Sofronio Vasquez doesn’t forget where he came from despite becoming the first Filipino ever to win the singing competition, The Voice after 26 seasons.
The 32-year-old Filipino singer took time to honor his late father and acknowledge him as his first vocal coach. His family back in the Philippines represented their son when they visited his father’s grave there to share his joy with his mentor.
The sudden fame hasn’t hit him just yet. Despite pleas from celebrity Voice coach Michael Buble for Vasquez to set aside his dreams of becoming a dentist, to pursue singing, he isn’t so sure.
Vasquez told The Today Show that he’s open to returning to dentistry.
“But in my heart, I would never, ever forget, because I also love dentistry,” Vasquez said. “…So, I can also have the best of both worlds, singing while being a dentist.”
He also has been invited by Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to visit the Malacañang Palace.
For now, Vasquez is returning to New York to thank his community for their support.
Vasquez sang Mary J. Blige’s I’m Goin’ Down for his audition, per SunStar Philippines, which led to all four coaches turning their chairs around to express their interest in mentoring the singer.
Vasquez chose Michael Bublé as his coach, whom he remained with throughout the competition.
Prior to auditioning for USA’s The Voice, Vasquez auditioned for The Voice Philippines, where not a single coach had turned their chairs.
After competing in the Philippines, Vasquez eventually moved to the U.S. in 2022 to seriously pursue a career in music, according to JoySauce. He settled in Utica, New York, working as a dental assistant while performing in local events.
During the Dec. 10 season finale, Vasquez sang Sia’s Unstoppable and A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman, which earned him most of the viewers’ votes.
Throughout the season, viewers had noted Vasquez’s powerful display of emotions in his performances. His win also secured Bublé’s first win as a coach.
(Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that Vasquez is the first Asian winner of The Voice. Tessanne Chin in Season 5 took the crown. We apologize for our error)
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Tessanne Chin won the Voice in Season 5.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tessanne_Chin#:~:text=Tessanne%20Amanda%20Chin%20(%2F%CB%88t,of%20Adam%20Levine's%20team.
Tessanne Chin is the first person of Asian descent to win The Voice USA, Season 5. Sofronio Vasquez is the second Asian to win The Voice USA.