Cyrus Villanueva: I focus on my career

MANILA, Philippines – “I’ve been here two times in one month,” said half-Filipino Cyrus Villanueva, winner of 2015 X-Factor Australia, in an interview with The STAR. “I was here two weeks ago for a show at SM Mall of Asia for Christmas Celebrations,” he added. “That was lots of fun. I’m back. That’s why I’m spending a lot of time here. I like it.”

Last Friday, Cyrus headlined a showcase at SM City Davao for the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and the Philippines. The singer is a source of pride for both countries and represents the ties that bind them. The Australian Embassy in the Philippines and the Philippine Embassy in Australia mounted the musical event.

After the Davao show, Cyrus said he would be staying for a couple of days instead of doing the “fly-in-fly-out” visit.

In this recent sojourn, he is also granting interviews to promote his eponymous debut album after his successful stint in X-Factor Australia. The album is a compilation of the songs he performed on the show. They are Dancing On My Own, Stone, Earned It, Wicked Game, Hold Back the River, Rumour Has It, Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, Jealous, Don’t, Love Me Like You Do and In the Air Tonight.

How’s his album doing on the charts Down Under? Cyrus answered, “The single Stone went really well on the Aria charts. It debuted at No. 4, which is great and it went gold and so did the album. Both the album and the single went gold in Australia, which is pretty exciting to have my piece of music go so well. There’s a lot more I’ve been working on.”

However, Cyrus is not resting on his laurels. In fact, since the start of the year, he has been frequenting the studio and experimenting on different sounds. Cyrus wants to discover his potential as an artist and the kind of music he can explore.

“I have so many influences — from Alicia Keys to Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder,” he said. “But now my sound has kinda evolved into a sort of urban, soul, R&B, pop. They’re all genres that I’ve loved since I was a kid. That’s what I listen to on the radio. That’s the type of music I wanna be making.”

Since he wishes to bridge over to Cyrus, the recording artist, from Cyrus, the X-Factor Australia winner, he is keen on collaborating with incredible songwriters and producers in Australia and releasing an EP or his possible first original single.

“Everything evolves from a story that I’ve experienced and I’ve gone through in my life — whether it be relational, whether it be within my friends or within my family,” Cyrus said of his songwriting style and the kind of original works his fans can look forward to. “I’ve written songs about my dad. My dad is a huge influence on me, the one who really got me into music. I’ve written songs about where I’ve grown up. I love the people I have grown up with… Whatever the single ends up with, it’s a representation of me.”

Asked to name three unforgettable performances he had in the singing talent show, Cyrus had this to say: “I think one of my favorite memories is the song Dancing On My Own. That was the song I sang at the boot camp. I was on the piano... Jealous, I love piano ballad. I love just the piano, I love just the voice. I love how raw a simple song like that is, how vulnerable you are. You know it’s just a best opportunity to tell the story. It’s just the piano and the voice. That was in the grand finals that I sang that. I remember when (judge-mentor) Chris (Isaak) told me that was the song he chose for me, I was so happy. It was the most important time of the competition because I didn’t want to choose a terrible song. He chose an amazing song for me. It allowed me to kinda showcase what I love about performing — just the piano and just my voice. Stone, the very first single I have ever released. It’s such a great song… To know that that was the first song that I heard myself on the radio, the first time I heard my voice on the radio was on that song, it was strange. It was weird. I was on the way to an interview and I was on Uber (car) — (You know it was) just the driver and I was just in the backseat. And I heard it and (I told myself) ‘It sounds familiar.’ (Then I turned to the driver and said) ‘Can you turn it up?’ He turned it up. I was recording myself. That was a special moment and you know the song went gold, which was a good debut for me. I got awarded with a big plaque. It says that the single and the album went gold. It’s on my parents’ wall at home, which is pretty special.”

It’s been a year since Cyrus was proclaimed the X-Factor Australia winner. It seems that he has adjusted well to the popularity and pressures that come with the title.

“I think only quite recently that it’s fully sunk in,” he said. “On the back of the show, it’s so easy to get caught up in all the attention. Everyone was talking about me. All the media wanted to talk to me. And it’s easy to get caught up in all of that and forget that you still have to work. At the end of the show, that’s where the hard work begins. If you don’t keep goin’, then it’s not gonna work out. I think it was like a couple of months ago, I was halfway through writing my record that I realized I have to keep on working hard and putting my music out. Otherwise, it’s not gonna go well. If the love wasn’t there, I wouldn’t be doing it. The passion is still there.”

Cyrus’ victory is a big thing for Filipinos here and abroad, particularly in Australia, because Marlisa Punzalan was the previous winner.

“That’s good for us,” he said. “I think it’s a sign that Filipinos are just doing better. I’ve met Marlisa and I’ve worked with Marlisa and she’s such a talented girl. She definitely embraces her Filipino side. It’s something that she holds very close to her. I remember since my first audition, the Filipino communities both in Australia and here in the Philippines, (their) support was ridiculous. It was crazy. I didn’t expect it at all. But it was so good to have everyone on my side.”

Given the glitz and glamour of having a recording career, Cyrus remains true to his core — sticking to the reason why he tried his luck at X-Factor Australia. “Right now, I focus on my music — getting my music out there, working on that and making sure that it is exactly how I want it.”