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'Most favorite act so far': 'AGT' Season 18 contestant Roland Abante stuns fans with 'golden voice'

Simon loved Roland's performance since he believed the Filipino singer would fail due to his extreme anxiety

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA: NBC's 'America's Got Talent' 2023 auditions resume for Season 18 with judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, and Sofia Vergara. On Tuesday, June 13 episode, fans had the pleasure of witnessing real talent, vocalist Roland ‘Bunot’ Abante, on the NBC stage.

Roland, popularly known as Bunot, is a Filipino singer who describes himself as "the Michael Bolton of the Philippines." Over the years, he has had multiple viral covers on YouTube, including one on 107.5 Wish of 'You're The Inspiration', which has almost 15 million views. He was invited on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' years ago when his videos went viral. He also got to sing alongside current Journey vocalist Arnel Pineda, who is also Filipino.

Nervous Roland gets a hug from Heidi before audition

Roland stated that he will perform karaoke for the judges. Heidi asked Roland if he needed a hug after he had shed some tears, and he agreed. Heidi went to the stage, embraced Roland, and asked if he was ready to perform, which he was. 'When a Man Loves a Woman,' he sang.

Howie joked that Heidi's embrace was effective, and Heidi remarked he did an excellent job and should be pleased with himself. Simon claimed he assumed Roland wouldn't be able to perform, but he proved him wrong, making Simon appreciate the audition even more. Simon hugged Roland after revealing that he is his favorite judge. Every judge said 'yes', and Roland is on his way to the next leg of the competition! Sofia said Roland has to stop fishing, this is where he should be. 

'That is the most epic voice I've heard in years'

Soon after the performance, fans took to social media to praise the singer. One tweeted, "God Damn that is the most epic voice I've heard in years. Gonna be watching this guy closely. He is a STAR!" Another noted, "He put in alot of emotion into the song an that is important." After hearing Roland's story, one user commented, "Roland is my favorite act so far #AGT He had a crazy good control of his voice. I don't know what's pi**ing off his neighbors." A fourth fan tweeted, "Roland Abante has one HECK of a set of pipes on him!"

On Instagram, fans wrote, "We learn that age old lesson again….. never judge a book by its cover! Such a talented man with a voice that makes you stop in your tracks to see where it’s coming from! 💗💗💗." Another person chimed in, "This Man sang this Michael Bolton song like it's never been sung before except for Michael Bolton. You are an amazing singer 👏." One user also commented, "He has my golden buzzer!👏👏👏." While another noted, "Now that right there…THAT is a golden voice! 👏🏻🌹👏🏻🌹👏🏻🌹👏🏻."

'America's Got Talent' Season 18 airs new episodes every Tuesday on NBC at 8 PM ET.