From kiddie party host to international singing star

From hosting children's parties and singing "Happy Birthday" in front of cheering kids, the young fastfood chain employee never imagined she would stand on stage and sing "Stand Up for Love" in front of thousands of people. But 21-year old Chenee Capuyan soon found out that dreams, even the big ones, do come true. After her soulful rendition of the Destiny's Child song, Chenee was declared the first Filipina Grand Winner of the Voice of McDonald's (VOM) singing competition held in Orlando, Florida last April 22. Now on its third season, VOM is a global singing contest held by the international fastfood chain to recognize its talented employees. Hailing from Davao City, Chenee's outstanding performance bested 10,400 contestants from 118 countries around the world. Fresh from her US victory, the trembling Chenee told local reporters during her press conference at Greenbelt last Monday, "Kahit po tapos na yung competition, kinakabahan pa rin po ako." Overwhelmed by all the attention she's been getting, Chenee has no space for stardom or pride in her head. Only gratitude for finally achieving her dream. Yesterday's dream Coming from a family of musicians, Chenee seemed to be born for singing. "Si Mama po yung nagturo sa kin kumanta. Frustrated singer po kasi siya," Chenee said candidly. Aside from joining the choir, she would perform in school programs and events to hone her singing prowess. Her first singing competition may have been a sign of things to come. "First time ko pong sumali ng contest nung Grade 3 ako," she recalled. "First time ko rin pong nanalo noon, kalaban ko po puro Grade 6." Her winning piece was the children's classic anthem "Yesterday's Dream." Chenee's father Louie attests to his daughter's remarkable talent, "Bata pa siya magaling na siya kumanta. Noon nga, tinatawag na siyang diva." Though singing was her first love, it had to take a back seat as Chenee grew up. Putting practicality over passion, she enrolled in an Information Technology course in college because she thought it could equip her for potentially lucrative jobs. After two years, however, Chenee quit school because of financial problems. Her mother had developed heart problems and her father's salary as a bag inspector could barely cover for food and medicine, much less her college tuition. But Chenee continued to move forward despite the seeming obstacle. Opportunity In 2007, a neighbor who worked at a McDonald's branch in Damosa, Davao City encouraged her to apply for a job opening. She landed a spot in the local store marketing department where she was tasked to coordinate and, eventually, host the children's parties held in the fastfood restaurant. After work hours, she would perform with her band in gigs around the city. When auditions were held for the local VOM competition last year, Chenee saw a window of hope to fulfill her dream to be a singer. Close to 200 restaurant crew and managers joined the local search but Chenee was driven by her passion for singing. "Mayroon po akong talento sa pagkanta at gusto ko pong maipakita yung talento ko," she said. "May confidence din po ako sa sarili ko na may pag-asa po akong manalo." She was also encouraged by the victory of fellow Davaoeña Mary Margaret Yu, who won second place in the second season of the VOM competitions held in 2008. Tough competition Chenee's confidence paid off and she became one of 10 semi-finalists from the Philippines who were eligible to be picked for the global competition. From hundreds of semi-finalists around the world, 30 hopefuls were chosen — two of which came from the Philippines: Chenee and Radjie Zaragoza from McDonald's Daraga, Albay. Online voting would determine who among them will be part of the 12 semi-finalists who will battle it out in the worldwide competition. Chenee was starting to achieve things beyond her wildest dreams but it wasn't long before fear started rearing its ugly head. Just weeks before she made the final cut, Chenee found herself at a crossroads. She and her bandmates had made plans to try their luck in Bahrain and their visa was finally approved. Suddenly unsure of herself, Chenee was torn between the opportunity to fly to greener pastures and the risk that she would lose in the international contest. Louie recalled his daughter's dilemma, "Nagtanong siya sa akin, 'Pa, saan ba ang mabuti? Baka hindi naman ako manalo (sa VOM).'" He knew it was better for Chenee to pursue her dreams on her own, "Sabi ko, 'Huwag mong intindihin yun, basta gawin mo lang yung best mo. Hindi naman kami magalit (kung matalo ka). Andito kami, suporta kami. At least, ipakita mo galing mo. Who knows? Ang taon na ito pag para sa iyo, kahit sino pa makalaban mo, sa iyo talaga, ikaw talaga ang manalo.'" Following her father’s advice, Chenee soon found herself possessing the life-changing visa to Orlando, Florida. Singing star In Florida, Chenee and 11 other VOM contestants turned from fastfood employees to singing stars. Much like American Idol contestants, they trained with top notch vocal coaches and Grammy Award — winning producers and recording executives. They also underwent makeovers and lessons in choreography and stage presence. Chenee took it all in and learned all she could. She chose the song, “Stand Up for Love" as her performance piece, “Ang ganda po kasi ng message ng kanta, Para sa lahat at makaka-relate po kayo." She added, “Pang-contest din po talaga siya na kanta." After she made it to the top three, the young singer was on a mission: she was going to win the competition not just for her family or her company but for her country. Though fear gnawed at her confidence, Chenee bravely faced the packed performance hall and gave her all in the final round eliciting tears from the audience and from those watching the live streaming back home. Chenee’s stellar performance wowed a panel of equally stellar judges: Estelle, Grammy Award-winning R&B singer; Troy Carter, chairman/CEO of Atom Factory, Inc., whose clients include Lady Gaga; Walter Afanasieff, Grammy Award-winning music producer whose credits include recordings by Mariah Carey and Celine Dion; and prominent entertainment attorney Ken Hertz. The young Filipina’s star outshone South Korean Jin Hur who took second place and Peruvian Jesus Molinares who took third place. Chenee brought home the burger winning $ 25,000 and among other prizes, a new Macbook and an Ipod Touch. A donation worth $1,000 was also made in her name for the Ronald McDonald’s House Charities in the Philippines. But what Chenee considers priceless are the experiences and opportunities that have been coming her way. Hours after the competition, she met music legend Elton John who personally congratulated her on her victory. She got a chance to attend a private audition held at the casting offices of Disney Parks and she was invited by Afanasieff to record a demo in his LA studio. Counting Oprah protégé and young singing superstar Charice Pempengco as one of her favorite singers, Chenee could be on her way to follow her idol’s steps. But when asked if she would switch careers after her international win, Chenee said she is open to opportunities but she has no plans of leaving just yet, “Sa ngayon po, ipagpapatuloy ko po yung pagtatrabaho ko sa McDonald's kasi sila po yung nagbigay sa akin ng oportunidad. Malaki po ang utang na loob ko sa kanila." For now, she said her one million peso prize money will be spent for her mother’s medical treatments and for her college tuition. Proving her mettle beyond kiddie parties, Chenee shared that holding on to her dream was key to her success, “Ang mahalaga po determinasyon, at pagtitiwala sa sarili. Ipakita niyo po kung ano ang kaya niyo." If you have high hopes and even bigger dreams, you can learn a thing or two from Chenee's success story: when passion runs deep in your heart, you'll find your way to fulfill it, or it will find its way to you. - RBJ, GMANews.TV / Photos courtesy of Voice of McDonald's