Sofronio Vasquez performs at The Voice USA. Courtesy of NBC – THE VOICE
The newest winner of the 26th edition of The Voice comes from Michael Bublé’s team: and it is Filipino singer Sofronio Vasquez.
His life as a dental practitioner and musician often demands a frenetic pace, but The Voice Season 26 winner Sofronio Vasquez finds meaning in his name. Derived from the Greek word sōphron, meaning “self-control,” Vasquez admits that this is a concept that, until recently, he hadn’t fully grasped. “Self-control is something I’ve always tried to work on, especially since I tend to overthink,” he says.
Vasquez was raised in Misamis Occidental, Northern Mindanao in the Philippines, where his early life was shaped by the uncertainty of his environment. “Anytime, our home could be demolished,” he recalls. To him, music was a constant, even if it initially remained secondary to the more immediate demands of life. However, his move to the U.S., where he was originally planning to pursue dentistry, reignited his passion for music. Vasquez’s persistence paid off when he made it to the top of The Voice USA, becoming not only the first Filipino but the first Asian to win the competition.
In an exclusive interview with Vogue Philippines ahead of the finale, Vasquez shares more about his journey, his love for his roots, and the challenges that led him to the spotlight.
Vogue Philippines: At your blind auditions, you introduced yourself as, “Hi, I’m Sofronio. I’m from the Philippines.” Was that intentional?
Sofronio Vasquez: Yes, it was. I’ve always been proud of my roots. Growing up in the Philippines, it felt right to represent where I’m from on an international stage. I didn’t want to fake anything. I live in Utica, New York now, so I made sure to tell the producers that I’m from both places.
You are originally from Misamis Occidental, Northern Mindanao in the Philippines. What was your childhood like, and how did you realize music was your calling?
Our neighborhood in the province always had karaoke. Growing up, I would always hear my family sing. So I guess that was a foreshadowing of my future. But I grew up in a squatters’ area, where anytime, our home could be demolished, so I didn’t focus on singing at the time, because my father always told me to go to school so I could have a good future.
It wasn’t until I was in college that I was pushed to sing because for some weird reason, there was a singing competition, and I was the representative of our college.
You pursued dentistry as your course in college. Why did you choose dentistry and how do you juggle both dentistry and your singing career?
My dad had an ambition: he wanted to provide us a beautiful profession because they were poor. My grandmother and grandfather worked in the market. When I was in high school, I didn’t know what degree I should pick. I just told my dad, ‘You pick for me.’ Coincidentally, my uncle helped out to get me a scholarship for a dental college, so that’s what made me pursue dentistry.
Now that I’m thinking about it, I realized that if not for dentistry, I would not be in America. Because the main purpose of me coming to America is to do dental school. I wasn’t able to finish [reviewing for my board exam] in the Philippines because I was doing Tawag ng Tanghalan. I was doing my reviews, and when I passed that audition, my reviews got cut off. After that competition, I thought maybe music is not for me anymore.
I found out that there was a program offered for international dentists in America, so I moved here. I was already working as a dental assistant, and my professor told me, you’re always singing. And randomly, I just happened to see a post: virtual auditions for The Voice, so I signed up. Now, I’m here. Everything was falling into place.
When you auditioned for The Voice, all four coaches, Snoop Dogg, Reba McIntire, Gwen Stefani, and your coach Michael Bublé all turned for you. What was going through your mind during that moment?
I was really nervous, because I tried for The Voice in the Philippines and I had no chairs. So when I started performing and Snoop Dogg turned for me, I settled, and suddenly, everyone else turned and I got excited. I controlled myself, tried to relax, because it’s still a performance.
You eventually chose to be on Michael Bublé’s team. How did you come to that decision and how is your relationship with him as your coach?
You know what, initially when I thought of the possibility of Michael turning for me, I was intimidated by him because he’s my idol, I always sing his songs back home. I thought that if I worked with someone who’s very intimidating, I cannot show off my full potential.
It was a blessing in disguise that I chose Michael Bublé, and now, it’s growing to be a perfect relationship and a friendship. Even yesterday, when he was at the Taylor Swift concert, he texted me, ‘How are you going with the rehearsals, buddy?’ I said, ‘It’s going okay, it’s developing. We’re on the right road.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to call you later because I’m in a Taylor Swift concert!’
As a coach, he’s very personal with the song choices, the arrangements, especially with this finale song set. I have full trust in Michael’s choices for me. He said, ‘If I thought something was wrong with his song choice, I wouldn’t pick this for you. Because this is finale.’
Now that your videos are viral and resonate with millions, how does that feel for you and your family?
I cannot explain honestly. I cannot put into words how amazing, how overwhelming, how great it is that you see people on the comments tell you that you’re so great. Because, you know what? As cliche as it sounds, I’m just a dreamer, and I always will be a dreamer.
I’m a fan of everyone who’s doing so great with their chosen career. What I know is that social media has a lot of power. Before, I used to watch people, the big stars, getting reaction videos. And now, having this beautiful and wide platform, I’m able to see myself getting reviews. It’s so exciting to see that those videos resonate. I hope that my listeners will have hope that people like me, even those who live in squatters’ areas, there’s a chance to grow.
Every time I perform or do a round at the voice, I see peoples’ videos screaming and cheering for me. It’s a beautiful experience, always.
Having all of the knowledge that you have now, if you could go back and give advice to the Sofronio who was just starting out,what would you say?
That’s a very hard question. If I could say something to Sofronio from maybe five years, or six years ago, the best advice is to never stop. Because I remember back then, every rejection that I got also made an impact on me.
If I can say something to myself back then, I would say, ‘Congratulations, Sofronio, for never stopping. You have become unstoppable.’
