Concert King Martin Nievera, who just got a gold record award for his recent album, Himig ng Damdamin, is slated to be one of the judges on singing competition The X-Factor Philippines, PEP.ph reports. But his bigger revelation during his interview with PEP.ph was his plan to audition for the US franchise of the same show.

"Before I got this offer to be a judge, I was actually gonna audition for X-Factor in the States. Seriously," he is quoted as saying. "People think I'm crazy, but how am I gonna get this kind of exposure, right?"

Martin said that, despite his achievements in the Philippines, he still has dreams of doing more with his career, and he hopes his back story--that of being the Concert King in the country--will help his plight. "Even at this age, as a singer, I still have not achieved international stardom," he explained. "And this is my only chance. I didn't have YouTube during my time. I didn't have Internet. I didn't have CDs during my time. Nothing was digital during my time. Everything was analog, you know. Black and white almost."

Now that he's going to be a judge on the Philippine version of the show, however, he said he's not sure if he can be both an X-Factor US contestant and an X-Factor Philippines mentor. Nevertheless, Martin said he was going to push through with his plan of auditioning. "I have nothing to lose. And then I have the whole nation rooting fo me."


For more on The X-Factor, check these out on FN:

• KC Concepcion Starts Year with "Happy Heart," Will Host X-Factor Philippines
• Which X-Factor judge's style fits you?

(Photo courtesy of PEP.ph)