American reality show Building the Band has been stirring buzz since it premiered on Netflix on July 9. The premise is deceptively simple: 50 artists must form six groups through a blind selection process, with each band facing elimination rounds until only one wins a $500,000 prize.
What sets it apart from other talent shows isn’t just the format; the bands are assembled without the members seeing each other, relying solely on voice and performance. Think The Voice or American Idol, but stitched together with group chemistry from the start. Instead of lone-wolf contestants clawing for a title, this show is built on collaboration and creative gamble.
Filipino-Australian singer Erica Padilla enters the picture not just as a contestant but as part of an all-female group called Siren Society. Her presence on the show doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s the result of years of relentless visibility online, performances rooted in karaoke culture, and a voice that can shift from sweet to stormy without flinching. Padilla’s appearance reflects something deeper than just making it through auditions. It speaks to the staying power of self-starting artists who don’t wait for a record label or national TV spotlight to validate them.
@ericapadilla got fired for this performance don’t let it flop #fyp #whatithought #grammys #fliflaflo #itwentlike #seeya ♬ original sound – Erica Padilla
Padilla first gained attention online through TikTok. Her earliest viral moment was a video of her singing at a restaurant with the caption, “The restaurant fired me after this performance.” When a viewer asked why, she explained, “They asked me to bring whatever music I wanted so I brought restaurant vibe songs and then they told me to change my set to upbeat songs to dance to.” That clip set the tone for her future as an artist who brings bold choices to unexpected settings. Since then, she’s released hundreds of cover videos, often pairing vocal acrobatics with a phone-camera rawness that audiences trusted.
Before Building the Band, Padilla was already making moves on televised stages. She competed in Eurovision Australia in 2022, performing her original song “To The Bottom,” and joined Australian Idol in 2023, where her rendition of “River” by Bishop Briggs earned praise from judge Meghan Trainor. It was Trainor who gave Padilla her golden ticket and pushed her into the Top 50. It’s no surprise Erica Padilla found herself on Building the Band. She’s been building her own all along. Her story was about artists who never stopped auditioning after all. The singer kept performing for whoever was watching, even if it started with a restaurant gig that didn’t go her way.
