Lance Tupaz Busa (born December 16, 1994), better known as Lance Busa, is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

singer and occasional actor. He placed third in ''

Idol Philippines ''Idol Philippines'' (known as ''Search for the Idol Philippines'' in the first season or better known as ''Philippine Ido''l) is a Philippine reality singing television competition broadcast by Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, and TV5. As part of t ...

'' in 2019 and was the grand winner of the first edition of

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin
, The Jewish Historical Society of New Haven, 1998. (born February 26, 1953), known professio ...

's singing competition ''Bolt of Talent'' in 2017''.''

Early life and education

Busa was born on December 16, 1994, in

Butuan Butuan (pronounced ), officially the City of Butuan ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Butuan; Butuanon: ''Dakbayan hong Butuan''; fil, Lungsod ng Butuan), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Caraga, Philippines. It is the ''de facto'' c ...

Agusan del Norte Agusan del Norte, officially the Province of Agusan del Norte ( ceb, Amihanang Agusan; Butuanon: ''Probinsya hong Agusan del Norte''; tl, Hilagang Agusan), is a province in the Caraga region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Cabadb ...

, Philippines. He is one of the six children of Lore Busa and Liza Tupaz. As a child, Busa grew up in a household filled with

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

and

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

and began singing at 5 during family gatherings, though his parents discouraged him from pursuing music as a career. In 2011, Busa obtained his bachelor's degree in hotel, restaurant and institutional management at De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde.

Career

In 2015, Busa joined '' To the Top,''

GMA Network GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...

's talent search for their newest boy band, where he made it to the grand finals. He received another opportunity with the company and had an acting contract with them for two years that did not include singing; he felt as if he were "left in the dark." Sometime after the competition, comedian

Arnell Ignacio Arnaldo Arevalo Ignacio (born March 4, 1964), known professionally as Arnell Ignacio, is a Filipino Television Presenter, game show host, comedian, actor, news anchor, singer-songwriter, and public official. Ignacio has hosted several shows, ...

discovered one of Busa's karaoke videos on Facebook and began mentoring him at a time that he had become discouraged with the loss and without support from his parents. In 2016, Busa played the role of Mocha, a guest character in

's TV series entitled ''

Sa Piling ni Nanay ''Sa Piling ni Nanay'' (International title: ''Ysabel'' / ) is a Philippine television drama series broadcast by GMA Network. Directed by Gil Tejada Jr. and Omar Deroca, it stars Yasmien Kurdi, Katrina Halili and Mark Herras. It premiered on Ju ...

'' starring

Mark Herras Mark Angelo Santos Herras (born December 14, 1986) is a Filipino film and television actor. He won in the reality talent show '' StarStruck'' aired in GMA Network. He also appeared in '' Forever in My Heart'', ''Encantadia'', '' SOP'', and ''I ...

Katrina Halili Maria Katrina Iren Pe Halili (born January 4, 1986) is a Filipino actress and commercial model of Chinese descent. She made her screen debut through the reality talent search '' StarStruck'' in 2003, and became more popular playing several rol ...

and Yasmien Kurdi. Busa's story of early discouragement and mentorship resurfaced when he auditioned for an international singing competition entitled ''Bolt of Talent'' in 2017, catching

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin
, The Jewish Historical Society of New Haven, 1998. (born February 26, 1953), known professio ...

's attention with its similarity to his own story. Busa went on to win as the grand champion in the finale held in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. In 2019, Busa auditioned for ''

'' (the third incarnation of Philippine franchise of

Idol Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a neutral term for a man-made object that is worshipped or venerated for the deity, spirit or demon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a point of focus for devotion or medit ...

) on

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...

, where he sang "What You Won't Do For Love" by

Bobby Caldwell Robert Hunter Caldwell (born August 15, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He released several albums spanning R&B, soul, jazz and adult contemporary. He is known for his soulful and versatile vocals. Caldwell released the ...

. He finished as one of the top 3 finalists in the first season.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Busa, Lance Living people 1994 births De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde alumni People from Butuan Participants in Philippine reality television series 21st-century Filipino male singers