Who is J. Rey Soul, the artist who sang the Philippine national anthem at Manny Pacquiao vs. Yordenis Ugas fight?

Singer J. Rey Soul, a member of the pop-rap band Black Eyed Peas, sang the Philippine national anthem at the Manny Pacquiao vs. Yordenis Ugas fight.

Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao faced Yordenis Ugas in a losing effort on Saturday night, dropping a unanimous decision (115-113, 116-112, 116-112). 'Pacman' was originally scheduled to face Errol Spence Jr. on the card's main event, but the latter had to pull out owing to a retinal tear in the eye. Cuban boxer Yordenis Ugas stepped in to put his WBA (Super) welterweight belt on the line against the eight-division champion.

The event went down at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 21, 2021. Ahead of the much-anticipated headliner, J. Rey Soul voiced 'Lupang Hinirang,' the national anthem of the Philippines, Pacquiao's native country.

Catch a glimpse of the performance below:

J. Rey Soul visited Manny Pacquiao during his training camp at the Wild Card Gym weeks ahead of the fight alongside Filipino-American NBA star Jordan Clarkson and singer apl.de.ap.

J. Rey Soul posted a short video from backstage as well.

---

Who is J. Rey Soul?

Real name Jessica Reynoso, J. Rey Soul is a Filipino music artist who is a member of the popular pop-rap band Black Eyed Peas. She participated in Season 1 of The Voice of Philippines reality show that took place in 2013.

Filipino-American singer-rapper and Black Eyed Peas member Allan Pineda Lindo, better known by his stage name apl.de.ap, was one of the mentors on the show. He selected J. Rey Soul to be a part of his team.

Since then, J. Rey Soul guested on the band's 2018 project Masters of the Sun Vol. 1 and accompanied them on a world tour. Black Eyed Peas' Latinx-inspired album Translation featured J. Rey Soul alongside Puerto-Rican singer Ozuna in the song 'Mamacita.'

While promoting the album, the band announced that their longtime member Fergie was stepping aside to focus on parental duties. It was assumed that J. Rey Soul would take over the role of the female lead for the band.