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What would you do if you were given the chance to pursue your dreams, but it meant packing up your bags and starting a whole new life? For many, it can be an agonizing decision. But for 21-year-old Filipino singer-songwriter Gwyn Dorado, it was a decision she jumped on as a next step in her journey when she was offered an opportunity to sign with a Korean entertainment company and continue her career in South Korea.
It proved to be the right decision as her time in the country led her to competing on Sing Again 4, a Korean singing competition, and winning over the judges and fans for a second-place finish. With this breakthrough, Gwyn is ready for more, but she’s also enjoying the moment.
RELATED: 21-Year-Old Filipina Musician Gwyn Dorado Just Made History On Sing Again Season 4
The Sound of Music
Growing up, Gwyn was surrounded by music, learning how to play instruments as early as 5 years old. But it wasn’t until she competed on Asia’s Got Talent in 2015 at 10 years old that Gwyn really saw music as a career for her. “After Asia’s Got Talent, I wanted to be a musician,” Gwyn shares with MEGA Asia over Zoom from her apartment in Korea. “Asia’s Got Talent was like an awakening experience.” Soon after her time on the show, for which she reached the finals, Gwyn performed in musicals. Among her past works are a local production of Annie in 2016 and The Sound of Music, playing the role of Luisa Von Trapp the following year.
Stepping deep into musical theater production proved an eye-opener for the young artist. “During those musical rehearsals, I had the space to know myself as an artist, and know how to be an artist. You spend a lot of time with your co-workers and co-artists, and you also want to become like them.” Soon after, Gwyn started releasing solo music with a few songs in the late 2010s and early 2020s. Then, Korea came calling.
Gwyn’s journey to Korea began with one of her songs, Why Do We Love, which was released in 2023. The piano-driven ballad went viral on social media, and among the new fans Gwyn gained was the South Korean entertainment agency AO Entertainment, which saw potential in the young musician. “They DMed me saying they wanted me to be an artist,” recalls Gwyn.
The company wanted to sign her and give her the opportunity to continue her career in Korea. While she had to leave behind her life in the Philippines and live in another country, Gwyn ultimately said yes because the opportunity spoke to her in how she saw it as a benefit to her artistry. “We had a few meetings, and I really loved how they gave me the space to be myself as an artist, to hone my own talent. And that’s why I wanted to go to Korea, because I knew that they could give me that space.” In 2024, she signed a five-year contract, packed her bags, and began a new life as an up-and-coming artist in Korea.
Korea Here She Comes
Competing in a singing competition is not easy. But doing so in a foreign country and in a language that you’re still learning is a true hurdle. Yet, where some saw the impossible, Gwyn saw an opportunity to further hone her artistic and Korean skills in the chance to compete on Sing Again 4. “I was like, ‘You know what? Why not? Let’s just try.’ I mean, I’m going to sing in Korean. Maybe just sing in English, if it’s not possible to sing in Korean. But we saw how it could make me become better in Korean. And so each round that I go through, my Korean skill goes up and up and up. And I think everybody notices that. I also noticed that.”
When the show’s 4th season held open auditions, she entered, got accepted, and participated in the show as Contestant No. 59 among 81 total competitors. Each week, not only did Gwyn have to impress a panel of Korean judges and compete against Korean singers, but she also had to do so while speaking and singing in Korean.
To do all that as a Filipino who has just been in the country for a year is no walk in the park. But to hear it from Gwyn, while the pressure was there, the 21-year-old chose to focus her mind and attention towards the work that needed to be done. “More than focusing on the pressure, I just focused on, like, these are my things to do of the day, and so if I finish it, okay, that’s great. I just focus on one step at a time, one day at a time,” she shares.
Practice became Gwyn’s happy space as she felt like she was actively learning and getting better. That much was true for her Korean skills, which she honed through constant practice and practical use in her everyday life. “I try to speak to people as much as I can in Korean. Back then, when it was the first or second round, I really forced myself not to speak in any other language but Korean, and that helped.”
Writing was another teacher for Gwyn, who shares that she writes in her diary every single day. To practice her skills, she went from writing in English to a mix of both languages, then finally in full Korean. “That kind of diary helped. Talking to people helped, not just self-study, but also talking to people using the words that I hear, repeating them as well.”
