Allyzza Kay Trinidad

Why Rufa Mae Quinto turned emotional after 'Big Girls Don't Cry' performance on “Your Face Sounds Familiar”

Article (news)

Liezel Dela Cruz

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769967660590Why-Rufa-turned-emotional-after-Big-Girls-Dont-Cry-performance.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div>She’s always been the outrageously funny, unapologetically honest ‘Comedy Bombshell’ who makes us laugh without even trying. But on &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/your-face-sounds-familiar" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Your Face Sounds Familiar</a>&quot; Round 9, Rufa Mae Quinto cried and made us want to cry with her too.  <div> </div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2026/1/25/rufa-mae-quinto-earns-a-standing-ovation-for-her-unforgettable-fergie-performance-yfsf-2026-2128" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WATCH: Rufa Mae Quinto earns a standing ovation for her unforgettable Fergie performance | YFSF 2026 </a></div><div> </div>“Big girls don’t cry,” said the title of the song she performed. But the irony was that she got emotional right after the number. Maybe it was the timing. Maybe it was the lyrics. Maybe it was the sadness she’s carrying deep down. Whatever it was, the mood just aligned with her heart and it hit even harder when she was announced as the competition&#x27;s 9th weekly winner for her transformation as American singer-songwriter Fergie.  <div> </div><div>Be with myself and center—clarity, peace, serenity </div>“Todo na ’to!” exclaimed the comedienne when ABS-CBN Studios congratulated her after the show. But behind the effervescence was disbelief that she had just received her first “YFSF” plaque.  Rufa Mae, or Peachy to her friends, didn&#x27;t join &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/your-face-sounds-familiar" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Your Face Sounds Familiar</a>&quot; expecting big winning moments like this. She simply thought the show would be an exciting vehicle for her comeback after taking a hiatus in the US, where she spent the first few years of married life and motherhood.  In her thank-you speech, Rufa Mae mentioned that she was offered to join “YFSF” before the passing of her husband, Trevor Magallanes, in July 2025. She pushed through with the competition (which premiered on October 4, 2025), believing it would help her cope and shake off the grief. All she really wanted was to feel like herself again by making sense of what she had been through, &quot;matagtag,&quot; as she put it. Because bringing joy back into her life meant being able to make others smile too, &quot;Gusto ko lang sumaya para makapagpasaya.&quot; Midway through her comeback, she realized she had never really explored singing seriously. “Kumakanta-kanta ako, [katulad ng] &#x27;Booba,&#x27; pero binibiro-biro ko lang,&quot; she said, adding that performing on the “YFSF” stage has unexpectedly become an outlet for self-expression. &quot;Siguro dahil nga sa maraming pinagdaraanan, parang sabi ko, &#x27;Kakanta ako.&#x27; At para pagbalik ko, bagong henerasyon. Makikilala ko &#x27;yung mga noon at ngayon. Bagong buhay. Parang... ibang-iba.&quot; Impersonation, on the other hand, is a familiar territory to Rufa Mae, having spent her prime years in sitcoms and gag shows as her training ground in the late &#x27;90s to early 2000s, the golden era of satire and spoofs. As a matter of fact, she got her very first Best Comedy Actress award in 1999 for an iconic parody show. “Isa talaga ’yun sa talent ko,” she said, proud to have learned from impersonation virtuosos like Michael V., Jon Santos, and the late Willie Nepomuceno. The difference now is she’s being given space not just to imitate but to feel through singing. <div> </div><div>It&#x27;s time to be a big girl now  </div>When the &#x27;iconizer&#x27; revealed she&#x27;d be portraying Fergie, Rufa Mae wasn’t even sure it would click with the audience. “Hindi ko akalaing magugustuhan nila,” she admitted. “Hindi na kasi lahat ng bata kilala si Fergie.” Fergie was the lead female voice of the Black Eyed Peas and rose to pop royalty in the early 2000s. With the group, she blessed music lovers with hits like “Let’s Get It Started,” “Don’t Phunk with My Heart,” “My Humps,” “Rock That Body,” and “Where Is the Love?” As a solo artist, she topped charts with “London Bridge,” “Glamorous,” “Clumsy,” and her most iconic ballad, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”—the very song Rufa Mae performed. “Ka-generation ko ’yan,” she said, then joked, &quot;Noong pak na pak pa ako.&quot;  Ironically, that very sense of nostalgia made the performance resonate. Besides, she just let her heart take the lead instead of overthinking the technicalities. The show&#x27;s vocal mentor Klarisse De Guzman reminded her about Fergie’s signature vibrato, but she wasn’t even sure if she hit it right—and truth be told, she didn’t want to dwell on the should-haves or the what-ifs anymore. Rufa Mae has avoided over-studying her performances ever since her Moira Dela Torre impression in Round 4, where she sang &quot;Paubaya.&quot; Some might have assumed she was just joking around, but she actually prepared for that number seriously and was even on the verge of tears while singing. From then on, she went easy on rehearsals to avoid unnecessary pressure, “Ayoko na ’yung masyadong nag-aaral ng song kasi ninenerbiyos ako, na parang, ay, may competition.