Jordan Segundo
season 2
Seventy-Five Thousand singers from across the nation auditioned in 2003 and Jordan was the First Singer from Hawaii selected as a Semi-Finalist in Season Two.
Jordan’s popularity has skyrocketed since his “American Idol” appearance. He has performed for President Bush at a prestigious banquet in Hawaii , as a featured performer in “Wowowee” (The Number One Television Show in the Philippines which filmed in Hawaii for thousands at Aloha Stadium), In Hawaii’s First Annual “Pacific Rim Jazz Festival” and many more performances locally and nationally.
In 2006, Jordan played a leading role of “Lun Tha” in The Hawaii Opera Theatre’s production of “The King and I” with Richard Chamberlain in the role of The King, in six sold-out shows. He continues to perform throughout the nation and the Hawaiian Islands in concerts, festivals and special events. The twenty-six year old singer has been featured on the covers of numerous magazines and publications. He has been interviewed on international television shows like “Balitang America” and “Probe Team” and national shows like “Stir T.V.” and local shows such as “Emme’s Island Moments” and her Christmas Show, “American Idol” specials, “Dining Out with Chai”, “Living Local With The Baraquios” and more.
In recent years, Jordan has branched out into on-camera hosting and acting. During “American Idol” season, Jordan does commentary on the Number One morning news show, “KHON2 Morning News”. He also had principal roles in commercials for “Subway” and “Hawaiian Telcom” and was selected as the Spokesperson for the “Storm Water Management Program” sponsored by the Hawaii State Department of Transportation, which featured Jordan in television and radio PSA’s. In 2007, Jordan co-hosted a televised dance competition called “Destination: Groove Dance Hawaii” on KHNL-8 (NBC) with Yasmin Dar (Professional Actress/Model) for twelve episodes. In 2010, Jordan did the lead voice-over for a puppet character in a short film (musical production) called “The Green Tie Affair”, which premiered at the 2010 Hawaii International Film Festival.
Jordan is also the Spokesperson for “Adult Friends for Youth”, a non-profit organization that assists students throughout the State of Hawaii and helps at-risk youth. In addition, Jordan participates in the D.A.R.E. Tour for Hawaii students encouraging them to be drug-free. Jordan does motivational speaking for both programs and shares his message to thousands of students to stay in school, remain drug-free, and to never give-up in striving to reach their goals. In recognition for his years of community service, Jordan received the prestigious “Ola Pono Award” in 2007 and the “Outstanding Young Persons Award” from the Hawaii Jaycees in 2010.
Camile Velasco
season 3
Ciara-Camile Roque Velasco came in ninth place on the third season of the American Idol. She is one-fourth Irish, one-fourth Spanish, and half Filipino
Born in Makati City, Philippines, on September 1, 1985. Camile Velasco's family later moved to Haiku, Maui located in the islands of Hawaii. Prior to American Idol, Velasco was a struggling songwriter/composer who worked at her parents' IHOP Restaurant in Kahului. She has since released a single with Universal/Motown, headlined events in California, Hawaii, and elsewhere, and is currently working with Up Above Records to complete an album.
In 2003, Velasco auditioned for American Idol in Honolulu, Oahu and was unanimously accepted by the judges for her rendition of the chorus and bridge of Ready or Not a Delfonics-sampled classic by the Fugees. Simon Cowell remarked that “you’re actually very good,” assuring Velasco that she had “no need to be nervous.” Randy Jackson added that, “I love the sound of your voice. I love the kind of dark kinda quality of it.” Finally, Paula Abdul stated that “you have a real interesting tone. You’re a beautiful, beautiful girl.” She encouraged Velasco not to be afraid to “let go” and to “know and own the fact that you’re really good.”
Jasmine Trias
season 3
Jasmine Trias (born November 3, 1986) is an American singer-entertainer who was the third place finalist on the third season of American Idol. She has released one album to date, Jasmine Trias.
Trias was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and raised in Mililani Town, Hawaii. She is the eldest daughter of Filipino immigrants to the state of Hawaii from Tanza, Cavite. Trias attended Maryknoll School, a Roman Catholic preparatory school of the Diocese of Honolulu. As a representative of Maryknoll School, she won the Brown Bags to Stardom 2001 state singing competition and the Road to Fame 2003 youth talent competition. Trias graduated from Maryknoll School in June 2004.
