Michael Bublé's bold song pick throws Sofronio Vasquez off in 'The Voice' Season 26 Playoffs
After growing up in the Philippines, Sofronio Vasquez came to America to pursue his musical dreams. Before being a Playoff candidate on Season 26 of 'The Voice', he had never even heard Roy Orbison's 'Crying'.
But with his father's memory still fresh in his mind, Sofronio discovered the emotional connection he needed to secure a spot in the next Live rounds. Being the last performer on the last night of the Playoffs was incredibly revealing.
It was the penultimate performance fans would witness before voting.
Sofronio Vasquez took on the biggest red flag for 'The Voice' Season 26 Playoffs performance
Michael Buble picked Roy Orbison's 'Crying' for Sofronio, which made him anxious because he had never heard the song before, but Michael argued that he is a singer who can perform it with "justice." When Sofronio considered his father's death and what it would have meant for his future and that of his mother, he was able to relate to the song.
Carly Pearce told him to "let it go" and not worry about it being "technically perfect" because, as Michael stated, "there's a depth that is reached because of that." She also thought his practice run-through was "so emotional."
As he took the Playoff stage, Sofronio's family-centered guiding light was evident, and his warbling timbre perfectly complemented the gentle and sincere desire that characterizes Roy Orbison's country-touched classic. The fact that Sofronio was awarded the glory position shows that 'The Voice' was aware that they were dealing with a celebrity.
He admitted that he had never heard of Roy Orbison's "Crying" before when he met his coach for a coaching session. This might be a red flag for other musicians.
Not for Sofronio!
Sofronio Vasquez's 'The Voice' Season 26 Playoffs performance compared to Kelly Clarkson and Celine Dion
Michael likened his tone and technical proficiency to those of artists such as Kelly Clarkson and Celine Dion. Those are some huge heels to fill! Sofronio is really skilled.
When it was all finished, Snoop Dogg exclaimed, "Magnifico!" and compared Sofronio's performance to the closing credits of "some big $100 million movie."
Reba McEntire, who has an entire country music career and is well aware of how difficult it may be to tackle such a revered Roy Orbison classic, gave even greater praise.
Sofronio Vasquez showed amazing growth to move on to 'The Voice' Season 26 Live Show
Whoa. That was a great way to wrap out a performance!
On Roy Orbison's song, Sofronio redefined magnificent by giving us a masterfully modulated rendition that honored the original but also made it seem like the contestant's. This man has such a voice, every time you think he can make it broader, he proves us wrong!
Sofronio speaks for a whole generation. This was Sofronio's version of the song, and he took full ownership of it.
Standing upright in the middle of the stage, he performed park and bark, letting his instrument do the talking. One of those performances that merited a conclusion was this one.
A standing ovation was definitely warranted on that last note. In making his decision on who will advance, Michael chose Sofronio first because his “growth has been exponential” and he is “so excited” to see what he does on the live shows.
'The Voice' Season 26 airs on Mondays at 8 pm ET and Tuesdays at 9 pm ET on NBC. All episodes are available to stream on Peacock.
