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After a fiery performance of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” in the battle rounds, the TNT Boys are definitely staying in the international reality-talent competition “The World’s Best” as they once again put the audience and the judges in awe and secured a spot in the next round of the competition.
The trio of Mackie Empuerto, Keifer Sanchez, at Francis Concepcion’s performance garnered a total judges’ score of 97 and a standing ovation from the American and international judges, and in turn beat South Korea’s dance group Emotional Line that only got a score of 43. Their explosive performance was also an instant hit online as it garnered over 2.2 million views in just a day and ranked 3rd on YouTube’s trending videos.
American judges RuPaul, Faith Hill, and Drew Barrymore also failed to contain their excitement for the performance and shared how much they were impressed by the Pinoy trio.
“I love them! I already love them. I didn’t think I could love them anymore, but my goodness, every note – pitch perfect! You boys are fabulous,” said RuPaul.
“I think you’re the embodiment of what this show is about --- it’s an all ages party. Everyone’s invited,” told Drew.
“I think we are all witnessing superstars. You have that kind of confidence that allows the audience to relax and enjoy your performance. I just feel the luckiest person in the world,” Faith added.
Aside from conquering the international scene, the TNT Boys also continue to get recognitions locally as they were recently named the Concert Performer of the Year by the National Customers' Choice Annual Awards 2019, based on customers and business surveys conducted by the Consumer Eye Marketing and Research Council that honors outstanding companies, products, individuals, and service providers in the country. The trio’s sold-out November 2018 concert “Listen: The Big Shot Concert” was also hailed as the Concert of the year, while TNT Versions was conferred the Event Concert Producer of the Year title.
Meanwhile, fellow “Tawag ng Tanghalan Kids” alumna Sheena Belarmino was also dubbed the Breakthrough Child Performer in Singing Category.
Since their debut in 2017, the TNT Boys have already gained numerous recognitions and garnered the attention of the international audience. They recently performed in the hit US TV talk show “The Late Late Show with James Corden” where they were surprised by and got to perform with pop superstar Ariana Grande. They also made TV appearances in numerous the international media outlets namely BBC, Extra TV, and CBS Los Angeles, among others.
The TNT Boys is only one of the Filipino artists who broke into the international scene as ABS-CBN continues to champion Filipino talent on the world stage.
Before becoming a group, Mackie, Keifer, and Francis first impressed viewers as grand finalists in “Tawag ng Tanghalan Kids” on ABS-CBN. They were officially launched as a trio in 2017, and have since sung for international audiences in “Little Big Shots” US, UK, and Australia and have performed for several head of states, including Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, Singaporean president Halimah Yacob, and Papua New Guinea prime minister Peter O’ Neill. They were also hailed as the grand champion of “Your Face Sounds Familiar Kids.”