Philippine 4th Powers standing ovation on ‘X Factor UK’

MANILA – Four Filipina sisters blew away the judges of “The X Factor UK” with their powerful vocals during their audition for the hit talent search at the Wembley Stadium in London.

Collectively known as Fourth Power, Mylene, Irene, Celina and Almira Cercado told the judges that they flew to London from the Philippines just to fulfill their dream of performing before Simon Cowell.

The sisters performed the Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj’s hit “Bang Bang” which earned them a standing ovation from the judges and the audience.

“You just absolutely took Wembly’s roof off. It’s funny, you came on, you’re so demure. The music kicks in, you all turn into little bad girls up there. It blew me,” said Cheryl Fernandez Versini.

Rita Ora, for her part, said their performance made her want to be their sister.

“It’s like you’re monsters but like minute monsters. The passion, the voices and the attitude, I was like, I want to be their sister. This audition has changed your lives,” she said.

Nick Grimshaw, meanwhile, said the audition of Fourth Power will certainly “blow up all over the world.”

Cowell agreed, saying it was “probably one of the best I’ve ever seen.”

In a pre-recorded video played before their performance, the Filipinas said they have been singing as a group since 2001.

“We’ve been competing in different places. Some people are saying we should just give up, we’re not going to make it. We are like, ‘No, we love this. We love X Factor UK.’ We are living our dreams. We just can’t believe it’s happening,” said Almira.

The Fourth Power is not new to performing before a huge audience.

Known as the Gollayan Sisters in the Philippines, they were grand champions on ABS-CBN’s popular noontime variety show “It’s Showtime” in 2012.

In 2014, the sisters also joined the South Korean TV talent show “Superstar K6” but failed to make it to the finals. At that time, they used the name M.I.C.A., representing the first letters of their names. The siblings were the only non-Korean contestants in the competition.

Source: ABS-CBN News, PH