Zack Tabudlo may be “The Voice Kids PH’s” neophyte coach, but he is no stranger to the singing competition’s atmosphere, from the pressure-packed blinds to the nerve-wracking battle round sing-offs. 

The 23-year-old OPM hitmaker, who once was one of the show’s talented aspirants, has a simple advice to the new generation of The Voice Kids talents: ‘feel it in, enjoy, but rest.’

Zack Tabudlo knows a thing or two about The Voice Kids Philippines, having joined the world-famous competition in 2014 back when he was just 12 years old. He was selected to then-coach Bamboo Mañalac’s Camp Kawayan, and went on to the Battle Rounds where he got eliminated. 

“If I were to look for the right word, it’s [finding] good balance talaga,” Zack told GMA Regional TV News in a recent interview when asked for advice for young singers set to compete in the upcoming The Voice Kids.

“In my state right now, and as a coach, I would say to them na you have to let go in a way, feel it in, and enjoy every moment. But then again these are kids who are going to perform, so you can’t really take that part of them,” he shared, even adding that during his The Voice Kids stint some 11 years ago, he also tried to strike the balance between "enjoying every moment” and “really thinking of the competition.” 

Coach Zack also said that it’s the coaches’ responsibility, hand and hand with the entire production team, to guide all contestants and make their journey a memorable one, especially because it’s in every kid’s nature to be a little tense at these on-stage encounters. 

He also noted the importance of taking breaks and making sure the vocal chords are well-rested. 

“If there's one thing I'd also tell the kids, it’s to go rest. They need a lot of rest,” Zack noted, “when you are a kid kasi, you are all over the place, you are enjoying every moment like you’re hyper– you cannot take that away totally.”

Speaking from experience, Coach Zack said being serious about the competition does not necessarily mean overdoing one’s rehearsals.

“When I was in the battle rounds, that’s one thing I did: overpractice, which is not good. Anything that’s too much is not good. You really have to get your rest. At home, get some practice but make sure it's just a few hours and the rest is for rest,” he said. 

Zack Tabudlo is set to join fellow new mentors Paolo and Miguel Guico of Ben&Ben and mainstays Billy Crawford and Julie Anne San Jose as the coaches in the upcoming The Voice Kids Philippines airing only on GMA Network. 

The previous edition of "The Voice Kids Philippines" had SB19’s Stell and Pablo as coaches, with Nevin Adam Garceniego of Tropa ni Pablo being hailed as the grand champion last December 2024.