Before his stint as one of the powerhouse performers of BGYO, JL began turning heads when he joined GMA Network’s The Clash.
In the first season of The Clash, he performed the OPM hit Kulang Ako Kung Wala Ka. Despite his soulful rendition of the OPM hit, he had noticeable problems in terms of breath control.
As noted by Christian Bautista, there were times that he gets too deep into the emotions of the song that it affected parts of the performance.
However, in his solo performance of Moira’s Paubaya for the BGYO Launch event, his breath control improved dramatically. JL can now control both his voice and emotion and pour it into his performance without one overpowering the other.
Additionally, his overall stage presence and confidence when performing grew within the past two years. Before, JL’s nerves would often translate into his performance through the lack of connection with the audience.
Now, he performs with finesse while continuously conveying the emotions of the song. It’s as if he’s directly singing into the person on the other side of the camera.
Here are some of the reactions from netizens on Twitter.
Netizens lauded his performance of Moira’s Paubaya, with some reeling in from the emotions after seeing his version of the song.
https://twitter.com/ronadizon_/status/1354749910713679874
https://twitter.com/Lenz0819/status/1355835861284212737
Paubaya cover by JL! Grabe!
BGYO THE LIGHT DEBUT#BGYOBeTheLight @bgyo_ph
— TEAM ACES PH (@TeamACESph) January 29, 2021
Pasample nga po ulit ng Paubaya JL Mapanaket#BGYO @bgyo_ph
— Deo (@ruzzssel) January 30, 2021
Fans of JL who followed his career since The Clash also expressed their support for the BGYO member. They also highlighted JL’s growth as a singer with his solo performance.
I've binge watch his performances on The Clash and I'm so proud of who he is now.
— Kuya Ace #LetLeniLead2022 (@ACES_X_BGYO) February 1, 2021
Pinanuod ko kagabi SOLO PERFORMANCE ng BGYO.
Una si JL Toreliza.
GANDA NG BOSES.
BALLADEER ANG PEG:)
Sumali pala siya sa The Clash GMA7 pero ndi nanalo.
Kung may nagsara, may nagbukas uli ng pinto
PART NA SYA NG BGYO:)@bgyo_ph https://t.co/9GkMvJb8n9
— XIE XIE DAYANG DAYANG ARIKINGKING⁷ (@olachua1) February 3, 2021
https://twitter.com/NaniDetkidages/status/1356153840655974407
Not @ me listening to @ofcbgyo_akira's bagong simula and @ofcbgyo_jl's paubaya as my lullaby,, thank you somehow it lifts up my mood, your voice are just comforting, idk it is just me.
Sleep tight! #BGYO @OFCBGYO_MEMBERS @bgyo_ph— Eiiych (@ItBoyNate) February 1, 2021
JL, Gelo, Akira, Mikki, and Nate, make up the all-new Pinoy Pop Group set to take the world by storm. They performed their debut single, The Light, during the grand launch of BGYO on January 29, 2021.
