SINGER Kevin Hermogenes admits that singing consumed him early on.

Even when he was just five years old, he would put his head near the radio speaker to better hear and listen to the music.

His family was the first people who believed in his talent, most especially his mom.

When he began schooling, he joined music clubs and school choirs. At first, he thought his singing was just a hobby, but people started to notice his gift.

“People and some relatives invited me to sing in events, that’s when I realized that I love it. And eventually make it as a means of living.”

The World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) opened the doors for him to pursue his passion for singing more.

“I remember I was the fourth auditionee and it was held at the Opera Haus in Makati. The panel of judges was the national director, creative director of WCOPA Team Philippines, and the-Jed Madela.’

He described the audition as a nerve-wracking experience but exciting. “After singing, there’s like a five-second pause and dead air. They said ‘thank you’ and that’s it. In exiting the studio they gave me a slip,” he says. “I was expecting that moment that I didn’t make it because the first three auditionees were asked to sing a second song.”

He got shocked that the text was: ‘CONGRATULATIONS! You passed the audition.’

In WCOPA 2016, held in Long Beach, California, he clinched the Bronze medal for Gospel, R and B/Jazz, and Contemporary categories. Four years later, at the WCOPA Virtual 2020, he earned a silver medal and managed to be in the semi-finals, too.

After his WCOPA journey, a lot of things happened, and more opportunities came.

“I was able to do concerts, shows, guesting, etc. In 2019, IDOL Philippines was launched on TV via ABS-CBN.

“Although I didn’t make it to the live rounds–it’s still an amazing experience! After IDOL Philippines, another opportunity came in. I was called to join Tawag Ng Tanghalan in It’s Showtime,” he recalls. “I remembered I was asked by Vice Ganda about my genre, and I said, I don’t [really] have a genre because I try to learn them all. I don’t want to be identified with a certain genre alone.”

He doesn’t want to limit himself when it comes to honing his craft.

“I wanna stay hungry to learn and keep growing,” ends Kevin.