Filipino mum Irene Alano-Rhodes eliminated from The Voice UK

Irene Alano-Rhodes Guy Levy / Wall to Wall / BBC

The journey of The Voice Uk's Filipino contestant Irene Alano-Rhodes ended last weekend being eliminated during the battles round. The 42-year-old mum lost out to young singer Lydia Lucy after their duet cover of Aerosmith's Cryin'. Their coach will.i.am chose Lucy over Alano-Rhodes to continue on in the competition.

Still, he was all praises for Alano-Rhodes: “Irene is like a tornado of harmonics. When she sings, the Earth ripples. She’s the kind of person that can sing in a stadium without a microphone and you can still hear her.” Fellow coaches Boy George and Paloma Faith sided with Alano-Rhodes, while Ricky Wilson went with Lucy.

“Irene, you did some amazing notes,” Boy George said.

Before the performance, Alano-Rhodes said: “When we went into rehearsals, I was very nervous because I was thinking I was too old-school and Lydia was so current. But I thought, I’m here to fight.”

Moving from Manila to London in 1995, Alano-Rhodes joined the West End production of the musical Miss Saigon. She gave up her singing career to raise her 14-year-old son, Luis, who appeared on the episode, running towards Alano-Rhodes for a hug after she was eliminated. It was Luis who apparently persuaded her to audition for The Voice UK.

“I had an absolutely amazing time — thank you,” she told the panel and the live audience.

Since her audition aired on The Voice UK in January, Alano-Rhodes says she received calls from casting directors offering television and theatre work.

Chalice secures spot on Forbes 30 under 30

Pop princess Charice Pempengco was cited on Forbes Magazine’s first-ever “30 under 30 Asia.”

The 23-year-old Pempengco is the only Filipino included in the entertainment and sport category.

Pempengco was catapulted into fame after appearing on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show back in 2008. She has since sold millions of records and performed concerts around the world, including in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Her debut album, Charice, was released in 2010 and entered the American Billboard 200 charts at number 8, making Pempengco the first Asian solo singer to land in the top 10 of chart.