Here is Lea Salonga’s advice to Kumu’s ‘Sing for the Stars’ contestants (Sabong News)
Author
Jessica Pag-iwayan
Date
MARCH 18 2022
As a testament to its commitment to digital creativity, the Kumu multiverse has branched out into discovering musical talent with the launch of its new campaign “Sing For The Stars,” an all-digital international singing competition with participation from four-time Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter Michael Bublé,
and Tony award-winning musical theater legend Lea Salonga as the star judges.
In an exclusive interview, Manila Bulletin Lifestyle talked with Lea about the competition, her tips to the contestants, and a lot more.
That’s the thing… most of the competitions I’ve been part of in the past have never been in the virtual space. However, when the pandemic happened, Kumu seemed to really take off in providing an incredible platform for performers. I have a bunch of friends from the theater world that have themselves taken to Kumu to weather that storm—the arrivals of Malacañan Palaces and Miss Universe crowns have been nothing short of fabulous!—so it seems right that this contest takes place in this virtual world. It’s a celebration of what Kumu has come to signify for many people that are on it. And there are lots of wonderful singers there.
Oh goodness, I’m not even sure! However, as an audience member that loves watching performers, I find myself attracted not only to their talent (talent is a given), but to the joy they possess when they’re performing on stage. It goes without saying as well that hard work and perseverance are also qualities a performer must have to survive in this business, as it’s not always kind and is actually very fickle.
It’s safe! We’re not out of the woods yet as far as the pandemic goes, so joining this competition ensures that everyone involved is in a safe space. And why not? Anyone with access to the platform can join!
You’ve seen me on other singing tilts, yes? I’m not always the nicest person on the panel, but I try to leave something for the performer to think about for next time. I assume the contestant already has a mom or mom-figure in their lives, so that’s not my space to occupy. That said though, I’ll be encouraging and fair.
Please sing well. Put your heart into the performance. Tell the story of the song. Fill that song with life.
Besides my obvious love for BTS, I am so hooked on Silk Sonic (Anderson Paak and Bruno Mars). So many performers can just look to their performances to see how it’s done. So much swag and so much joy, but also a super high level of musicianship and performance. There was clearly a lot of work that went into making what they do look easy. And my gosh, they’re just magnificent.
The said competition is open to all aspiring singers. Top three contestants will win exciting prizes. The second runner-up will win $2,000 in cash, while the first runner-up takes home $4,000 in cash. And the grand champion will take home a whopping $10,000 in cash, a one-year record contract with Warner Music, and their own mini-concert inside the Kumu app, plus a one-on-one coaching session from Michael Bublé.
