Team Sarah’s Jona Soquite was declared the first-ever grand champion of “The Voice Teens”in the country and in Asia after receiving 44.78% of the public text and online votes in the program’s grand finale Sunday night (July 30). Jona, Sarah’s third artist to win the top-rating singing competition, beat Team Bamboo’s Isabela Vinzon, who got 22.42% of the votes, Team Lea’s Mica Becerro (17.79%), and Team Sharon’s Jeremy Glinoga (15.01%). “I saw that almost half of the voters believed in me. I am so happy that I got to show them the real Jona. Thank you very much to everyone,” she said after being announced as the winner. As the season’s winner, Jona won a fashion package, P1 million cash, P1 million trust fund, a business package, dental services, P2 million worth of life insurance, a recording and management contract, and a brand new house. Before impressing viewers with her performance of her winning piece “I Believe I Can Fly,” Jona showcased her versatility in a duet with coach Sarah on “Better Days” and in a solo performance of Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance.” The first season of “The Voice Teens” in the country and in Asia was a TV and online hit as viewers watched the show and made it a trending topic on Twitter every week. They also tuned in to the grand finalists’ performances as the show recorded national TV ratings of 38.2% last Saturday (July 29) and 40.3% last Sunday (July 30), based on data from Kantar Media.● – ABS-CBN News
