His Genius Wife Is A Superstar Chapter 1648: Call of the Spotlight (Part I)

"Ladies and gentlemen, our opening judge is a prolific composer who has spent three decades crafting the iconic theme songs of our most beloved telenovelas. He is also the devoted partner of our legendary Queen of Ballads. Please join me in welcoming Mr. Love Song himself, Albert Alcala!"

The middle-aged Albert Alcala appeared, waving to the crowd before taking his place on the judging panel, which was positioned between the audience and the stage.

"Our next judge is a true icon whose vocal talents have graced our ears for sixty years. Her tracks are timeless classics and remain staples in karaoke rooms nationwide. She is further celebrated for her dedication to mentoring many of the country's top contemporary artists. Please welcome the Radio Siren, Dina Bendita!"

Accompanied by a young male host, the elderly Dina Bendita waved to the fans and was assisted to her seat beside Albert Alcala on the panel.

"Lastly, we are joined by a very special guest judge today. She has traveled all the way from—"

"Boss Iris, we love you!!!"

"Kyaaaaaaaaah! Boss Iris!!!"

"Iris Long! Iris Long! Iris Long!"

Master Beauty playfully gestured as if to throw one of her high heels at the crowd. "At least let me finish her introduction!"

"HAHAHAHAHA!!!"

The Filipino Black Stars, who had successfully grabbed free seats for today's live recording, waved their banners enthusiastically. To the relief of the production crew, they didn't continue the disruption and settled down quickly.

"Wow, such discipline," Master Beauty remarked.

Both Albert Alcala and Dina Bendita nodded their heads in approval.

Clearing her—ahem—"her" throat, Master Beauty restarted the introduction for the final judge.

"And finally, our special guest judge for the day. This marks her very first trip to the Philippines. You likely recognize her as the songwriter and original vocalist for the theme of the massive C-Drama ’Our Love, Our Destiny,’ which she performed with her brother-in-law, Chinese superstar Jin Chonglin. She is also famous for making history by developing innovative musical techniques. Please help me welcome to the Philippines for the first time, the stunning, multi-talented, and award-winning singer-songwriter and producer, Miss Iris Long!!!"

Iris walked onto the stage and waved. Led by the Black Stars, the entire audience erupted in cheers.

The staff didn't need to do any work to excite the crowd. Even non-fans were left breathless by the sight of such a beautiful woman.

Master Beauty and the other hosts greeted her with handshakes. Rather than letting her sit immediately, they kept her on stage for a brief, casual chat.

"First, I want to thank you for being our special guest judge today," Master Beauty said.

Iris gave a smile. "It’s an honour to serve as a judge in such a popular singing competition here in the Philippines. I’m very excited to see what kind of talents you have here in ’Call of the Spotlight’."

Host 2: "I understand you met Mr. Albert and Madam Dina backstage and were already familiar with their work?"

Iris Long: "Yes, meeting them in person was a true pleasure. I knew of them through my best friend and assistant, Dominic Chua. He is Filipino, by the way. While I am still learning about your country's local celebrities, I am familiar with several of your musicians. Mr. Albert and Madam Dina are among those I recognize."

The camera shifted to the audience where Dom was sitting. Seeing himself on the screen, he beamed brightly, triggering another round of cheers from the Black Stars who clearly knew him well.

After a quick exchange between the hosts and Dom, the camera couldn't resist focusing on the handsome man seated next to him.

Host 3: "I’m sorry, but I have to interrupt. I can’t concentrate while looking at such a handsome man."

Master Beauty: "Me, too! Iris, is it okay if you introduce that gorgeous specimen?"

Iris laughed, her eyes dancing with amusement. "Of course. Everyone, that man is my beloved husband, Liam. He’s my rock and my biggest supporter. Thanks to him, I was able to give birth to our beautiful twin babies."

Jin Liwei offered a polite nod and a smile to the crowd, his eyes fixed on his wife.

Though the hosts seemed eager to interview him, Jin Liwei had previously requested the program director to keep the focus entirely on Iris during the trip.

Receiving instructions through his earpiece, Master Beauty signaled his co-hosts to move on.

They finished their chat with Iris before she finally joined the panel. Albert Alcala and Dina Bendita greeted her with warm, welcoming smiles.

At last, the "Call of the Spotlight" segment commenced.

The hosts brought out the first of the three daily contestants.

Dom took a seat behind Iris to translate the interview. While Iris could catch bits of the local language—especially when mixed with English—she insisted on understanding every word.

This was a sign of her professional respect for her role. It wasn't in her nature to fake understanding when she was actually lost.

Following the interview, the first contestant performed a cover of an English song.

Iris didn't take any notes. She watched the performance intently, evaluating him mentally. Her memory was sharp enough that she wouldn't forget her points. Her face remained serious and unreadable throughout.

Dom had mentioned that Albert Alcala was the panel's "strict" judge, while Dina Bendita was the "kind" one. Previous guest judges usually played it safe to avoid backlash from viewers.

Iris, however, never worried about haters. She didn't plan her persona for the show.

For her, honesty was the priority.

She intended to provide the most candid critiques possible. Her goal was to help contestants identify their flaws and refine their techniques.

When it came to musical theory and execution, she was supremely confident in the knowledge she had gathered across two lifetimes.

Once the performance ended, Master Beauty and another host stood with the trembling contestant on stage.

The audience cheered to help the young man relax as he prepared for the judges' feedback.

Dina Bendita was the first to speak.

"A very good rendition of the song. You were shaky and nervous at the beginning, but you were able to recover quickly and hit most of the high notes. Not bad, child. Keep up the good work."

"Thank you, Madam Dina," the contestant replied.

Albert Alcala spoke next.

"Like what Madam Dina mentioned, you were quite shaky, especially at the beginning. Maybe that’s why your throat didn’t open up as much as you wanted, right? Resulting in you struggling to sing as comfortably as you want. The quality of your voice is nice, but the nerves got to you, right? On a brighter note, I like how you fought through it and persevered. The end was much better than the beginning. Good job in making it through."

The contestant thanked him with a nod, though he looked somewhat discouraged. He then looked toward Iris with a hopeful expression.

"Can we hear what our special judge for today, Iris Long, has to say?" Master Beauty prompted.

The other judges and staff had noticed her notebook remained blank. They wondered if she had simply forgotten to use it.

"I won’t repeat what my fellow judges have said about you being shaky. Instead, I would like to point out other areas that I think will help you improve."

One by one, Iris detailed the contestant's technical flaws with concise explanations. Her fellow judges watched in mild shock; even they hadn't picked up on many of these nuances.

"Can you sing this part again?" Iris suddenly requested.

The contestant complied.

"Stop. Try it this way." She then demonstrated the line herself, leaving everyone in awe.

Despite their different vocal types, she showed him how to improve instantly with a minor technical adjustment.

By now, Albert Alcala and Dina Bendita were looking at her with eyes full of admiration. As professionals, they deeply respected an artist who had mastered the core fundamentals of music so thoroughly.

"Your voice has so much potential," Iris told him. "I think that it’s a matter of choosing a song that’s more suitable to your voice. This song requires too much force, power, and modulation—things that you still need to improve by a lot. If you address the things that I’ve told you today, I assure you that you’ll be able to blow us away next time. Overall, your voice has high potential. You just have to work on improving your techniques and, of course, in handling your nerves in front of an audience."

The contestant bowed deeply. The dejection he felt earlier had vanished, replaced by a fiery determination. He left the stage highly motivated by Iris's constructive feedback.