Filipino singing sensation Marcelito Pomoy dropped by Bohol last week for a much needed respite shortly after conquering the United States’ biggest television talent showcase, America’s Got Talent.
Bohol is a fitting vacation stopover not only for its pristine beaches but also because in this province abounds world-class music talents like the Loboc children’s choir.
Pomoy, already a household name in the Philippines for his one-of-a-kind vocal gift to flawlessly sing a duet all by himself, transported his masterpiece, his version of The Prayer, across the Pacific to a much larger audience in the West.
The Prayer, an original composition by music mogul David Foster, was designed to be performed by two distinctive voices from music industry’s biggest performers, the renowned Italian opera vocalist Andrea Angel Bocelli and Canadian diva Celine Dion.
Nobody can render The Prayer better than the powerful combination of Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion.
However, Filipino Marcelito Pomoy renders the song superbly all by himself, mimicking in unblemished perfection the female-and-male voices and styles of Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli.
Marcelito Pomoy has been around the Filipino music industry for almost a decade already, having won the Philippine counterpart of America’s biggest talent show, called Philippines’ Got Talent.
Believing his unique talent is not only for local consumption and appreciation, the erstwhile street wanderer expanded his wings and conquered America’s music scene like a Pacific storm, wowing an audience that hasn’t heard a single performer flawlessly render a male-and-female duet.
Pomoy joins what appears to be growing list of rag-to-riches tale of Filipino raw singing talent that have successfully invade an oftentimes discriminating arena.
He boldly proclaims his roots as a virtual orphan who slept in the streets before hitting it big.
One other powerful vocalist is Arnel Pineda who, over the last decade, has revived a lackadaisical bunch of rabid fans of the iconic American band Journey.
Pineda too proclaims to have been raised in the streets before eventually singing his way to the global summit of rock and roll.
Ironically the harsh, polluted realities of our streets are teeming with Cinderella-type fairy tales.
Other great homegrown musical talents that have created indelible imprints in the world’s grand music scene are Lea Salonga, and Charice Pempenco.
In capturing the hearts and approval of the audience America’s Got Talent, Pomoy advances to the next qualifying rounds of the competition.
It would be no surprise if Marcelito Pomoy bags the grand prize.
Surely we haven’t seen the last of what Marcelito Pomoy has to offer.