In the latest episode of Hangover on February 12, Jason Fernandez addressed claims that his participation in The Voice of the Philippines was &ldquo;unfair&rdquo; because he was already an established artist.
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When asked if the issue was &ldquo;Chicha-wrong or right,&rdquo; Jason answered, &ldquo;Chicha-wrong.&rdquo;
He explained that during the first season of The Voice PH, many of the contestants were already professional and seasoned musicians. By Season 2, even more known singers joined the competition. According to him, joining the show was far from a shortcut to success.
&ldquo;Mas mahirap pa 'yung pagdadaanan mo sa stage ng The Voice kesa i-pursue ang solo career,&rdquo; he said. He stressed that it was a real competition. &ldquo;Hindi totoong shortcut &lsquo;yun dahil competition. Iba 'yung labanan, para kayong gladiator.&rdquo;
Jason shared that the journey&mdash;from rehearsals to the live performance proper&mdash;was challenging. Contestants also had to impress respected coaches like apl.de.ap, Lea Salonga, and Bamboo. For him, the presence of these judges made the competition even tougher.
He also said that being part of a reality show does not mean it is less valid. In fact, he shared that joining The Voice PH helped him reintroduce himself to the public after his career with Rivermaya.
Interestingly, Jason revealed that he originally wanted to join Pinoy Big Brother. He went through the auditions and reached the final cut. However, he was told, &ldquo;Jason, hindi ka bagay dito. Sa The Voice ka mag-audition.&rdquo; He followed the advice&mdash;and the rest is history.
In a light moment, Jason joked that one of his goals was to pee in the swimming pool inside the PBB house, but he believes faith had a different path prepared for him.
Through it all, Jason made it clear that his journey in The Voice PH was not about taking the easy way out&mdash;but about proving himself once again on a competitive stage.