Focus on the Philippines: Anatalia Villaranda advances to The Voice US live shows

Plus: teenager Kriesha Tiu progresses to the final of the South Korean talent show K-pop Star; Filipino designers compete in an Asian fashion tilt at Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week; Asia’s Got Talent holds auditions for its forthcoming second season.

Anatalia Villaranda wins her knockout round against Dawson Coyle (right) on The Voice US. Courtesy Tyler Golden / NBC

Filipino-American contestant Anatalia Villaranda continues to make waves on the American edition of The Voice. The 16-year-old won her knockout round on Tuesday's episode of the reality singing competition after performing a cover of Carrie Underwood's hit track Two Black Cadillacs. Villaranda triumphed over her competitor, Dawson Coyle, who sung Demons by Imagine Dragons.

Her celebrity coach, Alicia Keys, told her, “Anatalia, you surprised me again with this song choice. I think that’s great that you want to keep evolving and showing all sides of who you are.”

Fellow coach Gwen Stefani agreed, praising Villaranda: “Anatalia, you have so much confidence and power. You were ruling the room. Wow.”

Maroon 5’s frontman Adam Levine added, “Anatalia, you’re the kind of person who is not going to stop until every person in this room hears you. That’s a testament to your performance ability.”

Born and raised in California by Filipino immigrants, Villaranda previously auditioned for the 15th and final season of American Idol, which aired last year, reaching the Top 51 before being eliminated from the competition. She also appeared on the Disney Channel sitcom Step It Up, which ran from 2010 to 2013.

Villaranda has now advanced to the show's top 20 live playoffs, which will begin airing on April 10. The 12th edition of The Voice US is hosted by Carson Daly and also features returning coach Blake Shelton.

Teenager Kriesha Tiu progresses to Korean talent show final

From one reality show contestant to another: 17-year-old Kriesha Tiu has made it to the final of the South Korean reality talent show K-pop Star, a search for the next potential global pop star.

Tiu, known by her stage name Chrisha Choo, will compete in the programme’s final round with her girl group KWINs, which also features members Kim Sohee and Kim Hye-rim. They will go against British-Korean singer Shannon, fellow girl group Min A Lee and the duo Boyfriend.

Tiu was born in the central Philippine province of Cebu. On the show, she said she learned the Korean language in preparation for her appearance on the talent programme. Tiu was previously eliminated from the competition back in January but was eventually brought back by the judges as a wildcard contestant.

K-pop Star features the judging panel of producers Yang Hyun-suk, Park Jin-young and You Hee-yeol, who each represent three major recording companies in South Korea: YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and Antenna Music.

Filipino designers compete in Asian fashion tilt

Filipino fashion designers Maria Esmeralda Palaganas and Jerome Tayao will represent the Philippines in a design competition to be held at Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week, which will be held from August 16 to 20 in the Malaysian capital.

Palaganas, 23, and Tayao, 21, won the Philippine leg of the competition Runway Ready Designer Search, besting 50 other contestants.

In Kuala Lumpur, they will face designers from all over Asia for a chance to win a prize package that includes a fund to produce a collection and a confirmed slot to showcase at next year’s edition of Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week.

Asia’s Got Talent holds auditions for second season

Asia's Got Talent, a regional version of the Got Talent franchise, has announced a second season, following the programme's successful debut edition in 2015. The reality talent show features performers, musicians and comics of all ages competing for a grand prize of US$100,000 (Dh367,000). The featured acts come from 15 countries all over Asia.

The auditions for the programme's second series kicks off on April 10, when aspiring contestants can begin sending in their two-minute audition videos online on the show's website, www.axn-asia.com/asiasgottalent.

The first season of Asia's Got Talent was won by the Filipino act El Gamma Penumbra, a shadow play group. The show was hosted by Filipino celebrities Rovilson Fernandez and Marc Nelson, while the judging panel was comprised of former Spice Girls member Mel C, Indonesian singer Anggun, Taiwanese superstar Vanness Wu and renowned producer David Foster.

More details on the programme’s second season — including its premiere date and the roster of celebrity judges — are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Open auditions are also being planned to be held in several major Asian cities in the forthcoming months.