will.i.am convinces apl.de.ap to judge 'The Voice'

Thanks to his good friend will.i.am, Black Eyed Peas rapper apl.de.ap agreed to sit as mentor-judge in the singing competition “The Voice of the Philippines.”

Read related story: A Star-Studded ‘The Voice’ Season 3 Finale

"He's like, 'Yo apl, you got to do 'The Voice,' you got to represent your kababayan all over the world and you got to search new talent.' So he really inspired me to do it," apl said in a presscon on April 12.

apl sees himself as an honest yet cool  mentor-judge, ready to share his rich experience as a performer with the contestants.

"Definitely truthful with my criticisms. And of course, I will give swag on stage, and of course (I'll share) my life experiences on what I went through, in the music industry, and how hard it is to make it. And of course, life experiences, not just doing music, but living life," he said.

He advises contestants who don’t make it to persevere and keep on working on their dreams.

"It takes perseverance and hard work to make it in the business. Just because you didn't make it here, doesn't mean you can't make it anywhere else."

Kris and KC

Now that apl is back in Manila,  reporters are again hounding the rapper-producer with questions regarding his friendship with Kris Aquino and KC Concepcion.

apl clarified that they’re friends and that he admires Kris and KC because of their diligence and determination.

"I look up to our hard-working women. That really inspires me to do more. Like Kris inspires me to do more, she's really successful and a great friend of mine. We're really good friends. I look up to her (Kris) and we got a great friendship."

While apl admitted that he and KC had  dinner together with their other friends, he clarified that their friendship didn't reach the romantic level. He also learned that at that time (2011) KC had a boyfriend.

Also read: apl.de.ap launches education campaign

"I went on tour and she got really busy so, I just focused on the tour and my career. You'll never know what's going to happen but at least, I got to know her a bit and we're still friends," he said.

He shared that he was first attracted to KC because of her good looks.

“Then I got to know her and she's very cool to hang out with. I thought she would be really reserved but she's very open minded, really talented and very pretty."

Now that the Black Eyed Peas is taking a  break, apl is working on his own music label Jeepney Music. He  also goes on tour  DJ gigs.

You might also like: More Tagalog Tracks From Apl.de.ap

Meanwhile,  Fergie is five months pregnant, while will.i.am is sitting as a judge in "The Voice UK."
Lea  Salonga, , Sarah Geronimo and Bamboo are other mentor-judges of “Voice of the Philippines.”