It’s not just about talent

LYCA learned her songs for the competition by sheer will and with an ultra-absorbent brain. RODEL ROTONI

It’s been over a week since  “The Voice: Kids” grand finale and there is much protesting, passionate arguments, online statuses and tweets cropping up everywhere.

Lyca Gairanod, dubbed “Little Superstar,” won handily over her competition—Darren Espanto, Juan Karlos Labajo, and Darlene Vibares.

When Lyca was proclaimed winner, the reaction was mixed. Many people rejoiced for the little girl; others cried foul, insisting that Darren had been robbed, that he was the true winner. A few show biz denizens took to their Facebook and Twitter accounts, protesting the defeat of this 13-year-old with those huge pipes.

Something more

Is it all about talent, or is there something more, something that goes straight from the stage (or screen) right into your heart? How could this young man, arguably the most skilled singer in the competition, not take the big prize?

There’s really much more to winning. I got a clue at Sunday mass many moons ago.

My favorite church in New York City is St. Paul the Apostle Church on West 59th Street. My mother and I would go for the 5:15 morning mass. There wouldn’t be a choir, only one solo singer and a pianist.

It would be hit-and-miss with the soloists. One, I remember, roused my spirit and soothed my soul each time she sang, a cappella, “Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis… dona nobis pacem.”

She was a short, sturdily built woman. With one note, she made the columns in that church shiver.

A more statuesque singer would take over on other Sundays. She was technically proficient, vocally, but I don’t remember that she made me feel anything.

That is not to say the kids of TVK were empty vessels. Oh, goodness, they all performed with so much heart, I wish we could have just declared them all grand champions.

Recalling Darren’s rendition of “Ngayon” still sends chills up my spine. Darlene’s “Louder” is my favorite performance of hers, filled with her signature spunk and sparkle. JK’s “Yesterday” was heartbreaking, reminding us that this dream was his mother’s, as much as his own. Lyca’s “Narito Ako” was emotive and confident.

Pure and simple

What made Lyca win, especially over her teammate, Darren? What was it that made people grab their phones and laptops to cast precious votes?

She touched them. Pure and simple.

I believe it is a combination of… many things. Her backstory was definitely a big part of it—her father being a fisherman, her mother and siblings scavengers.

Her singing style is another factor—with a voice that comes from her heart before her throat, comfortable belting out both Aegis songs and Sharon Cuneta mega-hits.

Quick wit

But beyond that still, Lyca represents what guts and gumption can accomplish. I watched this kid rehearse and perform. Despite her lack of education, she learned her songs for each round of the competition by sheer will and with an ultra-absorbent brain.

She is certainly one of the most makulit kids I’ve ever met, with a quick wit and an even quicker mouth.

But she showed us, as individuals and as a people, that anyone with a big voice, a big-hearted coach, a stage and a microphone could be elevated and celebrated.

Lyca is “The Voice: Kids” grand champion because she represented everyone who voted for her. If her dream could come true, then everyone else’s could, too.

What people felt for her was not pity; it was something far more positive: Hope.