MANILA, Philippines?Davao del Sur?s Chenee Capuyan bagged the Grand Prize in the ?3rd Voice of McDonald?s? singing competition held on Thursday in Orlando, Florida.
She beat two other finalists, Jin Hur of Goyang City, South Korea, and Jesus Molinares of Lima, Peru.
Capuyan won the judges? nod with her rendition of ?Stand Up For Love,? originally sung by Destiny?s Child. One of the judges, Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Estelle, said, ?I?ve worked with some of the best singers in the music industry and I can honestly say I was blown away by Chenee?s talent and passion.?
The other judges were Troy Carter, chair and CEO of Atom Factory Inc., whose clients include Lady Gaga; Walter Afanasieff, Grammy Award-winning music producer whose credits include recordings by Mariah Carey and Celine Dion; and prominent entertainment attorney Ken Hertz.
10,400 contestants
Capuyan bested 10,400 worldwide contestants who were all McDonald?s employees like herself.
She took home $25,000 as cash prize. The second and third prize winners received $10,000 and $5,000 respectively. A $1,000 donation was also made in her name to the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), which helps Filipino public school students acquire good reading skills.
As added bonus, Capuyan received an all-expense-paid trip to Los Angeles with two VIP tickets to the Lady Gaga ?Monster Ball Tour? concert in August this year courtesy of Troy Carter and the Atom Factory.
She?s likewise invited to record a demo in Los Angeles with Afanasieff, and a chance to meet Sir Elton John. She also got a new MacBook and iPod Touch from Coca-Cola.
The ?Voice of McDonald?s? is a global contest to discover, recognize and reward the most talented singers among McDonald?s restaurant employees. In 2005, more than 2,000 joined the competition. In 2007, more than 3,000 signed up. Capuyan is the second Davaoeńa to reach the finals after Mary Margaret Yu bagged second place in 2008.
To watch Chenee?s winning performance log on to http://vom.mcdonalds.com.
