CEBU, Philippines - Take note of this 15-year-old's face because she is a star-in-the-making! Pretty teener Rita Iringan is the first grand champion of QTV 11’s former kiddie singing contest "Popstar Kids" which was hosted by RnB Princess Kyla. She was a cute, pig-tailed 11-year-old then, whose winning piece was Destiny’s Child’s "Stand Up For Love." Now, Rita is blossoming into a charming lady and a future singing sensation with that Pan-Asian beauty of hers and undeniable vocal talent.
The singer-actress was the special performer at OPM hitmaker Nonoy Zuñiga's "Love Without Time" pre-Valentine concert last Feb. 11 at the Cebu International Convention Center, where she rendered three song numbers: "Isang Mundo, Isang Awit" by Leah Navarro, "California Girls" by Katy Perry and "First Love", which is the theme song of GMA 7’s previous afternoon series "First Time" starred in by tween idols Barbie Forteza and Joshua Dionisio.
It was her first time to ever compete in a singing tilt and she was initially hesitant to join "Popstar Kids", but it was her dream to be seen on television that made Rita summon all her courage. "Ayoko talaga sumali sa contest kasi I'm afraid to lose. But ang naging goal ko lang makita yung sarili ko sa TV at mapanood ako ng classmates ko. After nun, nagtuloy-tuloy na so sobra akong nagulat. It was really unexpected na ako yung nanalo," she shared in a presscon hours before the Cebu concert.
Rita became an SOP regular after her win and did bit acting parts in GMA 7 and QTV shows such as in "Asian Treasures" and "Last Prince." She was also part of the song-and-dance group Sugarpop (along with Party Pilipinas resident Julie Ann San Jose), a kiddie band composed of the five finalists of the first season of PopStar Kids. Unfortunately, their management under Sony BMG decided to disband them later on.
This junior high school student of UP South has also appeared in a few movies, even earning a nomination for Best Child Performer in the 2007 Metro Manila Film Festival for her role as Violet in "Bahay Kubo." It’s no wonder that the acting craft has also lured her in, for as Rita revealed, she is the granddaughter of the late comedian Teroy de Guzman while her elder brother Troy is a theater actor who is currently seen portraying one of the wolves in ABS-CBN’s hit series "Imortal."
She herself has theater experience, topbilling Enchanted Kingdom’s own adaptation of Walt Disney’s feature animation film Mulan titled "Enchanted Musical: The Story of Mulan."
“I do shows with Enchanted Kingdom every weekend. For the whole month of February, I do 'Mulan.' Then maybe in March and April, it will be ‘Under the Sea’,” said Rita, who confesses idolizing the likes of Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Demi Lovato, Michael Buble, Michael Jackson and Jay Durias.
For TV, Rita is lined up to join the cast of either "Captain Barbell" or "Amaya." As preparation for her action-oriented role, she is diligently attending wushu sessions and her classmates include fellow Kapuso talents Aljur Abrenica and Kylie Padilla.
GMA Artist Center, whom she had signed a five-year management contract with, plans to officially launch her once she turns 16. By then, she’ll no longer be known as Rita Iringan but as Daniela de Guzman—a screen moniker derived from her complete birth name that she much better prefers.