Two Fil-British acts reach UK singing grand finals in London
Posted on January 27th, 2012 under Art & Living Achievements
Arisxandra Libantino
Two British Filipino acts have made it to the grand finals of the national singing contest Open Mic UK at the O2 in London.
Beating approximately 9000 entries from all over the UK, over 50 acts battled it out in the grand finals held at the Indigo stage of London’s O2 venue. Performances were split into three categories, namely: Under 16s, Over 16s, and Over 23s.
Among the Under-16 finalists was 10-year-old singer Arisxandra Libantino from Nottingham, who performed a cover of “As Long As You’re There” by one of her idols Charice Pempengco.
“I feel really proud of myself and I don’t care if I don’t win because I’m just going to try my best,” she told ABS-CBN Europe.
Libantino gained media attention in 2011 when she was hailed as a “little diva” from her outstanding performance at television show Britain’s Got Talent, only to be axed from the program before it went on air.
Her family continues to support her aspirations in music.
“We’re really proud that our daughter is one of the finalists in Open Mic UK so we’re very happy. She sang well and everybody says that she’s brilliant,” said 36-year-old nurse Aristotle Libantino, father of Arisxandra.
Hip Hop Disciples
Urban act Hip Hop Disciples from Manchester also made it to the Over-23 finals in London, performing an original song called “Sunshine”.
The group includes British Filipinos MonkeyBoi Beatz, 26, and Mr Mino, 28, alongside 20-year-old British Ghanaian D-Wrecker.
“It feels fantastic. We’ve been through two rounds plus an audition, so the regionals and the area finals and now we’re here. It’s just a really good feeling,” said Mr Mino, whose family was originally from Laguna and Ilocos.
The rappers also acknowledged the support of the Filipino community in the UK. MonkeyBoi Beatz, whose mother is originally from Antique, said: “The Filipino community in the northwest of England really got behind us, and we couldn’t have done it without them.”
Open Mic UK offers national exposure to unsigned music acts from all over the country.
However, Libantino and Hip Hop Disciples lost out to urban artist Shak, who was the most popular act with both the audience and the music industry judges.
As winner, Shak received a recording contract and £30,000 worth of investment.
(Story courtesy of Patrick Camara Ropeta, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau)