MANILA, Philippines—Simon Cowell may be right, after all.
The “American Idol” judge jokingly predicted that “We’re Brothers Forever,” composed and sung in early auditions by Philippine-born aspirant Renaldo Lapuz would become a hit record.
On Sunday, Inquirer learned that a major label with local operations was trying to locate the 45-year-old Filipino-American for “a possible recording deal.”
Lapuz’s web site now features a hyperlink to an e-mail address for booking inquiries. There’s also a contest on the best remix version of “We’re Brothers Forever” on the site. He is featured in a solo TV ad on Star World.
The home page’s US-based web master Dave Desvousges says that the Maloof family, owner of Palms Hotel in Las Vegas and the NBA team Sacramento Kings, has invited Lapuz to be “their special guest this [basketball] season.” Plus, a local promoter is keen on touring Lapuz in Europe.
All these job offers are a windfall for Lapuz, a former janitor and tricycle driver.
In a phone interview arranged by Star World (which airs AI in Asia), Lapuz told the Inquirer that, pre-Idol, his luck in the employment arena was zero.
“I worked three months in a warehouse, seven months for Greyhound Bus. The job I held the longest was as a night crew member at Walmart.”
Now he’s “under contract with AI management,” Renaldo said, “so I can’t plan anything.” It didn’t sound like a gripe at all.
According to www.renaldolapuz.com, the AI contract is binding until the end of Season 7 in May.
Lapuz seems to have a firm grasp of his popularity, though. He admitted that his newfound fame was unexpected: “I was shocked that, in two days 2.5 million people had watched the video [of my audition] on YouTube. I’d like to thank [everyone] who accepted my song, who accepted me.”
Recorded songs
He said he had other songs. “In 1998, I recorded and copyrighted 10 songs in the Philippines. I’ve translated two of those into English.” He recounted recording in Tat’s Tone, a studio on V. Luna Road near Sikatuna Village, his route as a tricycle driver.
The flip side of global fame, of course, is intrigue. Online critics note that: 1) Lapuz’s AI audition and subsequent notoriety as “the next William Hung” smacked of racism; 2) the AI judges had been patronizing; 3) his “15 minutes of fame” would undermine the careers of Charice Pempengco and Arnel Pineda— Pinoy talents on the verge of penetrating the US music scene.
Never mind the last reproach; Lapuz recalled his audition fondly: “There was laughter and joy. When I finished, Simon told me to repeat, so I continued singing. As I was laughing to myself, everyone was affected, spreading the laughter.”
For good or ill, Lapuz represents the Great American Dream and all its implications, from sanguine to sinister. Quite tellingly, he learned to sing, at age 5, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
He reminisced, not without a hint of pride: “My father, though he’s Filipino, taught me the US national anthem.”
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