s Showtime, both of which he credits for kickstarting his career. However, after “countless” losses, Sofronio decided to move to the U.S. to finish dental school.

“Now that I’m thinking about it, I realized that if not for dentistry, I would not be in America,” he told Vogue Philippines. “Because the main purpose of me coming to America is to do dental school. I wasn’t able to finish [reviewing for my board exam] in the Philippines because I was doing Tawag ng Tanghalan.”

I was doing my reviews, and when I passed that [ Tawag ng Tanghalan ] audition, my reviews got cut off. After that competition, I thought maybe music is not for me anymore.

Sofronio asked his dad to pick which college degree he should pursue, saying: “My dad had an ambition: he wanted to provide us a beautiful profession because they were poor. My grandmother and grandfather worked in the market.”

Sofronio Vasquez Was Working As A Dental Assistant When He Auditioned For The Voice

Sofronio revealed to Vogue Philippines that he was “already working as a dental assistant” when he found out that The Voice was open for virtual auditions. “My professor told me, you’re always singing,” he said of that time. “And randomly, I just happened to see a post: virtual auditions for The Voice, so I signed up.”

“Now, I’m here. Everything was falling into place,” Sofronio continued. The musician went on to share that he was “nervous” during the auditions, especially after numerous rejections back in the Philippines. “I was really nervous, because I tried for The Voice in the Philippines and I had no chairs,” he recalled.

Although he said his relationship with his coach, Michael, was “perfect,” he admitted he was “intimidated by him” at first. “I was intimidated by him because he’s my idol, I always sing his songs back home,” Sofronio said.

I thought that if I worked with someone who’s very intimidating, I cannot show off my full potential.

Fast-forward to their preparation for the finale, Michael said: “As a coach, [Michael is] very personal with the song choices, the arrangements, especially with this finale song set. I have full trust in Michael’s choices for me.” And what a success this duo was!

As the winner of The Voice Season 26, Sofronio gets a recording contract and a $100,000 cash prize.