Fourteen-year-old Joshua Regala stunned The Voice Kids judges with his heartfelt rendition of Callum Scott’s You Are The Reason—and then surprised everyone by inviting his mum on stage for an emotional duet.
All four judges—Will.i.am, Pixie Lott, Paloma Faith, and Danny Jones—hit their buttons immediately, turning to face the young Irish singer as his voice filled the studio.
Hailing from County Meath, Joshua had already impressed the judges with his moving performance of Ben E. King’s Stand By Me. “I still can’t believe it,” he admitted after advancing to the next round.
“I was so scared, but mostly excited at the same time,” Joshua said. “It feels like a dream come true. I never thought anything like this would happen to me—being on TV, performing in front of so many people. My first ever TV appearance.”
Joshua revealed that he inherited his singing talent from his mum, Ysan, who emigrated to Ireland from the Philippines 18 years ago. “I have to give credit to my mam,” he said. “I wish I could say my dad could sing, but that’s not the case here.”
Joshua explained that his musical journey began young: “I was about seven when I got my first guitar from my dad. My parents enrolled me for piano lessons at four, and later I picked up guitar and singing along the way.”
The judges then arranged a special surprise—Joshua’s mum Ysan was invited on stage to sing a duet with her son. Ysan admitted she hadn’t ever sung with Joshua before and wasn’t prepared at all.
“It was nerve-wracking,” she told LMFM Radio. “I was in shock—I didn’t know what to do because we’ve never done a duet. Then Joshua said, ‘Mum, let’s just sing the song I sang earlier.’ I said, ‘Okay.’ I didn’t even know the words, so I just followed his lead and watched his mouth to keep up.”
The mother-son pair delivered a beautiful rendition of Stand By Me, bringing Paloma Faith to tears with their emotional performance.
Joshua had all four judges to choose from, and ultimately selected Pixie Lott as his mentor.
“I went with Pixie because her energy during her pitch pulled me in,” he explained. “She really made me feel comfortable and confident, and I knew she would choose songs that showcase my voice best.”
