After winning the fourth season of ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar,’ JM Dela Cerna and Marielle Montellano — collectively known as JMielle — said they are open to taking different opportunities, as they’re gearing up for an upcoming concert.
Dela Cerna and Montellano announced that they will hold their ‘JMielle Sings the Icons’ concert on May 29 at the SM North Edsa Skydome, saying it is a tribute to how their past experiences led them to their winning moment at the show.
‘Hindi nalalayo [ang concert na ‘to] sa journey namin sa ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar’ kaya siya naging ‘JMielle Sings the Icons.’ Baka mag-expect sila na gagayahin namin or may gagawin kaming mga hindi namin ginawa nung journey namin,’ Montellano said of the upcoming show.
(This concert is not far from what we did from ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar,’ which is why it was named ‘JMielle Sings the Icons.’ They might expect us to imitate or do things that we might not have done before.)
Throughout their ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar’ run, JMielle did interpretations of popular music pairings such as Jessica Sanchez and Jennifer Holliday; Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande; and TJ Monterde and KZ Tandingan, among others.
Looking back on their journey, Dela Cerna said doing the show made him appreciate the artistry of the singers and how they pour themselves into their craft. He added that the show was also a moment of realization in terms of how many vocal styles he could do.
‘Sobrang na-appreciate ko ang talento ng bawat icon na ginagawa namin, ‘yung pwede ko pala siyang gamitin sa style ko tulad ng pag-growl,’ he said. ‘Kaya din po pala namin manggaya [in a sense] na ibahin [ang sarili namin]. As singers, alam namin na kaya naming gayahin ang ibang icons na hanggang d’un lang, pero hindi ‘yung point na ganito ka-grabe. D’un kami na-surprise.’
(I learned to appreciate the talents of the icons that we did. I learned different styles that I can apply to my own singing, too, such as growling. I also realized that we can imitate different styles to the point of completely changing ourselves. As singers, we know that we can imitate these icons, but it’s only until that point. Not in this kind of way. That’s what surprised us.)
When asked what’s in store for JMielle after the concert, Montellano said they are open to pursuing different opportunities beyond their booming music career.
‘Kaya ko na pong tumawid sa alambre or magbuga ng apoy,’ she quipped before getting serious again. ‘Kung mabigyan ng opportunities outside of singing, tulad ng acting. Pwedeng theater or I can explore dancing, kung mabibigyan ng opportunity, iba naman. Para ma-shift [ang tingin] sa’kin [ng ibang tao].’
(I can walk the high wire or breathe out fire. I’m open to opportunities outside of singing, like acting, theater, or dancing. I’m open to whatever opportunities will show the public that there’s more beyond what I can do.)
Dela Cerna and Montellano first gained public attention after winning the Grand Championship at the ‘TNT Duets’ singing contest in 2023.
Other competitors in the fourth season of the impersonation show were Alexa Ilacad, Jason Dy, Akira Morishita, Jarlo Base, Rufa Mae Quinto, and Dia Mate. Pepe Herrera was also part of the lineup, though he withdrew after the third round.