Maria Laroco Makes An Impact For The X Factor UK

It seems like that the Philippines would always make a statement every year for the The X Factor UK. You might have remembered 4th Impact, Ivy Grace Paredes, and now 17 year-old Maria Laroco amazed the judges with her rendition of Prince's Purple Rain. The youngest Filipino contender who joined the show took a huge leap in search for her dream to be an international star.

The performance received a standing ovation and got all the "yes" from the judges. Simon even guessed that she came from the Philippines given the number of impressive contestants who has proved their worth.


The X Factor UK Season 15 is currently  airing exclusively on Blue Ant Entertainment. Maria recently came home to share about her experience with the singing competition and got to perform some of her winning songs. She started singing at a young age and have been part of many competitions including The Voice Kids where she was part of Team Lea. She was acknowledged by her mentor via a tweet she shared recently. 

“My entire experience has been overwhelming,” Laroco said. “I’ve always wanted to sing at the X Factor UK. It’s my biggest dream, and being able to join the contest is already a huge achievement for me. I’m very happy to be given a chance to perform in front of the British audience, and especially Simon Cowell.”

Laroco won a spot in the Six Chair Challenge with Whitney Houston’s “Queen of the Night” that left international star maker Cowell wide-eyed with excitement. She almost lost her seat to another contestant, but was called back amidst popular demand from the crowd. The teen singer had to fight for her place once again when Cowell asked her to do a sing-off with another contender. It was a tough moment, but she managed to pull through by singing her audition piece, “Purple Rain.” 

“That, vocally, was just like a different class,” The X Factor UK judge and One Direction member Louis Tomlinson couldn’t help but exclaim afterwards. Cowell was convinced and decided to keep her among the final six contenders under the “Girls” category.

The X Factor UK contestant shared how proud she was to be one of the many Filipino participants who won hearts from fans both in the UK and around the globe: “It feels incredible to represent our country,” Laroco said. “This contest really gave me an opportunity to raise our flag and show how talented Filipinos are.”

She also expressed her heartfelt gratitude to all her supporters at the X Factor UK. “I wouldn’t make it this far without everyone who cheered for me. Thank you so much for believing in me,” the young talent said. “I’ve learned a lot from the competition, and I’ll continue to work hard to make my dreams come true. Please continue to support me. I promise to have more in store for all of you in the future.”

The X Factor UK S15 continues every Sunday and Monday, 7:55PM (6:55PM JKT/BKK), same day as the UK, first and exclusive on Blue Ant Entertainment, available on SKYcable channels 53 (SD) and 196 (HD), SKYdirect channel 35, Destiny Cable channel 53, and Cablelink channels 37 (SD) and 313 (HD).