Trias first gained recognition on the third season of American Idol. She auditioned in her home state of Hawaii. She made it to the top twelve performers. She received praises on her rendition of "Inseparable" on Top 12 night, with Simon Cowell replying, "Jasmine, it was just superb". Paula Abdul even threw a rose to her on the stage and, together with Randy Jackson, praised her maturity in that performance.
season 4
Age: 19. Hometown: Hanford, CA. Audition City: San Francisco
was placing in the top 12 female vocalists on American Idol Season 4,
Melinda Lira is a native to the Central Valley residing in Hanford, CA where she was born and raised. Melinda’s vocal talent was recognized at an early age by Motown Records and various agents and producers. Even though she had made great connections in the industry, Melinda chose to finish school
before pursuing her career in music. Melinda graduated with honors from Hanford West High School, where she participated in choir and on various sports teams. She was the team captain on her volleyball team
as well. Melinda has had the awesome opportunity to sing in many venues large and small and has made quite a name for herself this past year alone. Melinda has won vocal competitions and her most recent achievement was placing in the top 12 female vocalists on FOX’s American Idol Season 4, where she beat out over 100,000 other contestants across the country. Noticing her talent and potential, producers and
labels are vying for her attention including Arista Records, RCA Records, American Idol’s Randy Jackson and even Oscar-winner Jaime Foxx who was wowed by her performance at his home in early April and has asked if she would consider working with him on his projects.
Melinda enjoys performing for the Valley and is very proud of her roots as well as representing her Mexican-Filipino heritage. “Never give up on your dreams, always keep the Faith and never let anyone bring you down. God will give you the strength to overcome, so keep your head up high and press on.” This is Melinda’s motto.
season 5
Jose Galang "Sway" Penala was a contestant on the fifth season of American Idol. He was born in 1977 in the Philippines, attended La Salle Greenhills, in Mandaluyong, Philippines before his family migrated to the United States, in 1989, settling down in South San Francisco, California.
He started singing at the age of seven, in 1984. Penala auditioned in San Francisco with "Superstar" and advanced to the consequent Hollywood round, receiving positive feedback from all three judges. Sway made it into the Top 24.
Season 6
AJ Tabaldo born on January 3, 1985, playfully refers to himself as an “ethnic mutt,” having been born of Filipino, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Chinese and French blood. AJ is 23 years old from Santa Maria, California. He has been singing since he was 5 years old but has not received any formal training in music. After auditioning for season 6 of American Idol in Los Angeles, he became one of the Top 24 competing to be voted into the Final 12. Before every performance, AJ prays and tries to keep relaxed. He cites all of the judges as his favorite and his parents as his heroes and American Idols. He enjoys listening to Justin Timberlake, Brian McKnight, Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera and American Idol season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson .
AJ Tabaldo delivered an entertaining rendition of "Never Too Much" by Luther Vandross on the sixth season of American Idol and was surprised when he was eliminated on March 1, especially since he had received positive comments from the judges the night before. He sealed his American Idol stint with his last song “Feeling Good,” by Nina Simone.
Nevertheless, he quickly recovered from the harsh blow of reality that not enough votes were cast for him and that he had to settle for the 18th place on American Idol. Since then, he welcomed various interviews and television appearances arranged by FOX's publicists who were keeping tabs on him until his contract with the network ends in August 2007. At present, AJ Tabaldo is working on an album and plans to start performing and promoting in the near future.
Season 7
Ramiele Macrohon Malubay (born September 6, 1987), also known as Ramiele, is a Filipino-American singer and the ninth place finalist on the seventh season of the American Idol. Ramiele Macrohon Malubay was born in Dammam, Saudi Arabia to Filipino parents Roger Malubay and Alicia Macrohon. When the Gulf War broke out, Malubay's parents sent her to the Philippines; the family then moved to the United States and currently reside in Miramar, Florida. She graduated from Charles W. Flanagan High School and is currently a nursing student at Broward College. She is of Ilocano heritage. Malubay started Polynesian Dancing when she was in the first grade and started singing at the age of twelve. At an early age Malubay started singing for various Filipino-American functions around Florida, as well as opening for Filipino acts such as Kuh Ledesma and Martin Nievera during American tours. She was the subject of a minor controversy when a number of personal pictures came to light featuring Malubay and several female friends touching each other's breasts. Malubay successfully auditioned for American Idol in August 2007 when she sang Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". She received rave reviews after her performance of "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" in the first week of the voting rounds. Judge Randy Jackson called her performance "classy, almost like a pro," while Simon Cowell proclaimed that she "outsang every single person" that night. Cowell also named her "one of the top three singers in the competition" after her performance of "Don't Leave Me This Way" and also noted that she was "probably the most consistently good singer" during the Hollywood rounds. She finished in ninth place and is believed to be the shortest contestant in Idol history, standing only 4 feet 11 inches tall. Malubay was eliminated from American Idol on April 2, 2008 during Dolly Parton week. After an emotional farewell, she performed "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" one final time following her elimination. Malubay had never been in the Bottom 3 prior to her elimination. During American Idol, she was roommates with Syesha Mercado and Brooke White. It was frequently shown that a friendship formed between Malubay and fellow Idol contestants Danny Noriega, Kady Malloy and third-place finisher Syesha Mercado. Malubay also mentioned during her pre-performance video interview for Top 11 week that she had formed close bonds with fifth place finalist Brooke White and eventual winner David Cook. Her musical influences are Aretha Franklin, Jackson 5, Mariah Carey, Lani Misalucha and Regine Velasquez, citing the latter as her favorite performer.
