Dream come true for a Star

Filipino singer Sarah Geronimo has achieved much in her first decade in the entertainment industry, from winning TV singing competition Star For A Night at the age of 14 to mentoring young singers in a more recent singing television show, The Voice Of The Philippines.

Along the way, she rose to become one of her country's biggest young stars, with 10 albums to her name and starring roles in TV dramas and films.

Her fans in Singapore can finally see her perform live when she stages her first gig in the country at The Coliseum on Sunday, a Singapore edition of her Perfect 10 tour which started late last year.

The soft-spoken 25-year-old says in a recent telephone interview from Manila: "The show is a celebration of my 10 years in the business so I will be singing songs that have played a very important role in my career, such as the songs I used to sing when I was younger, the songs I used to sing in singing competitions and songs from my latest album, Expressions."

Her newest work, released last year, also marked her debut as a songwriter - she co-wrote one of the tunes, Make Me Yours, with renowned composer Louie Ocampo.

"I've always wanted to write. I believe an artist should be able to write his own songs and record them and share them with listeners and supporters.

"I finally had the courage to write my own song, with the help of one of the best writers in the Philippines."

Born to a father who works in a telecommunications company and a mother who ran a home- based beauty parlour, Geronimo had an early start in singing, appearing in children's television shows at the age of four. She later studied singing at the Center for Pop Music Philippines.

But her career took off only after she won Star For A Night. Her debut album that followed the win, Popstar: A Dream Come True, became the best-selling album of 2003 in the Philippines and made her the country's youngest multi-platinum recording artist.

From there, it was only to be expected that she would make her transition from the studio to the screen, big and small.

She became a familiar face on television, playing lead roles in popular shows such as 2005 romance- comedy Sarah The Teen Princess and 2006 drama Bituing Walang Ningning (Star Without Sparkle).

On the silver screen, Geronimo, who is dating actor Matteo Guidicelli, 24, is also a force to be reckoned with.

She starred in last year's romantic comedy- drama It Takes A Man And A Woman, the second-highest-grossing Filipino film of all time.

In the past two years, Geronimo has been prominent on the small screen as one of the coaches on The Voice Of The Philippines as well as its offshoot for children, The Voice Kids - a role she truly cherishes.

"I'm a fan of The Voice. I admire how the competition values voice and talent instead of star quality. There is no discrimination against where you come from. What matters is just your talent," she says.

"My best advice to aspiring singers is to never stop reaching for their dreams, whether they win or lose the competition."

dinohadi@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on June 26, 2014.
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