Random girl no more

A decade ago every interesting new singer who came along seemed to have the phrase singing champion attached to her or his name. Sarah Geronimo, Erik Santos, Rachelle Ann Go. Not anymore. It seems like we have run out of singing champions. Maybe the ones we have been getting lately are not as good as that early batch. Maybe times have indeed changed.

Nowadays, the tag that I keep running across in reference to new discoveries is Internet sensation. That means that the artist was discovered through the web. Justin Bieber is the best example. His mother uploaded his homemade song videos on YouTube. These were seen by many, including Usher, who placed the kid under contract and Justin became a really big star.

We also have our share of Internet sensations. Charice’s international career was launched through YouTube. We became aware of Kimpoy Feliciano from New Zealand through the Net and the latest to earn the title is Zendee, who is also known as Random Girl, Mystery Karaoke Girl, Viral Diva or Supermarket Superstar. There is quite an inspiring tale, I say really made for the books, about how Zendee earned those tags, plus the usual Internet sensation. Ironically this happened because Zendee was rejected by several TV talent shows.

Like most local kids whose singing is all power and drama, Zendee, who comes from Cotabato, first tried her luck in talent shows on TV in Manila. But she failed to make it in X-Factor Philippines, Pinoy Dream Academy and Pilipinas Got Talent. To the girl’s credit, she did not stop trying. By night, she and her mother slept in a Mandaluyong fire station. Then when possible on days, she kept on singing in small talent shows, videoke stands and malls to stay in practice.

It was while singing And I Am Telling You from Dream Girls at Megamall that she captivated a passer-by who taped her entire performance. Yuan Juan or youngjay0918 posted the video on YouTube with the name Random Girl. It was random because nobody knew who she was. That was why she was also the Mystery Karaoke Girl.

After two million hits and many likes and comments from surfers later, everybody knew who Zendee was. She had become an Internet sensation and a star. This led to a recording contract with Warner Music Philippines and that much-talked about appearance in The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where she was asked to sing, of course, And I Am Telling You.

Capping this flurry of events is the recent release of Zendee’s first album for Warner, l Believe. Here, singing a mix of new works and old favorites is the remarkable voice that local television spurned but which won acclaim everywhere else.

I Believe by Zendee includes Runaway, the best cut in the CD has a Rihanna vibe that she does very well; The Ones You Love and Completely are compositions by the famous Dianne Warren, who also did Because You Loved Me for Celine Dion; I Believe and If You Want, two new compositions by Lamberto Reyes, Jr. which are Zendee’s first Filipino recordings.

Go The Distance, the theme from the Disney animated movie Hercules, first sung by Michael Bolton; Hallelujah, the beautiful Leonard Cohen composition that I never expected to find in an album by a local artist; Love Takes Time, written by Mariah Carey and Ben Margulies and originally recorded by Mariah, of course; and a very nice acoustic version of Runaway.

Zendee will be at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on May 14 as the special guest of visiting foreign artist Jason Mraz. To get Zendee ringback tones, just text ZENDEE to 2447 for Smart subscribers or visit www.pressplay.ph. You can also follow her on Facebook, Zendee.Music; Twitter, ZendeeOfficial or on YouTube, zendeerosetenerefe her own site, www.zendee.com.ph.

More on our new rising stars. Now ready to follow on the heels of the successful solo shows of balladeer Marvin Ong and tenor Miguel Aguila in the Rising Stars concert series going on at the Teatrino in Greenhills are Yssa Alvarez, Paula Bianca and Ronnie Liang.

Acoustic singer/songwriter Yssa, the 16-year-old daughter of basketball star Bong Alvarez and actress Almira Muhlach, will take the stage with her guitar on May 17. She will be followed by pretty rocker Paula Bianca of the Cuneta clan, whose strong vocal chops can rock everything from Aegis to Bon Jovi to Aerosmith on May 18. Then there will be model, singer and actor and reality show discovery Ronnie Liang of the hit songs Ngiti and Akala Mo on June 14.