Season 10
"It feels amazing!" she exclaimed when asked about being included in the top 13 of television's most popular talent show. The 15-year-old, the youngest finalist ever in the history of "American Idol," is as Filipino as can be.
Thia Megia (born Thialorei Lising Megia; January 30, 1995) is an American singer from Mountain House, San Joaquin County, California. Megia finished in the top 11 of the tenth season of American Idol.
Megia was born in Hayward, California, to Cynthia and Loreto Megia. Her parents, originally from Angeles, Pampanga, Philippines, emigrated to the United States in 1968 and changed their name from Mejia to Megia. She attended Eden Gardens Elementary School in Hayward through the sixth grade, but was cyber-schooled online at California Virtual Academy, when the family moved to Mountain House, California.
She has won singing competitions in San Jose and Saratoga and has sung the national anthem at San Jose Giants, Stanford football and San Francisco 49ers games. She also appeared on the TV show Showtime at the Apollo as the Kid Star of Tomorrow in 2008 when she was 13.
Prior to Idol, however, Megia was best known for her appearance on the fourth season of America's Got Talent in 2009. She made it to the quarterfinals, but was cut in the Top 40 round. That same year, she was invited to sing at the David Foster and Friends concert in California. She is the first America's Got Talent contestant to advance to voting rounds on American Idol, followed by Jessica Sanchez, who previously appeared in the first season the America's Got Talent.
Megia was one of the singers in Lisa Lavie's February 20, 2010, collaboration video "We Are the World 25 for Haiti (YouTube Edition)" for charity relief for victims of the January 12, 2010 Haiti earthquake, along with earlier America's Got Talent contestant and later American Idol finalist Jessica Sanchez from the succeeding season. The video's participants were collectively recognized as "Persons of the Week" on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer on Friday, March 19, 2010.
She had her debut concert at Le Petit Trianon Theatre in San Jose, California, on March 27, 2010.
Megia auditioned for the tenth season of American Idol in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with the song "Chasing Pavements" by Adele.
On March 31, 2011, Megia and Naima Adedapo were eliminated from American Idol.
As of season 10, Megia is the youngest finalist to ever appear on Idol after they changed the minimum age limit to 15 years.
Season 11
Jessica Sanchez (born August 4, 1995) is an American singer from Chula Vista, California. She was the runner-up on the eleventh season of American Idol. Prior to appearing on Idol, Sanchez competed in the first season of America's Got Talent at the age of 11
Jessica Sanchez was born in Chula Vista, California on August 4, 1995 to parents Gilbert and Editha Sanchez (née Bugay). She was raised in Eastlake, Chula Vista, along with two younger brothers. Her father, a Mexican American originally from Texas, is a U.S. Navy veteran who fought in the Iraq War[specify], served in Afghanistan and, as of April 2012, was expected to soon be deployed to Singapore. Her mother is a Filipino originally from Bataan province in the Philippines. Her maternal grandfather, Eddie Bugay, is a retired U.S. Navy sailor. Inspired by her Roman Catholic grandmother, Sanchez carries a rosary everywhere and prays quietly before going on stage.
Canadian Idol
Mikey Bustos (born June 23, 1981) is a Filipino Canadian singer who has appeared on the reality television show Canadian Idol. Bustos is from the Weston neighbourhood of Toronto. Before Canadian Idol, he worked as a temp at the Bank of Montreal
Bustos placed seventh runner-up in the finals of Canadian Idol Season One in August 2003, despite Chart magazine's prediction: "If we were to lay our bets today, ChartAttack’s money would be on Toronto contestant Mikey Bustos, a slightly strange looking young man with a shaved head and the voice of an angel." From his very first audition where he floored the four judges, he established the largest fan base early in the competition, and made headlines all over the country.
Bustos recorded with BMG Canada/Vik Recordings for the Canadian Idol compilation album, which was certified Gold on the Soundscan Billboard charts on second day of release, and ranked in the Top 5 best selling Canadian albums in its debut week, selling over 60,000 units nationwide.
