Arabelle Dela Cruz named grand winner in South Korea’s ‘Veiled Cup’
Arabelle Dela Cruz brought home the grand prize in the international singing competition “Veiled Cup” after going up against contestants from South Korea, Laos, and Thailand.
Dela Cruz—who goes under the alias Laguna Diva and is under Sparkle GMA—was named the winner of the South Korea-based singing contest on its finale episode aired on Sunday, February 1. Her win was determined by a global audience vote, while a judging panel decided the results for the preliminaries and semi-final rounds.
Dela Cruz’s winning moment was uploaded on Sparkle GMA’s Instagram page on the same day. When she was announced as the champion, she was shocked by the results before presented with the trophy.
“ARABELLE DELA CRUZ IS THE ‘VEILED CUP’ GRAND WINNER! Watch her emotional moment on stage as her talent and grace sparkle,” the caption read.
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The singer’s management congratulated her on her victory in a separate post.
“The ‘Laguna Diva’ just became a Global Sensation. Sparkle artist Arabelle Dela Cruz has officially secured the Veiled Cup South Korea title, proving once again that Filipino talent is unmatched on the world stage. Your Sparkle family is very proud of you, Arabelle,” the post read.
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During the finale, the Filipina singer performed a rendition of Michael Bublé’s “Feeling Good,” which earned the admiration of the judges.
Dela Cruz also went head-to-head with her fellow finalists, namely, Vientiane Red Hair (Laos), Gyeongsang-do Iron Voice (South Korea), Bangkok Soul Man (Thailand), and Phang Nga Bay Fighter (Thailand), in a performance of the English translation of Jung Key’s “Mama.”
Marketed as South Korea’s Eurovision, this is the inaugural edition of “Veiled Cup,” and the third edition overall of South Korea’s “Veiled Musician.” The first edition marks the singing competition’s first time bringing contestants from different countries, with audition rounds held in the Philippines, South Korea, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, and Japan, among other countries.
The singing competition brings together a panel of judges to determine the best singer while performing under a veil and an alias. Only their countries are revealed to the public.
The final judging panel is composed of i-dle’s Miyeon, Paul Kim, Tiffany Young, 10cm, Ailee, and Henry. /cb
