INQUIRER EXCLUSIVE
Ramiele’s busy life after ‘Idol’
By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:13:00 04/09/2008
Filed Under: Television, Entertainment (general)
MANILA, Philippines—Like some lucky castoffs before her, Filipino-American Ramiele Malubay is busier than ever—that is, even after being voted off the reality talent search “American Idol” last week.
A member of her fans’ club sent Inquirer Entertainment an e-mail detailing Malubay’s TV appearances on several popular US shows, including “Live With Regis and Kelly” and “Ellen” (Monday), and “The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet” (Tuesday).
Malubay is the latest Pinoy performer to be featured on comic Ellen DeGeneres’ gabfest, following Charice Pempengco and Arnel Pineda.
A YouTube clip shows Ellen praising the petite Pinay for her “fantastic voice”—particularly in her farewell performance last week.
On “Ellen,” Malubay sang her AI signature song, Dusty Springfield’s “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” which earned raves from judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell in the show’s first week.
Last Friday, she granted a phone interview with US journalists and the Inquirer.
Throughout the phoner, arranged by Star World (which airs the show in Asia), she candidly admitted her struggle to recapture the magical moment during that first week.
She offered several theories on what went wrong in her AI journey, and discussed the possibility of coming back to the Philippines and pursuing a recording career ŕ la Jasmine Trias.
You’ve probably heard of Jasmine Trias’ success in the Philippines after AI. Have you considered following in her footsteps?
Well, I definitely want to go back home … (simply) because it’s home.
I also want to see what I can do over there. I’m pretty sure I’ve learned some things over here. Jasmine has opened doors for us and I’m really grateful to her for being the first Filipino [who did well] on AI and for going beyond the show and achieving big things.
Why did you decide to do Heart’s “Alone,” which Carrie Underwood made her own in Season 4? Were you aware of the risk involved?
Oh, yes. I watched Carrie’s performance. But I was just trying to bring back that first week [when I did the Dusty song]. That was my goal. So if it didn’t work, then it didn’t work.
After that first week when you came out strong, it seems something happened. Was it nerves?
Honestly, I didn’t realize that the first week was such a big deal until people kept telling me about it.
I think I let it go to my head. So I was always trying to be better than I was in the first week. Thing is, when you over-think things, you end up not knowing how to handle yourself and the song gets out of hand. You’re not in control anymore.
People were telling me that my confidence dropped. I shouldn’t have listened or second-guessed myself. I should have just gone with my gut feel.
You felt the pressure of that first performance each week?
Kind of. Also, I was just terrified to be onstage. But now that I’m going on tour (with the other Top Ten finalists), I have to go up on a lot of stages.
At the start, you said that you held the record for changing your song the most number of times, and that your family kept giving you song choices. Was that the case up till towards the end of your stint on the show?
No, they eventually stopped. I was like: C’mon, let me be. [Towards the end] I was the one who picked the songs, but I was trying to tune out everyone so I wouldn’t get stressed and psyched out.
Do you feel that Simon, who initially said no to you, eventually warmed up? Do you think you proved him wrong?
Oh, he likes me. I know he does. He’s actually a nice guy.
Backstage, on the night I got voted off, he approached me and said: “Okay, cry on my shoulder.” He kept reassuring me that (the only reason I got kicked out) was because of my song choice.
I know that sometimes he overdoes it because it’s on TV, but I really believe in my heart that he just wants us to be better.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned on AI?
I learned to be more humble. To be more appreciative. To be more courteous and acknowledge every single person who works on the show because they all help you become better. I learned so much from the band, the mentor (Dolly Parton) and the vocal coaches.
What advice would you give to other young people who hope to join AI?
Just be yourself and enjoy every single minute. Don’t think too far ahead because that will make you miss the fun stuff. When I look back, I’m glad that I took everything in. I have no regrets.
E-mail bayanisandiego@hotmail.com
|
