Who’ll be the Pinoy Pop Superstar?

Eight final hopefuls with superb singing talents will try to outshine each other to be the ultimate Pinoy Pop Superstar as GMA 7’s top-rating search for the next singing sensation begins its final countdown to its Grand Showdown today at the Araneta Coliseum.

Vying for the grand title are Michael Garcia, Kristel Astor, Charmaine Piamonte, MC Monterola, Brenan Espartinez, Jonalyn Viray, Philbert de Torres and Sheila Ferrari. The first Pinoy Pop Superstar grand champion will also win P1-M cash presented by Coca-Cola, a Futura Classic house and lot developed by Filinvest, a brand new Toyota Innova and an exclusive one-year recording contract with GMA Records, the recording arm of GMA Network.

On top of possessing remarkable singing talent, the eight Pinoy Pop Superstar grand finalists are all young people who have chosen to pursue their love for singing and realize their dream of becoming a superstar someday.

Eighteen-year-old Michael Anthony Garcia of Iligan City is the first grand finalist and the so-called heartthrob among the Pinoy Pop Superstar final contenders for capturing the hearts of many young women after reigning in the talent search for seven consecutive weeks. Power belter Kristel Astor, meanwhile, is the first female grand finalist. Hailing from Pampanga, Kristel made a mark in the contest for interpreting the hits of Alicia Keys and other female R & B artists.

One of the youngest among the contenders, singing sweetheart Charmaine Piamonte has been joining singing contests in and out of the school. The fourth grand finalist is MC Monterola. MC, the group’s passionate performer, says his love for music inspired him to entertain people.

Devout and pious, Brenan Espartinez is the fifth final contender who joined Pinoy Pop Superstar "to glorify the Lord and bless other people through music." Brenan Loves R & B Music.

Meanwhile, 15-year-old Jonalyn Viray says she started showing her singing talent at an early age. This sixth grand finalist likes different kinds of music and had involved herself in various talent search contests.

Philbert Simon de Torres, a Filipino-Canadian from Vancouver, joined many singing competitions abroad, including Canadian Idol where he made it to the top 30. Asked why he did not try out for American Idol, Philbert stressed that he chose Pinoy Pop Superstar because he is a Filipino.

The last two grand contenders, Philbert and Sheila, emerged as winners in the recently-concluded parallel search held in North America after Filipino communities clamored that Pinoy Pop Superstar be also held in the region.

The grand contenders will continue going through image and personality development as well as voice training to further boost their confidence and enhance their talent.

Members of the team that help develop the contenders include designer and stylist Pepsi Herrera, personality development expert Olen Lim. vocal coach Annie Nepomuceno, makeup artist George Bantolino of Salon de Orient, singer Sushi Reyes of the Opera, choreographer Andrew Ferraris of Whiplash, director Freddie Santos and musical director Raul Mitra.

Pinoy Pop Superstar is hosted by Regine Velasquez, product of a talent search herself.