THIS video was uploaded on July 28. It had 2,000 views on Friday; 373,585 at press time. videograb
Called “Random Girl” on the video sharing site YouTube, this unassuming lass, clad in shorts and carrying a red backpack, bravely belted the Broadway showstopper “And I’m Telling You (I’m Not Going),” with a videoke machine as backup as the SM Megamall grocery recently.
The video has gone viral: from 2,000 views on Friday to 373,585 at press time on Saturday. (Check out the video at: youtube.com/watch?v= Ne9lqMbOSv8)
Speculation
There was a lot of speculation on the identity of the mystery singer.
The Netizen who posted the video, youngjay0918 (or Yuan Juan), has confirmed that “Random Girl” is 21-year-old singer Zendee Rose Japitana Tenerefe of General Santos City, South Cotabato. (A fan page devoted to her was started on Facebook in 2010.)
Effortlessly, Tenerefe has wowed cyber fans—both ordinary music-lovers and acclaimed musicians.
She even impressed renowned voice teacher and former New Minstrels singer Louie Reyes, who wrote in her Facebook account: “Her song of choice was a heavy bravura song that would make you pass out if you overdo it. Then as unceremoniously as she walked into the appliance store, she walked out as if she had just tried on a pair of shoes.”
Some of Reyes’ fellow singers were just as awed. Quipped Lirio Vital: “Amazing.” Celeste Legaspi agreed: “What a talent! Pinoy, of course. And the people walking around her looking like it’s the most ordinary thing to see in the Philippines. Galing mo, girl!”
College senior
Reyes added: “Our country is just so blessed with these unknown, immense talents that the world needs to hear.”
Zendee Rose Japitana Tenerefe
In her Facebook page, Tenerefe said she is a “senior college student, taking up BS Information Technology.”
Apart from music, “the computer world” seems to be another “passion.”
“Every day I am on Tumblr, Facebook and Plurk. (Surfing the Net) is part of my daily routine,” she said. “I love photography, music and reading forums online.”
A Netizen predicted that, with all the attention heaped on her in cyberspace, television interviews would soon follow.
Not a few fans wondered why she has not been discovered by reality shows like “The X Factor,” “Talentadong Pinoy” and “Protégé.”
Someone suggested that she sing the National Anthem in FiManny Pacquiao’s next prizefight. (She has a photo with fellow Gen San resident Pacman on her FB page.)
Another observer remarked: “Unknown, undiscovered, unexploited. She’s simply enjoying herself … sharing her gift [with] the world. Let her walk the earth free. Let her be.”
(bayanisandiegojr@gmail.com)