A Zendee sendoff

WATCHING the world-famous Manila Bay sunset for the first time. Facebook photo

Zendee Rose Tenerefe, a.k.a. YouTube sensation “Random Girl,” is no longer just another face in the crowd, as she’s set to make her international TV debut on the “Ellen” show on Friday (Saturday in Manila).

The website of the talk show, hosted by comic Ellen DeGeneres, reported that Zendee was to appear in the same episode as Oscar winner Halle Berry.

The website described Zendee as “the next big thing.” It promised: “A star will be born on Ellen’s stage. You’ll never forget where you were the first time you heard Zendee perform.”

Like another Filipino singer, Charice Pempengco, Zendee scored the “Ellen” invite after becoming a certified Internet star. The YouTube video that shows Zendee singing in front of the videoke display at the SM Megamall grocery has gone viral, with two-million hits at press time.

“Her video set the Internet on fire,” said the “Ellen” site. “Don’t miss this jaw-dropping, once-in-a-lifetime performance from a young singer.”

Zendee left Manila for Los Angeles on Monday night.

On her Facebook page, she wrote before she left: “I know my life (is) about to change, but I promise, Zendee, a.k.a. Random Girl, will still (be) the same.”

ENCORE Zendee Rose “Random Girl” Tenerefe serenades fans in SM Megamall days before flying to the United States to guest on “Ellen.”

Before flying to the United States, Zendee made two stops: Manila Bay and SM Megamall.

On Saturday, she revisited the lucky spot at the mall and sang for grocery shoppers in an impromptu concert. “I miss this place,” she wrote in Filipino on Facebook. “Thanks to all the people I met a while back.”

In the same post, she said she was no longer allowed to sing there, but that fortunately she was able to secure a permit from mall authorities.

“Thank you to SM for allowing me to sing and allowing the people to shoot videos and photos even though it’s no longer permitted. Thank you to the security guards who watched over us,” she recalled.

For this latest Megamall “show,” she met some fans, including a Brazilian (Christopher Roza) who gifted her with a stuffed toy.

Zendee also visited the breakwater near Roxas Boulevard to watch the Manila Bay sunset.

“It was my first time there,” she recounted on Facebook. “I kept screaming while watching the sunset; I was so happy.”

Manila Bay is special also because the US Embassy is nearby. Zendee, who is from General Santos City, was overjoyed when she got her US visa.

Though now working on a CD under Warner Music Philippines, Zendee admitted that she was daunted by the sudden good fortune.

“All this made me think,” she wrote in Filipino. “Before, all I wanted was to join singing contests in Manila or work in hotel (lounges and bars). I didn’t ask for these things. They just fell on my lap. I am thankful to Papa God for all these blessings. Teary-eyed.”

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