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Eurovision Asia Countdown- Philippines Contestant CARMELLE

Back in May during the time of the Eurovision Song Contest, I heard that an Asian version was launching. I was excited because I'm a fan of both Eurovision and Asian music! Now it's getting closer because the first edition of Eurovision Song Contest Asia will take place next month. 

Visit my Countdown to Eurovision 2026! post for more about the contest (scroll down): https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2026/05/countdown-to-eurovision-2026.html

There is now more information since I first wrote about it. The Grand Final will be held in Bangkok , Thailand on Saturday 14th November and 11 countries are competing. In addition to the TV broadcasts in the 11 countries, it will also be shown live on YouTube and there will be a Rest of the World vote (which was introduced to the main ESC in recent years). I hope to watch and vote but will have to check the time difference. 

The contestants have been chosen through national selection shows. 8 countries have been confirmed so far- Bhutan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Laos, Bangladesh, Thailand and Vietnam. 3 more countries  (Nepal, Mongolia and Cambodia) are set to choose their artists and/or songs this month.

I'm planning to make this a mini series in the run up to Eurovision Asia. Today I'm featuring the Philippines' entry CARMELLE (full name Carmelle Allyza San Juan Collado).

CARMELLE comes from a family of singers and started singing aged 3. She went on to enter competitions during her childhood, winning 7 gold medals at the World Championships of Performing Arts in 2019 in the US and becoming runner-up in the 4th season/series of the Filipino version of The Voice Kids that same year.

In 2024-2025, she competed in the Philippine reality TV singing competition Tawag ng Tanghalan: School Showdown and won the title. Then in October last year, she took part in Pinoy Big Brother (the Filipino version of the reality show Big Brother). The same month she launched her music career with the debut single Unti-Unti with Kevin Yadao.

In May this year, CARMELLE released her self-titled debut album. Then in August, she competed on Philippine Selection Night, the national selection show to choose the country's entry for Eurovision Asia. She won with her song Sobra-Sobra (Too Much).

Outside of singing, her other interests include dancing and being a majorette, and she is currently studying for a tourism degree. 

I first came across CARMELLE a few months ago and was planning to feature her music in a future post but hadn't got round to it yet! I saw the music video for her single Morena (see below).

 

Sobra-Sobra (Live on the Philippine Selection Night)

Here is CARMELLE's national selection performance of Sobra Sobra (Too Much) on the Philippine Selection Night. It's a confident, rousing pop song with a combination of English and Filipino lyrics about not minimising yourself if others think you're too much for them.

CARMELLE has a strong voice and it's quite a catchy song. I also like the cultural elements of the performance and the rap.

 

 

There's also an official lyric video (turn on subtitles on YouTube for an English translation of the Filipino lyrics):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU7BK2svfB4

 

Unti-Unti (with Kevin Yadao)

In October 2025, CARMELLE released her debut single Unti-Unti. It's a collaboration with Filipino American singer-songwriter Kevin Yadao. I think the title translates as "Little by little" or "Gradually" in English.

This is the official lyric video. 

 


 

Morena

Morena was released in May. The title is a Spanish language term (also Italian and Portuguese, I think) that has slightly different meanings depending on the country and culture, but all some variant of "brown", "brunette" or "dark skinned". In the Philippines it refers to a woman with brown skin and has become an empowering term in more recent years.

Morena is a dance pop track that reflects the empowering theme. It's a mix of English and Filipino (with a Bicolano word included) language and is about loving your skin and representing the beauty of Morenas. 

 


 

For more on CARMELLE visit these links:

Preview article: https://www.preview.ph/culture/entertainment/carmelle-collado-facts-bio-a5158-20260831-bsc

Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carmelle_lite/ 

 

And to keep with Eurovision Asia news, visit the official website: https://www.eurovision.com/asia/

 

Eurovision fan? Check out these posts: 

Eurovision Round-up: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2017/05/eurovision-round-up.html

Eurovision Round-up 2: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2023/05/eurovision-round-up-2.html 

 

This year's Eurovision posts: 

Countdown to Eurovision 2026!: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2026/05/countdown-to-eurovision-2026.html

Eurovision 2026 Favourites: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2026/05/eurovision-2026-favourites.html 

 

And for more Filipino music, visit these posts: 

Filipino Groups (features boy band SB19 and girl group BINI): https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2022/08/filipino-groups.html 

Asian Groups- Malaysian Girl group + Filipino Boy Band (features DOLLA and 6ENSE): https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2024/06/asian-groups-malyasian-girl-group.html 

BINI- Blush: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2026/05/weekly-music-video_070673828.html

 



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