Little people with big voices

Little people with big voices. That’s what the six finalists of ABS-CBN’s Little Big Stars are.

Kyle Balili may not be more than four feet tall. But he could very well make members of the audience fish out their handkerchiefs and wipe away the tears when he sings Awit Kay Inay in tonight’s grand finals. Kyle, six, may be the youngest of the contestants. But when he breezed through Carol Banawa’s Iingatan Ka during the presscon, you’d think he’s been doing it the moment he learned to walk.

Makisig Morales may only be nine years old. But he’s not called the Power Kid for nothing. When he visited The Philippine Star office months back, the boy sent the staff on a clapping spree with his hair-raising rendition of Ikaw ang Lahat Sa Akin.

To say that competition among them and the other contestants – Sam Concepcion, Charice Pempengco, Rhap Salazar and Gian Barbarona – is tough is an understatement.

But these kiddie singers don’t look at the whole thing as a grueling race to the finish line. They look at it more like one big playground where they can laugh, enjoy and gain new friends.

Asked who their crushes are and the six of them hem and haw. Unlike their older counterparts, they don’t flinch when asked who they think their closest rival is (the answers vary). Stage fright – as they showed when they rendered a number each for the press – is not part of their vocabulary.

Their parents, who chose the contest pieces they will sing tonight, are the ones sitting on pins and needles.

The kiddie singers have belters and divas as idols. Regine Velasquez tops the list. Others are Basil Valdez, Martin Nievera, Gary Valenciano, Michael Jackson, Josh Groban and Little Big Star host Sarah Geronimo.

The prizes can make any parent’s eyes grow bigger with excitement: P1-M each for grand winners of the little and big division, an album under Star Records and continuous exposure on the network’s shows.

Let’s look at the finalists one by one:

Raph Salazar, nine, sees the show as a means of helping shoulder his sick grandmother’s medication. The boy from Oriental Mindoro dreams of becoming a big singer someday like Sarah Geronimo. He won the Little Division Star of the Month last January.

Makisig Morales, eight, takes taekwondo training in a sports center near his home in San Mateo, Rizal. But singing is his priority and he rehearses every single day. Singing to him is a way of helping his large family of seven children.

Kyle Balili, six, is no amateur in singing on stage. Even before his stint in the show, the boy would always be asked to sing in school functions and contests. His mom, a choir member, taught him the ropes of singing.

Sam Concepcion is a familiar face to viewers of the youth-oriented shows Sineskwela and Hiraya Manawari. A talent of Trumpets, the 13-year-old Sam is an emerging heartthrob. He got his flair for acting from his stage actor-father. His religious fervor comes from his mom, a church worker.

Gian Carlo Barbarona enrolled at the Center for Pop to develop the singer in him, which has come out in several contests. The balladeer from Pacita, Laguna grew up missing his dad, a seaman, to whom the boy dedicates many of his heartfelt songs.

Charice Pempengco, 12, is the only girl among the contestants. A veteran of singing contests, she started competing since she was seven. As the eldest child in a broken home, Charice often gives her prizes from singing contests to her mother for minor expenses at home.