Pinoy Pop Star 2010

Live auditions on January 5 &12!


WINNIPEG – Are you of Filipino descent – and can you sing? Are you 18 years old (or older)? If “yes!” is your answer to these questions, then Pinoy Pop Star is for you!

Pinoy Pop Star is an amateur singing contest open to all members of the Filipino-Canadian community in Manitoba. If you are at least 18 years old (or will turn 18 years old by January 5 or 12, 2010) you are qualified to participate in this contest.

This year, the organizers decided to make participation easier for everyone. Instead of submitting a recorded song on CD, the aspiring contestants only need to show up for either of the scheduled live auditions on Tuesday, January 5 or Tuesday, January 12, between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., and sing in front of a panel of judges. The contestant may sing a capella (without accompaniment) or with music accompaniment provided by the contestant, e.g. a backing tracks CD (a.k.a. minus one) with playback machine or a guitar.

Depending on the decision of the panel of judges, a contestant may go directly from the live audition to the Semi-final contest or he or she may be “called back” on January 19 for another live audition. There is no entry fee.

Now in its second year, Pinoy Pop Star aims to showcase Filipino singing talents and provide a venue where they can shine. The Grand Finals of the first Pinoy Pop Star was held in March 2009 on the Main stage of the McPhillips Station Casino. It was an event that exceeded all expectations of audience attendance – close to 2,200 people watched the 12 grand finalists complete.
The first Pinoy Pop Star Grand Champion was Elsaida Alerta who astonished the audience with her powerful rendition of And I am Telling You from the musical Dream Girls. Jesse James Baris’ soulful interpretation of Josh Groban’s You Raise Me Up earned him the Runner-Up Award and literally brought tears to the eyes of more than a few. The Crowd Pleaser Award went to Ronaldo Trinidad for his stirring performance of This is the Moment from the musical Jekyll & Hide. These amazing performances, and many others, were captured on tape by 13th Cloud Digital Video productions and are now available on DVD. See the ad on page 10.

No mere karaoke contest, Pinoy Pop Star 2009 showed that Winnipeg’s Filipino talents are among the best singers in Canada and that they can rival the best visiting acts from the Philippines when it comes to drawing an audience.

Launched under the auspices of Pilipino Express in cooperation with the McPhillips Station Casino and Club Regent Casino, Pinoy Pop Star 2010 expects to discover new singing talents in the Filipino-Canadian community.

Cash prizes await the winners: First Prize is $2,000 cash and the Pinoy Pop Star 2010 Grand Prize trophy; Second Prize is $750 cash and Second Prize trophy; and Third Prize is $500 cash and Third Prize trophy.

For more information, see the Pinoy Pop Star  ad in this issue of Pilipino Express or call 956-7845. Interested parties may also send their inquiries through this web site on the contact page.