Los Angeles – Fil-Am Malaya Watson, 16, from Southfield, Michigan, made it as a Top 13 finalist in the 13th season of “American Idol.”
The bubbly girl with the big hair and the big smile sang Ray Charles “Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I),” to earn a spot on the magic 13. The Southfield High School teenager’s Filipina mom, Marian Bandico Watson, was present at the show to give moral support to her youngest daughter.
MALAYA WATSON (‘American Idol XIII’)
In an exclusive interview, Malaya told us, “This is a dream come true for me. I have always wanted to be on ‘American Idol.’”
Pointing out that her name means “freedom” in Tagalog, Malaya quipped, “Yes I am here to represent the Filipinos, too!”
Also a tuba player in high school, Malaya disclosed, “I always watch my Dad sing. I am now living that dream.”
Malaya revealed that she loves singing Apl.de.Ap’s “Bebot” but hesitated to sing it for us. “I do not want to embarrass myself because I might mess up the lyrics,” she said. She also loves Lea Salonga.
But one thing that really touched us was when Malaya revealed to us what she would do if ever she won the title of “American Idol.” She said, “I want to give back to the Filipino people because of the disaster (Typhoon “Haiyan”) that happened to them in the Philippines. I want to help.”
Her mom, Marian, whom we met at the Fig & Olive Restaurant where the after-party was held for the Top 13 finalists, revealed that “Everything is a whirlwind right now. Everything is new for her so she is just enjoying everything.”
She added, “Her father is so proud of her.”
Asked whether she raised Malaya as a Filipino or as an American, Marian said, “Since her father is American and she was born in America, she was raised as an American. But she has learned a few simple words in Tagalog like ‘Tatay,’ ‘Nanay,’ ‘Lolo’ or ‘Lola.’ She also knows phrases like ‘Mahal kita.’”
Marian revealed that she made it a point to bring her daughter to the Philippines as part of a medical mission when she was in first grade. Hopefully, she said, she can go back there again one of these days.
She admitted that Malaya’s talent came from her father, not her. “I do not know anything about music,” she said, smiling.
One of the Filipino singers Malaya admires, Marian said, is Jessica Sanchez. Among American singers, Malaya admires Ciara, Aretha Franklin, Beyoncé, and Chaka Khan to name a few. “I would describe Malaya’s style as soulful, R&B, gospel, blues and Motown because these are the kinds of music that we exposed her to,” she said. “We make her listen to these kinds of music because we usually do not like the lyrics inherent to top 40’s songs.”
When we asked Randy Jackson about what he thought of Malaya, he said, “People love her. She is very talented. She was very good during our workshop. She is the kind of girl who doesn’t realize that she is very talented.”
Show judge Keith Urban told us, “Malaya is one of the good ones. She is ferocious.”
Harry Connick, Jr. on the other hand, shared that, “Malaya is very talented. She is the kind of girl who could go to my school at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts because she is really young and raw. She has a lot of raw talent there.”
Jennifer Lopez agrees, saying that Malaya is “definitely one of the powerhouses in this competition.”
Host Ryan Seacrest added, “I like her a lot. She is very interesting. She really works on stage. She really deserves to be in the Top 13 finals.”
Unfortunately, Fil-Am Marrialle Sellars, 18, from Indianapolis, who has been dedicating her singing and competing at “American Idol” to her late father, Frederic Sellars, did not make it. Marrialle’s Filipina mom, Luzviminda or “Lou,” met her future husband Frederic when he started a pen-pal relationship with her while she was attending college in the Philippines. They married after two years.
We asked the judges, host and in-house mentor why they thought Marrialle did not make it to the Top 13. Here are some of their replies:
Ryan Seacrest said, “She struggled in her performance.”
Randy Jackson pointed out, “Marrialle was very good on the first night. But some of these contestants crash and burn later. Unfortunately, Marrialle crashed and burned. The public did not get it.”
Harry Connick, Jr. told us, “She did her best on the very first day when she was singing with her guitar. But when she started playing with the band, she just lost it.”
Email the writer at janetrnepales@gmail.com for your comments or questions. Follow her on Twitter at http://ift.tt/1eFtJrC.
Fil-Am Malaya Watson makes it to the top 13 of ‘American Idol XIII’
Source: Mb.com.ph (February 23, 2014 at 10:00PM)
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