Golden Buzzer, Pinoy Edition: Matty Juniosa’s Long Road Finally Hits the Big Stage

Filipino singer Matty Juniosa just had a breakout moment on the international stage after earning Simon Cowell’s golden buzzer on Britain’s Got Talent. His performance of Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ drew a standing ovation, and the crowd’s reaction made it clear that this was not just another audition clip going viral online.

But the ABS-CBN feature makes it clear that Matty’s story did not start with overnight fame. The 27-year-old grew up in Mandaluyong, held on to music early, and also had to work through painful pressure to deny his identity while he was still young. He eventually embraced being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, while also using fashion design and music as outlets for self-expression.

His road in Philippine showbiz was not exactly smooth either. Matty first failed to make the cut in The Voice of the Philippines, then joined Idol Philippines Season 1 at age 20, where he impressed the judges and reached the Top 12 before getting eliminated in the live rounds. Even then, he treated that stint as a stepping stone, not the end of the line — sakto lang, tuloy ang laban.

After Idol, he joined the male vocal group iDolls with Lucas Garcia and Enzo Almario, then later moved to the United Kingdom in 2022 to study Musical Theater at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland on a partial scholarship. Since then, he has been balancing part-time work as a waiter in Glasgow with theater roles and online music content while continuing to chase bigger opportunities.

That long grind is what made the BGT moment hit harder. During his audition, Matty said he wanted to stop seeing himself as a ‘singing competition loser,’ and Cowell’s golden buzzer sent him straight to the semifinals. For Pinoy fans, this wasn’t just a nice TV moment — it was proof that years of setbacks can still lead to one massive break when the timing finally clicks.

Source: ABS-CBN Entertainment