Sunday, October 05, 2008 The singing darling of Cebu
A CEBUANA is on the threshold of being the first Pinoy RnB diva to hit the international music scene. writer Luis A. Quibranza III tells us why.
A beautiful Cebuana walks towards the table clutching a bag of French fries and her favorite cheeseburger to munch during the interview: an odd diet to expect for a super diva. Oh wait, she’s only 13.
I wanted to hear her sing. Asking her to do so in the middle of a chat would have been awkward. So after the interview, I logged on YouTube to look her up. Now, the webpage of her live performance is on my favorite bookmarks.
Take a good look at her face and remember the name: Kelsey Quinn Racoma Adams. She is the daughter of Jasmine Adams (nee Racoma), a Cebuana, and Richard Charles Adams, an American.
It’s just a matter of time before this singer will have the whole world captivated under her endearing spell. In fact, you might have already followed her career since she won first runner up on the regional eliminations of Little Big Star in 2006.
But just how talented is this young beauty queen, singer-actress?
Take this: What are the chances of having an established entertainment company based in Los Angeles, USA, fly one of their respected songwriters to Cebu so that he can write songs for a teenaged girl to sing?
“Never!” said songwriter James Thomas, who is with the Los Angeles-based Entertainment Avenue.
“But she’s (Kelsey) just that good. Usually, if we’re interested in someone, we tell them to fly to the States. If they can’t make it — then see you next year or something. But look, she’s 13. She shouldn’t be that good. She just shouldn’t be.” James was ecstatic.
Born of a family that claims to have no musical background, Kelsey’s amazing voice and charisma are mystery, miracle and blessing combined. Nobody in the family knew she could pull off a high note like a trained soprano until her aunt Jocelyn heard her sing in a school production.
“I didn’t want to sing at first. But my aunt encouraged me to pursue singing when she heard me perform for the Linggo ng Wika in my school,” recalls Kelsey. She is now in Level 9 at the Centre for International Education in Cebu, according to her mother.
But even before any singing began, Kelsey already had a name to herself. She was racking up beauty titles: Little Miss Universal Queen of Hawaii when she was two years old; and winning the Little Miss Sinulog when she was five. She has seven other beauty titles to date. She is also appearing in an international action-thriller film entitled Deep Gold produced by Bigfoot Entertainment.
Kelsey’s heart beats for more than just cold cash and the latest fashion trends. It is compassion that embodies her whole outlook on life.
It was the semi-final round of Little Big Star when ABS-CBN approached her and asked what she wanted to do with the money she gained during the competition. She responded by donating her money to an orphanage.
Though endowed with talent, Kelsey is no exemption to stage jitters. “I still get nervous when I sing. The feeling fades though during the middle of the song, but as soon the song is finished, my knees start shaking again,” she said.
Kelsey cites artists Alicia Keys and Rihanna as her favorites. As for her debut album, still in production, James lets us in on a scoop that a probable release date may be in early 2009. And the album, as decided by Kelsey, will be released locally first before it hits mainstream in the States.
I was talking to James and during the conversation, Kelsey ran outside to a nearby gaming zone to play. Kelsey is a no-nonsense role model for teens: young, classy and humble.
Will this down-to-earth teen be the first Cebuana RnB artist to hit international mainstream success? The sweetest of dreams is yet to come true in due time.
