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MANILA -- The third season of "Asia's Got Talent" premiered on AXN on Thursday night, with one contestant receiving the coveted golden buzzer.

TK Jiang, a magician from Singapore, impressed Korean-American judge Jay Park enough for him to slam his hand on the golden buzzer, allowing him to advance to the semifinals of the competition.

He also got a "yes" from judges David Foster and Anggun for doing magic tricks with a digital twist.

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It was a strong start for "AGT," which is considered one of the biggest and most diverse talent shows in the region.

This season features contestants from 17 countries including the Philippines, which has been praised by Foster and Anggun for having a wealth of singers and performers.

The two have yet to use their own golden buzzers.

"The Philippines, for example, they produce singers like crazy," said Anggun, an Indonesian recording artist best known for her song "Snow on the Sahara."

"You said, 'It must be something in their water or something,'" she continued, looking at Foster, a Canadian music producer who has won 16 Grammy awards.

"Everyone born in the Philippines, they're naturally-born singers."

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Sibling duo HK Sisters raised the flag for the Philippines with their beautiful duet, getting approval from all of the judges.

Another scene-stealer is Zeexhie, a pint-sized dancer who effortlessly did cheerleader-style throws, prompting Foster to speculate that she is a "robot."

But just like in the previous seasons, not all Filipinos were able to make the cut in the first episode of "AGT" season 3.

Zoodiva, whose video was "leaked" on the show's YouTube page last February 3, performed a funny rendition of Sia's "Chandelier," peppering it with animal sounds.

While he drew laughs from the judges and the studio audience, he was unable to make it to the next round of the competition.

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Perhaps the oddest act to grace the stage in the first episode was Japan's Ichikawa Koikuchi, who broke wind at will to play instruments and even pop a balloon. He got a "yes" from the judges.

Meanwhile, the emotional moment came from Singapore's The Sisters, who joined the second season of "AGT" in 2017. They returned to the show as solo acts, and one of them was nearly sent home.

A grand prize of $100,000 is up for grabs in "AGT," which is hosted by Alan Wong and Justin Bratton.

The Philippines' shadow play group El Gamma Penumbra and Indonesian magician The Sacred Riana won the first and second seasons of the talent competition, respectively.