La Banda Insider recap: Auditions phase

Attention Banda addicts! Here's the first of several La Banda fan recaps we will be posting on Uforia Music by #LaBandaInsider and overall expert Yelisa Nieves.

This 20 year-old Puerto Rican lives in Maryland and is studying Communications and New Media online at Southern New Hampshire University. Yelisa, a long time One Directioner, was instantly hooked on La Banda when she heard Simon Cowell was involved and Ricky Martin was a judge. She got so into season 1 that she created the Instagram account @labandatv which currently boasts over 37,000 followers and got chosen as a La Banda Insider by Univision. You can find Yelisa tweeting about the show every week at @YeliiJelly. As we head into the Middle Rounds on Sunday, here are Yelisa's thoughts on the Auditions phase of La Banda Season 2.

After a very successful first season filled with emotions, memories, and the birth of the boy band sensation CNCO, La Banda is back and better than ever! This season, the talent search has extended to girls, so the next super group will be filled with sass, character, determination, and most importantly, talented individuals seeking to reach their dreams.

Season 2 of La Banda also introduced two new judges: urban artist Wisin and romantic composer Mario Domm joining the lovely and legendary Laura Pausini. This super dynamic trio will be tasked to guide these young stars in the making through this season.

There have been many emotional and unforgettable moments in these auditions episodes. Kevin Sanchez, 22, gave a heartfelt rendition of the song 'Bendita Madre' after losing his mother just a few months ago. His performance touched the hearts of the audience and of judge Laura, who got up and embraced him with a big loving hug.

Our hearts also melted with 20 year-old Christian Castro who was joined onstage by his adorable little daughter. After receiving 92% of the audience’s approval, he had full mastery of the stage with the well-known bachata song 'Promise'.

The boys brought their A-game but so did the girls! Jeidimar Rios, 16, began her musical journey after her brother's passing when she was younger. Jeidimar chose to audition with Laura Pausini’s own 'En Cambio No', which was written in honor of her own grandmother's passing. Jeidimar and Laura connected on a whole other level, not only musically, but also spiritually.

On another note, something very different happened in this new season of La Banda. A couples’ audition! Yadiel and Yashira fell in love through music and decided to take a risk to see if they could both secure a spot in the competition. The love birds beautifully harmonized 'Ven' by Tommy Torres getting all three YES's from the judge’s. Tommy Torres himself also shouted them out on Twitter for their emotional interpretation!

Edward Baeza, Zhamira Zambrano, Jose Cadena, Felix Gabriel, and Andrea Valles also had amazing performances, just to name a few.

Along with the good there is always, unfortunately, the bad. Valentina Echeverry came in a little too confident if you ask me. Although her parents were in the entertainment business, her vocals did not impress the audience or the judges. Evan Peix, 25, didn’t make it any further than Valentina. He tried to “pull a Johann” as we like to say, by singing even after his low score....clearly, it didn’t work. Last but not least, Jarline Argueta, 50’s enthusiast, had energy levels on full blast but she was off tune. Maybe next time?

Season 2 of La Banda has definitely started off full of many surprises! We can’t wait to see what the Middle Rounds have in store as the remaining contestants are put into groups. Keep checking back here for our next #LaBandaInsider recap of the show.