Zephanie on her toughest competitor for ‘Idol PH’ crown: Myself

Zephanie Dimaranan

“Dreams come true po.” That’s what Zephanie Dimaranan told Inquirer Entertainment when we asked her what immediately came to mind the minute she was declared the first winner of ABS-CBN’s talent search, “Idol Philippines,” last Sunday.

Zephanie may only be 16, but the young “kontesera” has been through some of the toughest competitions this side of Tinseltown.

When she bested Lucas Garcia and Lance Busa for the coveted crown last Sunday, the pretty teenager from Laguna couldn’t help but look back at how hard she fought to keep her dream of singing stardom alive.

But third time’s the charm, as they say—after all, it would have been easy for Zephanie to pursue other endeavors after losing to Elha Nympha in “The Voice Kids,” then to Janine Berdin in “Tawag ng Tanghalan.”

She let her passion for performing help her overcome insecurities and doubts, and clawed her way out of those “challenges.” More than anything, winning “Idol Philippines’” top plum is something Zephanie wants other dreamers to remember: Don’t give up on your dreams—fight for them.

With some help from the Kapamilya network’s head of Corporate Communications Kane Choa, we managed to ask Zephanie last Monday what her triumph meant to her.

“Dreams come true if you fight hard enough for them,” she said. “It’s an answered prayer po sa loob ng maraming taon na nagdarasal ako—at ilang beses ko pong sinubukang matupad ang pangarap ko bilang isang singer (I prayed hard to make this dream come true).”

And this time, she said she didn’t even try to “out-sing” the other finalists. Asked who she considered was her toughest competitor, Zephanie disclosed, “Sarili ko po (I was competing with myself). Mas nagwo-worry po ako na baka kapag kinabahan ako, hindi ko po magawa ang best ko (I worried that if I got too nervous, I wouldn’t be able to do my best). Nagkakaroon po ako ng doubt sa sarili ko na hindi ko kaya (Then I’d begin to doubt myself).”

And look just how that strategy worked wonders for the 16-year-old singer.