VIDEO: Newcastle singer Marissa Saroca on The Voice Philippines

 NEWCASTLE singer Marissa Saroca will be coached by her childhood idol after being selected as a finalist on the Philippines’ version of The Voice.

The 28-year-old, who starred in the Newcastle stage version of High School Musical and is a two-time winner of Best Female Vocalist at the ABC Newcastle Music Awards, has been living in the Philippines since April.

Saroca sang Crazy in Love by Beyonce during the blind auditions, capturing the attention of soprano singer and actress Lea Salonga.

The starlet then joined Saroca on stage and pair sang one of her famous songs together.

‘‘Lea was an idol of mine from when I was a kid, which is why the only songs I know in Tagalog are hers,’’ Saroca said.

‘‘Seeing her as a coach during the blind auditions made me love her even more-she accidentally swore on the show and is absolutely true to who she is. That’s very important to me.’’

Saroca auditioned for the first two Australian’s seasons of The Voice but didn’t make it past the blind auditions.

Following her time on the reality show, Saroca plans to continue living in the Philippines to explore career opportunities that will arise from her exposure on television.

‘‘It’s also really great to get to the know the country that my father is from and to learn his first language,’’ she said.

‘‘It’s such an adventure on every level,’’ Saroca said.