&quot; Well, in her Fergie number, the preparation was minimal by default anyway. The minus one track was only sent the morning of performance day, giving her barely three hours to practice. As for her physical transformation into Fergie, she gave a shoutout to makeup artist Hajie Alejandro, who worked his magic for that quick-but-on-point glam look.Going into the dressing room and studio, Rufa Mae told herself not to overthink. Even if the “YFSF” team had a strong hunch that this might finally be her winning week, she didn&#x27;t want to entertain the hype. &quot;Sila lang nagsasabi [na mananalo na ako]. Ayokong mag-isip ng gano&#x27;n kasi kung hindi ako manalo, umaasa-asa lang ako. Parang ayaw kong pangunahan. At saka... hindi ko na talaga in-expect manalo.&quot; Especially after missing Round 7 (where she was supposed to portray Jennifer Lopez), Rufa Mae had already accepted the possibility that winning might no longer be in the cards. &quot;Gusto ko na lang matapos at umuwi,&quot; she laughed. <div> </div><div>And big girls don&#x27;t cry </div>Despite being the only performer left without a weekly win, Rufa Mae shrugged off the pressure. In the “Your Face Sounds Familiar” January 25 episode, she just emerged from the &#x27;iconator&#x27; as Fergie and flowed with whatever it had in store.  Sometimes, it&#x27;s when you stop trying too hard that the magic happens. She even opened the prod joking about the mic stand being too low before letting out a deep sigh and launching into the song&#x27;s first line. But just a few notes in, the jury—Gary Valenciano and guest judges Karla Estrada and Klarisse—was already pleased. By the time she reached the bridge—“It’s time for me to go home. It&#x27;s getting late and dark outside. I need to be with myself and center… clarity, peace, serenity”—her voice began shaking. Judge Klarisse was heard wondering, &quot;Parang naiiyak siya?&quot;  As soon as she finished, the jury rose to their feet and the whole studio burst into applause. The hype was undeniable. Overwhelmed, Rufa Mae finally let herself be vulnerable as hosts Vhong Navarro and Jhong Hilario hugged her as she cried. But trust Rufa Mae to still crack a punchline through tears, &quot;Ang taas kasi ng kanta kaya naiyak po ako.&quot;  Karla, one of Rufa Mae’s real-life besties, couldn’t hide her pride, saying she thought the performance would be all laughter but was moved to see her comedienne friend take it seriously. As Klarisse also pointed out, &quot;Ibang-iba ka ngayon.&quot;  Rufa Mae clinched the top spot of the week, thanks to her co-celebrity performers’ votes, edging out the jury’s top pick, Alexa Ilacad, who transformed into Olivia Rodrigo. Proudly holding her plaque, she delivered what could be the most heartfelt speech of the season.  When asked why she got so sentimental, she said everything about that day hit different. The melancholic mood started when she heard JM Dela Cerna and Marielle Montellano&#x27;s &quot;Palagi&quot; from backstage. So when it was her turn on stage, she closed her eyes and soaked in the sadness woven into every line of the song she performed.  “Kaya naiyak ako kasi ang ganda at ang lungkot ng ‘Palagi’ tapos, biglang ako, ang lungkot. Kumbaga, parang ang galing ng timing. Ang heavy ng ‘Palagi’ tapos ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ [naman ang kasunod].” And then seeing her &quot;YFSF&quot; family and the crowd’s appreciation made her even more emotional. &quot;Sabi [ng mga staff], i-feel ko raw. Artista kasi ako, eh. Kaya &#x27;pag na-feel ko ang isang bagay, &#x27;yun na &#x27;yun.&quot; If it were just up to her, she honestly wouldn’t mind letting others take the win, acknowledging with humility that her co-performers are more musically trained than she is. Still, she makes sure to give her best, contrary to what many might assume. Just because she’s always the funny girl doesn’t mean she’s not taking this seriously. &quot;Basta masaya lahat, masaya na rin ako [para sa panalo nila]. Pero, sabi ko, kailangan ko rin galingan, hindi na rin para sa manalo o para sa sarili ko, kundi kailangang ibigay ko &#x27;yung best ko dahil lahat naniniwala sa akin,&quot; she reflected. Being on &quot;Your Face Sounds Familiar&quot; reminded Rufa Mae that people never stopped loving her.  If anything, she&#x27;s felt even more appreciated. At this stage in her career, it’s that kind of affirmation she holds close, especially as she hopes to connect more with a younger generation discovering her versatility for the first time. Ironically, the song says &#x27;big girls don&#x27;t cry,&#x27; but Rufa Mae did. Because sometimes, crying is actually the bravest thing a big girl can do. Catch her next transformation as Kitchie Nadal on “<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/your-face-sounds-familiar" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Your Face Sounds Familiar</a>,” airing weeknights, 7:15PM on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, ALLTV2, and <a href="https://app.iwanttfc.com/dFR6MWHAcVb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">iWant</a>.

Here's the real reason Rufa Mae Quinto cried after her 'Fergie' performance on “Your Face Sounds Familiar.”

Here's the real reason Rufa Mae Quinto cried after her 'Fergie' performance on “Your Face Sounds Familiar.”