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By Perry Gil S. Mallari,
Reporter
It looks like Filipino-Americans
are indeed a force to reckon with in the “American Idol” arena.
Ramiele Malubay, a Fil-Am from
Miramar, Florida, recently made it to the top 24 of American Idol
Season 7. Malubay wowed the crowd and the judges with a powerful
voice that seemed not possible from a four-foot-eleven immigrant.
The 20-year-old sushi waitress
sang Aretha Franklin’s “Natural Woman” for her audition in
Miami.
With the conquest, Malubay now
holds the distinction of being the seventh Filipino-American to land
on the top-24 list of the globally popular search for the next big
singing star. The six other Filipino-Americans who earlier made it
to the roster were Jordan Segundo in Season 2, Jasmine Trias and
Camille Velasco in Season 3, Melinda Lira in Season 4, Jose
“Sway” Penala in Season 5 and A.J. Tabaldo in Season 6.
Malubay, who confessed to being a
Trias fan, named Aretha Franklin, Jackson 5, Mariah Carey, Lani
Misalucha and Regine Velasquez as her musical influences. She
started singing at age 12 and recently trained under a vocal coach
to hone her skills. Malubay plays the guitar and piano and is a
dancer.
Obviously proud of her Filipino
heritage, she said during a recent interview that she loves balut, a
boiled duck egg with a nearly developed embryo inside, a popular
delicacy in the Philippines.
Malubay’s successful Miami
audition was secured when she received two of the three votes from
the American Idol judges—Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, and Randy
Jackson. Abdul and Colwell gave the Fil-Am a nod while Simon dished
out a no. Abdul described Malubay as “phenomenal,” while Cowell
was quoted as saying, “You definitely have a big voice for a very
cute, smaller girl.” A rough ride for Malubay waits ahead as the
elimination rolls next week to trim down the list to the final 12 in
a batch that is billed as the most talented in the show’s history.
American Idol can be seen locally
on QTV-11 and on the cable channel Star World on Wednesdays and
Thursdays.
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