Denmark Idol
winner search for an idol in denmark
Christian Mendoza (born 1987 in the Philippines, now living in Copenhagen, Denmark) is a singer who rose to popularity as the winner of Idols Denmark, the Danish version of Pop Idol. Christian won with 57% of the total vote against Mirza Radonjica.
SWITZERLAND
Lica de Guzman, Pinay Trained by Phil Collins, Making Waves in Switzerland
While Charice is now a familiar name, Lica is only “getting there,” not yet known in the Philippines but already making waves in Switzerland.
Only 14, Lica will soon be recognized outside of Switzerland. She’s touted as the newest Pinay singing child sensation to hit Geneva. She was born in Geneva on March 8, 1997, to Filipino migrant workers Nicanor “Bong” de Guzman and Waonhor “Joy” Pangulima.
Grammy award-winning producer-singer Collins has taken Lica under his wings. He handpicked Lica to be part of a select group to join his “Little Dreams Foundation” where she is trained. Because of that, she has been invited to sing before the Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey at the “Les coups de Coeur d’Alain Morisod” in 2007 where she sang Prendre un enfant par la main as well as various UN gatherings like the annual United Nations Women’s Guild bazaar, Filipino events, and even church activities.
Britian Got Talent
Green was born on 16 February 1997 in Droitwich, Worcestershire to Roger Green who is English and Cecilia Sumargo who is Filipino Spanish. He first performed in front of an audience at the age of 2 on a cruise ship. He asked for the microphone, got on stage and sang New York, New York and when he was 5, he performed at the Royal Opera House. When Green was 8, he was invited, by the ‘Not Forgotten’ Association for ex-servicemen, to perform at their annual concert at St James’ Palace. The highlight of his day was being presented to HRH The Princess Royal. In fall 2007, Cedric Whitehouse produced the song "Hands Around the World" for Green which was used to raise money and increase awareness of muscular dystrophy. The song topped the chart of iTunes during the Christmas holidays, and is also featured on his debut album.
Madonna Decena is a Filipina performer and club singer in U.K who landed a spot in the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent. She had captivated both judges and the audience with her emotional renditions of popular love songs and her story, which is common among overseas foreign workers. She was one of the few non-Britons who made it to the semi-finals.
Decena already showed promise with her talent in singing. She began training at age seven. At age eleven, she began joining singing contests. By the time she became 16, she already made it a profession by singing with bands in several music lounges. Despite being a singer, she managed to do well in school, consistently being one of the students at the top of her class. She graduated high school from AMA Computer College. While she was finishing her degree in communications arts at Miriam College, she worked part-time to augment her parent's income.
Madonna has reached the semi-finals of the judges’ auditions for “Britain’s Got Talent.” If she makes it to the voting round, she will compete in live telecast of the final round on May 31, 2008. Madonna has become a crowd favorite in the ongoing search, especially after the three judges – Simon Cowell, actress Amanda Holden and journalist Piers Morgan (who is also a judge in America’s Got Talent) – picked her for the semi-finals during the live audition at Manchester theatre. When interviewed by Piers during the first round of audition, Madonna said she joined the show to be able to provide for her two young daughters, then cried uncontrollably before the gallery crowd. The female judge, Amanda Holden, cried in sympathy which turned into awe as Madonna sang Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” and belted the last line with such emotion and conviction that knocked the audience off their feet. After her semi-finals stint at Britain’s Got Talent, Decena decided to leave UK for home. With the help of legendary Filipino boxing world champion, Manny Pacquiao, she had come back to the Philippines where she is expected to join the local entertainment industry.
Awesome
Renaldo (Reynaldo) Lapuz (born December 18, 1962) is a Filipino-American who auditioned on the seventh season of the television series American Idol, singing the self-written song "We're Brothers Forever."
Lapuz is a native of the Philippines. His mother is of German descent and lives in Wisconsin. Lapuz immigrated to the United States in 2004, and worked as a janitor at Greyhound and Wal-mart. Lapuz regularly sang as a member of the Filipino Choir at Immaculate Conception Church in Reno, Nevada.
In 2007 Renaldo Lapuz auditioned for American Idol in Dallas, Texas. For his audition, he sang his own original song, "We're Brothers Forever", while wearing a handsome wide-brimmed, winged, marabou feather-covered white hat with the word "SIMON" printed on it and a metallic silver cape. During his audition, which aired in January, judge Simon Cowell complimented him but gently rejected him by saying of his performance "I'm going to make a prediction here. I have a horrible feeling that it's going to be a hit record. You're very entertaining. I actually like you... but it's going to be a no." (Due to his age he was also ineligible.) Lapuz returned to the show to sing his song during the finale of American Idol Season 7 in May 2008, this time supported instrumentally by the University of Southern California marching band.
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