STARWEEK: SARAH G - MORE THAN JUST A POP ICON
[PHOTO - MANILA, Philippines – In amateur singing competitions, there will be at least three contestants that will have their own rendition of "To Love You More" or "Forever's not Enough." When these little girls are asked who their favorite singer is, and whose path they'd like to follow someday, you can bet more or less 75 percent of them will have the same answer: Sarah Geronimo.]
MANILA, DECEMBER 12, 2010 (STARweek) By Camille Bersola - Not so long ago, the country's Pop Princess also shared the same Cinderella fantasies with these young dreamers who look up to their favorite divas and pop music icons, hoping that someday, they could also rock the stage and gather thousands of jam-packed crowds in a concert. Now, Sarah finally become the princess of her own fairytale.
"As a child my dream was to be hugely popular like Michael Jackson. I wanted to have that kind of worldwide fame," said the 22-year-old pop superstar.
Sarah added, "I want to be like him, while performing, everyone gets so wild and emotional. Besides that, I see him as not only a performer, he's an inspiration to many people, and that's what I also want to become."
Although she hasn't reached that international success yet, Sarah feels grateful for all her achievements at her young age. "But even if that dream won't happen, everything I've achieved is more than enough." Since winning as the grand champion of Regine Velasquez's Star for a Night singing competition finals in 2003, Sarah's rise to fame has become unstoppable. From that sweet 14-year-old girl that wowed audiences with her powerful rendition of Celine Dion hits, she has turned out to become the diva of today's generation.
No doubt about it, her impact in the Filipino music industry has proven to be one of the strongest among many Filipino artists' of all time. Considered as the fastest-selling OPM artist of her generation, the Pop Princess has already sold a total of nearly one million records since 2003 despite the challenges that weigh down the industry. With a strong fan-base, she's also performed in smash-hit concerts and gathered numerous awards, including the most prestigious recognition from different award-giving bodies such as the recent Female Recording Artist of the Year for the Second PMPC Star Awards for Music.
Aside from her accomplishments in the music industry, she has also been labeled a box-office actress of her generation after her top-grossing romantic comedy films A Very Special Love, where she starred with John Lloyd Cruz, and its follow-up sequel You Changed My Life, which is the country's highest-earning film of all time.
Sarah 's powerful voice as an endorser
At the age of 22, Sarah has raked in millions from her commercial endorsements. From fast food to sanitary pads, to pawnshops to laundry soaps, you can see her face on TV and huge billboard ads promoting different products. She has been a very powerful endorser of these brands, with more than 20 commercial ads since last year. "I'm really thankful like, Wow! I'm now seeing myself on TV endorsing these products that we've been using at home," she exclaimed.
[PHOTO - Sarah sang her songs from the MAP during its launch at SM Megamall on December 1.]
But for the Pop Princess, it's not just about her image being used to sell these brands. "Every brand that I've endorsed is something that I've grown up with and I've tried before."
Sarah also understands how important image is to be able to keep the public's trust. "Image is also a big factor and I also know that advertisers are looking for certain qualities to make these endorsements effective. It's also important that I maintain a good image so that the public will continue to believe in the testimonials that I make about these brands."
However, she admits that it's not always easy protecting that image especially since everyone looks up to her as a role model for young people. "It's a bit hard although I'd like to become a role model. I rather take it as a big challenge because it is probably my purpose being here in this industry. This may also be the reason why I'm being trusted by companies to promote their products."
Sarah and MyPhone's big fight against piracy
Many local artists share the same predicaments of losing commercial success for their records since the problem of piracy continues hurting the music industry. Because of that, Sarah has partnered with MyPhone to relive the glory of Original Pilipino Music. Since everything is going digital today, unauthorized downloads have crippled the music industry. To save the OPM industry, MyPhone has come up with the newest format to support Filipino artists like Sarah by bringing Filipinos the best of what Philippine artists can offer on a quality phone that everyone can have.
"Nakakataba ng puso that I've been chosen by MyPhone to be the first ever Filipino artist chosen for this new kind of project. It really makes me proud to be a part of an all-Filipino brand," Sarah exclaimed.
Sarah was chosen by MyPhone to be its partner for this special project. For this, she released an album which is exclusively available on this special MyPhone MAP (Music Album Phone) series of the Filipino mobile phone maker. On this album, Sarah sang her own version of the most celebrated OPM hits including her personal favorite "Sana" by Florante, "Panalangin" by the APO, "Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika" by Hajji Alejandro, "Umagang Kay Ganda" by Tillie Moreno and Ray-An Fuentes, and other homegrown bests.
She added, "What's good about this MyPhone album aside from being all Pinoy is that all songs talk about positivity, and I believe that a positive outlook in life is what all of us need despite the challenges around us these days."
Sarah also believes that the MyPhone MAP is perfectly made for the Filipino culture because of its contents that every Pinoy can relate to and most of all, it is more affordable compared to the other foreign brands that also have the same quality. "Ang daming mga kababayan natin na dahil sa hirap ng buhay, preferred na lang bumili ng phone na galing sa nakaw. At least ngayon, mayroon nang bagong phone na affordable at maipagmamalaking gawang Pinoy."
Moreover, what makes Sarah the proudest about this project with MyPhone is it's, "Gawang Pinoy!"
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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