Bound to conquer WCOPA stage

MANILA, Philippines - The moment she belts out Whitney Houston’s soaring romantic ballad I Have Nothing, we knew here’s another star in the making.

Meet 11-year-old Kris Angelica dela Cruz, Eat, Bulaga!’s Birit Baby 2009 First runner-up, who’s got a voice made of steel and smoke that can send chills through an audience.

At a recent Philippine Star Christmas party, her voice rang magnificently through the Sofitel Hotel auditorium.

Angelica’s talent will shine some more in the world stage as she passed auditions at the World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA), an international talent competition annually held in Los Angeles, California where competitors of every age are judged in acting, singing, dancing, modeling and variety categories.

“I am very excited na po and I promise to do my very best,” Angelica said in an interview with The STAR.

She admits the road to stardom is fraught with uphill struggles but is ready to take on the challenges.

Whatever recognition she accomplished right now was a product of hard work and determination, not just talent, her father Chris said.

 “Talent is not enough. Sometimes the voice does not suffice,” Chris said in an interview.

Chris who used to be employed with The Star, quit his full-time job to focus on Angelica’s budding career.

He recognized Angelica’s natural singing talent when she was three.

“She would always sing and I was amazed at the timber of her voice, the purity and how effortlessly she can reach those high notes. She would sing with her cousins and aunt,” Chris said.

As early as four years of age, Angelica knew she wanted to be a singer someday like her idol Regine Velasquez.

She would coax her father to let her join local singing competitions in their hometown in Laguna.

Angelica didn’t mind the stress or the possibility of defeat and simply pursued her passion with ferocity and determination.

In the last few years, Angelica and Chris endured endless waiting, agonizing defeats, discouragement from others and sometimes lack of money in their journey to her dreams.

Ever patiently, Angelica would join one competition after another, trudge from one venue to the next without any complain, commuting to Manila from Laguna and back.

Chris recounted a time when they would line up at noontime show Wowowee to join a singing tilt only to be sent home because they could no longer be accommodated.

“For six times in the past, we would queue up at Wowowee entrance gates only to be sent home because the gates would close due to influx of many people. We could no longer be accommodated,” he said.

At the Eat, Bulaga! contest, they had to come back four times before Angelica got in.

On top of this, Angelica attends to her studies at the Saint Vincent School in Calamba where she is a consistent honor student. To date, Angelica has joined a total of 50 amateur singing competitions.

“She never complained, she was so determined and patient, we carried on and just continue,” said Chris.

“Singing is really my passion and I intend to pursue this,” Angelica said.

 “I know it’s still a long road ahead but I’m willing to take it. I know that it will take a lot of hard work, diligence, talent and faith in God.” Angelica said.

Chris said he would be there for his only daughter every step of the way.

“I will guide her and be with her every step of the way,” he said, recounting that he once had an opportunity to be a top basketball player in the ‘90s but blew his chance.

This time around, he said his daughter’s fate would be different.

Right now, Angelica will be busy rehearsing for WCOPA where participants from all over the world pay their own way to Hollywood to compete in what is the single largest worldwide talent search in existence.

Chris and Angelica are keeping their fingers crossed and praying that she will make it again this time.