Darlene feels just like a winner

Darlene Vibares may not have won the The Voice Kids but she did walk away from the competition with something just as important as the title — an education, courtesy of her former coach Lea Salonga.

When she auditioned for the Kapamilya network’s singing contest for kids earlier this year, Darlene chose to join Team Lea, a decision that proved to be beneficial in more ways than one. After the show ended, Lea decided to enroll Darlene at the OB Montessori Center in Greenhills, San Juan. According to the pint-sized belter, doing so was part of Lea’s plan to give Darlene access to more opportunities as a performer.

“It’s Coach Lea who’s taking care of my studies there because she said if I already how to speak English, she would make me join theater,” Darlene explains happily, in Filipino. So far, Lea’s plan seems to be working. Darlene’s mother Rowena says her daughter’s English has indeed improved.

What’s more, Darlene’s social skills aren’t far behind. The Voice Kids alumna admits to being nervous before the first day of school because she would have to adjust to a new environment. Before coming to the OB Montessori Center, Darlene was studying in a public school and she was also homeschooled by her mother for a while. Darlene was understandably worried about fitting in at a private school.

But when she showed up for her first day, Darlene realized that she shouldn’t have worried. In fact, she managed to make friends right away, thanks to her outgoing nature. “Yes, I’m happy at my school. I was scared at first because I thought I would find it hard to adjust to my classmates, but it was not. They’re nice to me. There are 17 of us in the class and I already have a lot of friends.”

Darlene’s mother shares one funny story about Darlene and her new friends. “One time, I prepared quail eggs for her to eat in school. Sa public school po pinagkakaguluhan si Darlene pag yun ang dala niyang baon. Pero sa bago niyang school, nung nilabas niya yung quail eggs para kainin, nagulat daw ‘yung mga kaklase niya. Sabi daw nila kay Darlene, ‘Eww, what’s that?’ Hindi daw pala kasi sila sanay sa ganung pagkain,” laughs Rowena.

Incidents like that aside, OB Montessori Center is actually the best school for Darlene because the administrators and students are used to having famous pupils around. (Kathryn Bernardo was a high school student there before she became the Teen Queen.) Camille Santos, her former teammate in The Voice Kids, studies there, too. In fact, she and Darlene joined the school choir together and they recently sang a duet of the hit song Brave by American singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles.

Right now, Darlene is juggling her studies with her showbiz career. She’s promoting The Voice Kids: The Album, which is out in the market, and prepping a solo album under MCA Music, which should be in stores early next year. She is also set to perform in The Voice Kids All-In: The Concert on Dec. 6, 8 p.m. at the PICC Plenary Hall.

“I’m happy that I will release my own album. I’m excited to go solo but I will also miss the rest of the Top 4. I’m sad at the thought I’ll be on my own since I’m used to having them around always. But it’s also exciting!”

Darlene has also embarked on an acting career with a supporting role in the Enrique Gil-Liza Soberano teleserye Forevermore. With all the blessings coming her way lately, Darlene — one of the voices behind the 2014 ABS-CBN Christmas Station ID song Thank You, Ang Babait Ninyo — wants to express her gratitude to everyone who helped her get to where she is now.

“Unang-una po kay God. Gusto ko pong magpasalamat sa Kanya dahil binigay Niya sa akin itong ganitong talent. To the family, for the support. Thank you also to the people who believe in me and of course, to Coach Lea. Nagpapasalamat po talaga ako sa kanya ng marami,” Darlene says.