The Voice Crowns Season 26 Champion
Sofronio Vasquez is the winner of season 26 of The Voice. The Team Bublé singer gave coach Michael Bublé a win in his first season on the show on Tuesday night (Dec. 10) when the 31-year-old singer from the Philippines emerged as voters’ favorite following electric performances of Sia’s “Unstoppable” and The Greatest Showman showstopper “A Million Dreams.”
In addition to scoring a $100,000 payday and a record deal, Vasquez said the amazing mentorship provided by the “Spicy Margarita” singer was its own prize. “Your mentorship is a blessing to me, my family and to all the dreamers out there,” Vasquez told Bublé before the final results were read. In a rare double-down, Bublé was also the only coach to have two contestants make it into the top five, as well as boasting the top two finishers thanks to his other contestant, Shye, coming in as runner-up.
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Bublé joins Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan and John Legend as the fourth new coach to score a win in their first season on the show. In addition to beating out his teammate, Vasquez also bested Team Snoop’s Jeremy Beloate and Team Gwen’s Sydney Sterlace.
“My Filipino brother, you are the hope of so many people… it has been such an unbelievable journey to be here with you,” Bublé told Vasquez — who moved to the U.S. in 2022 to chase his music dreams — before the singer was handed his hardware. According to an NBC bio, Sofronio grew up in the Philippines with no bed or indoor plumbing and “describes his upbringing as happy because music was always there to bring his family joy.” He loved singing for his late father, but thought a music career was out of reach, so he began to study dentistry, then decided to give music a chance while taking his dental boards.
After his father’s sudden death, Sofronio moved to the U.S. to pursue music full-time, landing gigs at the famed Apollo Theater and racking up nearly 10 million Facebook views for his cover of Dionne Warwick’s “That’s What Friends Are For.”
“I think if people understood the strength that you have and the fact that through all of this adversity, you walk out here on a night like tonight, when it probably matters more than anything has in your whole life career-wise,” Bublé added. “You walk out here in the moment and you take the brass ring and I’m just so happy for you.”
It was a joy ride for Vasquez, who got a four-chair turn at the beginning of the season from coaches Bublé, Reba McEntire, Gwen Stefani and Snoop Dogg for his take on Mary J. Blige’s version of Rose Royce’s 1976 disco ballad “I’m Goin’ Down.”
Along the way, Vasquez proved his versatility with covers of Elvis’ “If I Can Dream,” Jennifer Rush’s “The Power of Love,” Dusty Springfield’s “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” as well as a killer take on Roy Orbison’s “Crying” during the playoff rounds. He also teamed up with his coach during Tuesday night’s finale for a cover of soulful cover of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles’ “Who’s Loving You.”
After the confetti fell, Vasquez posted a picture on his Insta of himself with Bublé holding the trophy with the caption, “Dreams really do come true.”
The 27th season of The Voice will premiere on Feb. 3 with Bublé returning alongside Kelsea Ballerini, Legend and returning coach Adam Levine.
Check out video from Vasquez’s final night.
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