10 aspiring singers vie in McJim ‘Dreams’ search

MANILA, Philippines - Whose dreams will get real?

After a series of eliminations at different malls, 10 hopefuls recently entered the semi-finals of the second season of Dreams Get Real: The Search for the Next OPM Star by leather brand McJim Classic Leather.

Through this exciting competition, McJim Classic Leather will once again give undiscovered Filipino talents the platform to be heard and boost Original Pilipino Music (OPM) with fresh voices.

After launching the careers of Dreams Get Real Season 1 champions Fifth Dynamics, JBK and Neo Domingo, McJim continues to enliven the local music by giving aspiring artists the opportunity to kick start their musical journey.

“During the eliminations, we really had a hard time picking the Top 10,” said Chris Cahilig, Dreams Get Real project head, who also noted that “the high degree of talents made this season’s event bigger, brighter and better.”

From hundreds of entries, an initial pool of 20 contestants was chosen to perform in the mall eliminations. Eight mall elimination winners and two wild cards comprised the Top 10, which will then film viral videos to be posted on the official Facebook and YouTube accounts of McJim Classic Leather. The Top 3 most viewed videos and three promising talents to be handpicked by the organizer will face off in an epic grand finals night on Nov. 9 at the Music Museum.

“At this point, the participants shall have aptly demonstrated their talent, but we’re looking for someone who also has star quality,” Cahilig explained. “I believe that with proper guidance, a star will emerge in the group.”

The 10 finalists come from different walks of life — students, freelance singers and professionals, among others.

Zsarina Concepcion. The 18-year-old Tourism student from Lasalle College Antipolo has won numerous awards including the grand prizes of The Voice of Boardwalk Philippines (Monumento) and Lasalle College X-Factor and Best Performer for Rising Stars Philippines 2014.

Eiffel Manansala. A licensed civil engineer from Mapua University in Manila, Eiffel dreams of sharing his brand of original music to the public. The 26-year-old budding composer from Makati City is a newbie in talent competitions.

Carmella Ravanilla. The 18-year-old Tourism Management student from Miriam College has already won several talent searches, including the PLDT Singing Idol where she was declared as the grand champion and Rizal Idol Season 2 where she was a runner-up.

Micah Llona. The 22-year-old young lady from Tuguig City was once declared the grand champion of the Strepsils Singing Sensation talent search and a runner-up in the Win Big Singing Talent Search of 91.5 Win Radio.

CJ Raneses. A matinee idol in the making, 20-year-old CJ is a first-timer in talent competitions. He is taking up Nursing at the Far Eastern University of the Philippines (FEU) in Manila and aspires to be a singing nurse.

Tricia May Casauay. Band vocalist and composer Tricia is a second-timer in Dreams Get Real. At 19, the beautiful mestiza has already performed in school and corporate events. She is a fourth year BS in Architecture student from National University in Manila.

Erickson Malabanan. The 23-year-old Tourism Management graduate from Immaculate Concepcion College in Balayan, Batangas worked for an airline company as a ground attendant and as a bar singer in Macau.

Kym Penoso. A versatile performer, 21-year-old Kym can swing between pop and rock genres. A native of Makati City, she is a Computer Engineering graduate from Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) and was once a runner-up in her school’s battle of the band competition and a semifinalist in the Search for the Next Dorina Penida for Bituing Walang Ningning: The Musical.

Abigail Mendoza. Abigail may look like your typical rocker chic but her  preference to old school music makes her simply unique. A freelance singer, she is one of the Top 5 girls in X-Factor Philippines on ABS-CBN and has done opening acts for international artists like Air Supply.

Apple Delleva. The 18-year-old singer from Cabuyao, Laguna is a third year AB Communications student at the University of Perpetual Help in Calamba and has represented the Philippines in the Karaoke World Championship grand finals in Sweden and a semifinalist on GMA 7’s Bet Ng Bayan.

The grand champion of Dreams Get Real: The Search for the Next OPM Star will receive a full album and music video grant; P100,000 in cash prize from McJim Classic Leather; artist marketing support; and a talent management contract.

Like the official McJim Classic Leather Facebook page at www.facebook.com/OfficialMcJIM to be updated on all the happenings in the competition.