Her stints abroad did a lot to improve the Teen Princess’ poise and stage presence. She also has Viva’s Vic del Rosario to thank. Boss Vic has honed Sarah’s talent to a fine, sparkling edge. Now she’s a full-fledged star.
Sarah has two topnotch designers for her outfits, Rajo Laurel and Rhett Eala. She has her own style and wardrobe consultant, Jonathan Aligada.
Last February, Sarah emerged as the darling of the crowed at the Lunar Parade in Pasadena, California, last Sunday, Feb. 13.
The Teen Princess and her escort, Mark Bautista, were literally mobbed by hundreds of fans as their float wound its way through the streets of Pasadena.
Sarah and Mark represented the Philippines in the annual event. Last year’s representative was Regine Velasquez.
Pasadena has a large Filipino community, the bulk of which turned up to see the young stars from the homeland.
"It was incredible!" reported an e-mail sender who was at the parade. "There were so many people Sarah and Mark’s float had to slow down to a crawl."
Sarah was surprised at the enthusiastic reception she got in Pasadena. "I didn’t expect people to recognize us. I guess our concert tour last year and the fact that they see our TV shows on the Filipino channel had something to do with it."
Sarah and Mark had a string of SRO concerts across the US last year. Dubbed the Night of the Champions, it featured a quartet of young sensations that also included Rachelle Ann Go and Christian Bautista.
In May, Sarah and the gang flies to US again for the Return of the Champions US Tour 2005. The tour kicks off May 21 in New York, followed by stops in Washington (May 22), Chicago (May 28), San Francisco (June 4), Seattle (June 5), Los Angeles (June 11), Las Vegas (June 12), San Diego (June 17) and Hawaii (June 19).