L.A. boy is new Star in a Million

A multi-talented, 23-year-old Fil-Am whose main desire was to make his parents proud of him emerged as singing champion in the second season of Search for Star in a Million, held Sunday night at Aliw Theater.

Kris Lawrence bested two other powerful hopefuls – soul balladeer Jimmy Marquez and versatile vocalist Tata Villaruel – for a shot at singing stardom and recording contract, plus P5-M worth of prizes.

"This has been my dream," said Kris, who came to the Philippines for the first time in February last year, to try his luck in the local entertainment scene. "I’ve always wanted to prove to my family and to myself that I will be successful. I guess my biggest failure is that I’ve failed to please my parents in the past. I feel like I wasn’t the son they wanted me to be. I want to make it up to them. This victory is for my family."

Kris’ parents – Loreto and Tina Cadevida – flew in from California just to be with him on his moment of triumph.

Joining resident judges Wyngard Tracy, Agot Isidro and Rowell Santiago on the finals night were representatives from star-making powerhouses ABS-CBN and Viva Entertainment – ABS-CBN vice president for Special Projects Chit Guerrero, Viva Records producer Eugene Villaluz and Star Records managing director Annabelle Regalado. ABS-CBN and Viva Entertainment gave the public today’s singing champions such as Sarah Geronimo, Erik Santos, Mark Bautista, Rachel Ann Go, Frenchie Dy, Sheryn Regis, Christian Bautista and Jerome Sala. The legacy continues with the Search for Star in a Million Season 2.

Since he entered Search for Star in a Million’s "Champions League of Twelve" last July, Kris battled it out with his fellow contestants in a weekly showdown, singing his chosen pieces and giving every song his inimitable style. He always managed to avoid the dreaded elimination night and in the last few weeks of the talent search, he had been consistently on top of the heap which he sustained through the finals.

Kris emerged victorious from among thousands of 18 to 25-year-old singing hopefuls who auditioned from Luzon (Manila), Visayas (Cebu) and Mindanao (Davao) last May 2005. Those who also made it to the "Champions League of Twelve" were Vino Bello, Lance Oñate, Jay Perillo, Ais Roxas, Francis Ong, Shake Valerio, Joey Ignacio, Anna Baluyot and Tony de la Paz.

Truly, it was a scintillating moment for Kris, who bagged a total of P5-M in prizes that include a house and lot, trip to Hong Kong for two, a business showcase, TV and recording contracts and P1-M cash bonanza from Nescafé. He will now be part of the "Champions" group which sings every Sunday on ASAP.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Kris is the eldest of two children of Loreto Cadevida of Batangas and Tina Protacio of Tiaong, Quezon. Although his parents are divorced, Kris still had the burning desire to please both of them and make them proud of him. His younger sister, Laurie Kristie, is now with the touring production of Miss Saigon in North America, where she plays Kim.

Kris joined Search for Star in a Million armed with many talents. A trained classical pianist at Yamaha Music School in Santa Monica, California, Kris started playing the keyboards at three and the guitar at 13. He also plays the drums, composes songs, commercial jingles and dances. Among his idols and music influences are Stevie Wonder, Usher, Brian McKnight and Michael Jackson.

Kris was a third year music major at California State University in Northridge before he left for Manila a year ago. He used to be a member of the Los Angeles-based R&B band First Impression, whose members included Jay-R. In fact, it was the latter who prodded Kris to try his luck in the Philippines.

"I’ve always wanted to be a musician," said Kris, who has vowed to stay in Manila for good. "It was Jay-R who told me to join Search for a Star in a Million."

Jay-R gave full support to Kris in order for the latter to achieve his dreams. When Kris came to Manila last year, Jay-R shared his apartment with his erstwhile high school buddy. At the finals night, Jay-R also sat inconspicuously in the audience to watch Kris perform live. Modest in a green jacket, denims and baseball cap, Jay-R entered the venue. carefully trying not to attract any attention.

Kris’ over-all personality gave him an edge over the other Search for Star in a Million hopefuls. His manager, Arnold Vegafria, disclosed they really thought of a distinct look -from the hat to the bandana to his moves – that will easily characterize Kris from the current bunch of contestants. The packaging paid off and Kris has managed to create a mark with his winning look.

Asked after the contest what he plans to do with his prize kitty, Kris politely snapped back, "Share some, spend some and save some."