There are a lot of talented singers out there, but we can count only a few that really evokes a shock value when they open their mouths. Filipino singer Marcelito Pomoy has been surprising people with his vocal duality for a while now. He made waves a couple of years ago after singing a rendition of the popular song The Prayer, which was originally sung by two incredible vocalists–Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion. The shock came with the fact that Pomoy sang the song all by himself, rendering two voices of tenor and soprano quality. Pomoy became a finalist in the most recent season of America’s Got Talent, and he gained even more fans at that point. If you didn’t know any of these about this talented singer, here are probably 10 other things that you didn’t know about Marcelito Pomoy.
1. He had a difficult childhood
At 35 years of age, Pomoy has had more than enough share of difficulty in life. He was born and raised in different parts of the Philippines. When he was young, his father became incarcerated, and his mother ended up abandoning him along with his siblings. He was lucky enough to get adopted by a police officer, which brought hope to his future.
2. He discovered his talent randomly
When Pomoy was a teenager, he worked odd jobs in order to help out with maintaining their household. It’s a common thing for Filipino teenagers to be working hard in order to help their families, and Pomoy did all he could just to do so. While doing poultry work one ordinary day, Pomoy did his usual routine of making the time pass by singing. He discovered his skill one day by just singing a little differently. He realized the duality of his voice at that point.
3. He’s got a truly unique voice
If you didn’t know about Pomoy already, you probably don’t know about the vocal duality we’ve been talking about. It’s not the easiest thing to explain, and it would really be a lot easier for people to just hear it as it’s happening. Pomoy has the ability to sing his regular tenor register, and he sounds incredible doing it. However at the same time, he also has the ability to hit an incredibly authentic higher register, a soprano register to be exact, and basically sound like a female singing.
4. He has had career rejections in the past
Pomoy has the ability to choose the stage he wants to perform in. After all, his talent is unique, and you’d think that most people would want to hear his voice wherever he goes. That wasn’t always the case though. There was a time when he tried out for various singing competitions only to end up losing. His success finally happened after winning the second season of Pilipinas Got Talent–the Philippines’ equivalent of AGT. He made the cut, and his name started to get a buzz.
5. He became a staple on Philippine television
After his run on Pilipinas Got Talent, Pomoy ended up getting a regular gig on one of Philippine television’s biggest shows, ASAP. ASAP is an entertainment program that features various artists performing every single day. In 2011, Pomoy became one of the show’s many hosts, and he did that gig on and off for a period of time.
6. He was discovered by Ellen
Ellen DeGeneres is famous for discovering and featuring international talents on her show. It doesn’t matter whether the people she features are already established artists or just ordinary people–she gives them all a chance to shine on her stage. In fact, Ellen has featured several talented singers from the Philippines already even before she introduced Pomoy to the American stage. When he was featured on The Ellen DeGeneres show in 2018, Pomoy was already big in the Philippines. Pomoy performed two songs on the show.
7. He’s got a history with AGT
We can only imagine that the ones involved with talent on AGT are constantly looking for people to recruit. Naturally, AGT saw Ellen’s show in 2018 and was probably just as surprised as anyone hearing Pomoy for the first time. It turns out that AGT wanted Pomoy to be in the show at that point. However, Pomoy rejected their offer. He reasoned that he was already a champion singer in the Philippines and didn’t want to take part in another ordinary singing competition. When AGT offered him a chance to battle it out on the AGT Champions stage, he finally decided that he would compete.
8. He is a recording artist
Marcelito Pomoy is more than just a talented singer belting out incredible tunes in all of his performances. He’s actually a recording artist. He’s got two record albums to date. He released his first album in 2011 called Duet Yourself. His second album was released in 2013, and it was called Split. Both albums were recorded under Star Records and feature both original and cover songs.
9. He’s a family man
Pomoy got married to his wife, Joan Paraiso, back in 2014. Their wedding featured some of the Philippines’ most prominent celebrities including Manny Pacquiao–one of the biggest names in the history of global boxing. Pacquiao also served as one of the couple’s wedding sponsors along with Kris Aquino, another prominent figure in Philippine entertainment and history. Pomoy and Paraiso have a child together.
10. He’s the pride of his country
The Philippines seems to be an endless supplier of talented folks–especially singers. Marcelito Pomoy falls under a group of established creatives, athletes, and entrepreneurs that have become global representatives of their nation. After AGT, Pomoy came home to a hero’s welcome, and his country professes how proud they are of their citizen. It seems that the future is much brighter for Pomoy now that he’s singing on a much larger stage.
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