“What keeps me inspired? Singing.”
When earlier asked about her edge in “The Clash 2025,” new clasher Adelle Yu of Cotabato City had a three-word response: “experience, tatag ng loob, at puso.”
In a conversation with GMA Regional TV News, the 35-year-old Cotabateño elaborated on this three-word response, explaining in detail why even after many life setbacks and competition losses, she persists to move forward as the singer that she aspires to be.
“Pag hindi matatag ang loob mo, hindi rin tatatag yung puso mo. So dahil sa mga experiences ko, naging dahilan yun para hindi ako huminto,” she said, pertaining to what she described as an uneventful childhood and a singing journey riddled with multiple competition losses.
“[In terms of] experience, sa tagal ko nang sumasali sa competitions, I feel like I am advanced emotionally, mentally, and experience-wise compared to my other clashers. Mas marami akong napagdaanan na batikos, appreciation, so parang mas nakita ko na yung world of singing competitions,” the 35-year-old explained.
Insofar as the heart to compete is concerned, Adelle believes that it is precisely her deep experience and the many losses that came with it that have prepared her for a highly competitive and nationally televised competition like The Clash.
“Yung tatag ng puso– sa mga pinagdaanan ko rin kasi hindi madali yung paulit-ulit kang sasali, pero paulit-ulit kang maba-bash at matatalo, pero paulit-ulit ka pa ring nagta-try,” added Adelle, who noted that she’s derived strength from the faith and belief of those who have supported her.
“...may mga tao pa ring naniniwala sayo na kaya mo yan, na hindi mo pa lang oras, yung mga ganitong salita kasi driving force yun eh.”
She also talked in brief about her younger years in Cotabato, where she was born and raised. “Wala ako masyadong fun childhood memory, growing up my life has circled around drama, ang pinaka-memorable ko na… is when I had father-daughter issues,” she said.
According to Adelle, one of the most memorable (and possibly her first) heartbreaks was when she was five and had to walk home from school alone under the pouring rain because her father wasn’t able to fetch her. She clarified, however, that she’s gotten better and has healed that part of her.
Adelle’s decision to join The Clash 2025 is a testament to a conscious decision to prioritize courage and growth in the face of setbacks and unfavorable life experiences. “Pag hindi matatag loob mo,” she reminds, “hindi rin tatatag yung puso mo.”
“Dahil sa mga experiences ko, naging dahilan yun para hindi ako huminto. Yung mga pinagdaanan ko rin sa personal life ko– I have a sister na PWD, parents ko naman are both may sakit– so technically as the breadwinner of the family, nasa balikat ko lahat eh, and i have to keep moving. Hindi ako pwede huminto,” she said.
“So what keeps me inspired? Singing. If it has to be joining a competition para mag-move forward in life, then I will do it.”
Second round of The Clash 2025 starts this Sunday (July 6), as Adelle and her fellow Top 12 finalists are set for an all-out sing-off inside the Clash Arena.
The Clash airs at 7:15 p.m. on Sundays only on GMA-7.