Sing Again
It’s clear that the practice, dedication, can-do attitude, and her inherent talents worked wonders for Gwyn on the show. She routinely impressed the judges (with included Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon and Super Junior’s Kyuhyun, among others) with her singing, notably scoring a near-perfect 798/800 from the judges after performing I Want You, an original track she worked on with one of the show’s producers, Kim Do Hun. That judges’ score marked the highest score in the season’s history, a record she would later top during the finale when her performance of Light Up, a new song produced by Korean duo GroovyRoom, earned her a 799/800 from the judges.
Gwyn was the only non-Korean to make it to the finale, where she placed second, and also earned a reputation from Korean audiences as a pop diva. Looking back on her time on the show, Gwyn is still in disbelief that she was able to achieve all that. “I actually still don’t believe that there’s a possibility of having an almost perfect score. Each round that I went through, I felt like it was my last stage. This is the only thing that I can do. But I guess with that kind of mindset, it helped me cherish and savor the moment, the performance that I had, and I wanted to give everything that I had in each performance that I did.”
She gave it her all, and it showed. But Gwyn is also the first to say that it wasn’t just her who made her run on the show a success. With the fast-paced nature of the competition (she only had one to two weeks to prepare per round), Gwyn had to learn and adapt fast. And she wouldn’t be where she is today if it weren’t for the support of the people around her.
“One of the big things that I’ve learned is to cherish and thank the people around you who helped you. Because frankly, if I did this alone, I would not be here. So it’s the people around me who helped me learn Korean, who helped me sing in a better way.” It took a village for Gwyn to deliver the performances that she did, and she’s thankful that she wasn’t alone in doing it.
This is Gwyn Dorado
While Gwyn didn’t win Sing Again 4, she got the next best thing in renewed attention, more fans supporting her, and a booked and busy schedule. Since the season wrapped, Gwyn, along with the other finalists, has been on a press tour with interviews and appearances on radio programs and TV shows. They are also preparing for a Sing Again 4 nationwide tour later this year. As the woman in the center of it all, it’s been a moment for Gwyn, and she’s still trying to get used to it. “So far, it’s like, I’m hanging on a thread, honestly,” she confesses. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m really grateful, and I’m having fun with this kind of life that I have right now. But I’m still trying to adapt, and still trying to move on very fast.”
Aside from the schedules associated with Sing Again 4, Gwyn is also looking forward to using this new chapter to further her craft and career. “I would see myself putting an album out and joining these kinds of TV shows. Everybody knows me as a singer. But I want people to know who I am as a person, who I am as Gwen, as Dorado.”
And yes, the Philippines is on her mind, especially with the love she’s received from her home country. “I would really love that,” Gwyn says on the possibility of returning to the Philippines. “There are so many fans who have said, ‘Oh, when are you coming back?’ And to the fans, like I really, really want to.” While there are no plans yet for Gwyn to fly back to the Philippines, she isn’t closing the door on that possibility. “We never know. There could be events that I could come back to the Philippines for a short while. I’m looking forward to that as well, and I hope to see the fans and everyone back in the Philippines.”
Gwyn’s run on Sing Again 4 is as impressive as it is. But what made it more remarkable was what it represents. Sing Again is a show dedicated to featuring singers and musicians who are underrated or overlooked by the general audience. They are given another chance to showcase their talents on a platform they deserve. For Gwyn, her new life in Korea proved to be the new chapter she needed.
Now, with the backing of a Korean company and the attention of a whole new audience, Gwyn is ready for her hard work to finally bear fruit. More importantly, she hopes this new chapter is an opportunity to let people know that she’s more than just the viral Filipino singer. “I want people to know that I’m a singer-songwriter, not just a singer, and maybe someday in the future, be a producer as well. Not just in Korea, but in the Philippines, too. And maybe in the far future, enter the Western music industry and work there.”
As someone who’s been on a stage in one form or another for more than a decade before reaching this moment, Gwyn knows the journey can be long. But she doesn’t want that to deter artists and creatives from achieving the dream. At the end of the day, it’s your love of your craft that will take you far. “If you’re unsure of what you’re doing, picture yourself in the worst-case scenario,” she advises. “Would you still love what you’re doing even in those kinds of situations? For me, I could see myself singing in a storm. That’s how much I love what I do.”
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Photos courtesy of AO Entertainment
