MANILA — The Lily, formerly known as Calla Lily, has found a new frontman. Meet Joshua Bulot.

A few months ago, members of the band Calla Lily surprised fans when they made some unprecedented moves. First, they rebranded the band’s name to ‘The Lily’. Second, they were looking for a new frontman.

It was revealed that Kean Cipriano has left the group. He brought with him the rights to the band’s name for almost two decades.

Eager and inspired to move on, remaining band members Lem Belaro, Aaron Ricafrente, Alden Acosta and Nathan Reyes went on an audition spree in different cities all over the country to find their new guy.

It was during the Las Pinas leg of the audition when they found Joshua Bulot. Joshua unanimously impressed all four members of the band and went straight to win the search.

This 28-year old singer is not a newbie in the music business.

During his high school graduation, he surprised his batchmates when he penned, composed and sang their graduation song.

On to college at San Beda, Joshua pursued his passion for singing when he joined the school’s glee club. About to graduate, he decided to join the Pop trio J.B.K. The group released a few singles and even auditioned for XFactor UK in 2017. They were the first Pinoy boyband to audition and perform in front of Simon Cowell and the judges.

After the stint, he flew back to Manila and auditioned for theater projects. He bagged the role of "Tolits" in "Rak of Aegis" alternating with Jerald Napoles and Pepe Herrera.

The pandemic forced their trio to disband. Former members went on to search for new life overseas, but Joshua has his eyes still zoned in to singing.

He later got a call from his manager about the frontman search of The Lily.

"Nung high school ako, ang original genre ko talaga was alternative. So parang, back to my roots na. Nung nag-audition ako sa Las Pinas, went on to semi-finals and grand finals. Nung first week, hindi ako makapaniwala na member na ako!" he said.

Style-wise, Joshua has an edgy look. During the band’s press conference for their upcoming concert on December 2, Joshua wore a see-thru crop top flashing his washboard abs and chiseled torso, accessorized with rings, chains and trinkets. Joshua’s bandmates said it’s a fresh start for the group.

"Joshua is very professional. Swak na swak agad kami from day one pa lang. we respect each other. Tsaka dito sa band, walang sapawan. Si Joshua, ang mas alam niya sa styling, he manages the styling of the band," said Lemuel.