With their aspirations for stardom at stake, McJim Dreams Get Real Talent Search’s Top Six battled it out in an epic finale where power belter Apple Delleva from Cabuyao, Laguna emerged as this season’s champion on Nov. 9, at the Music Museum.
Considered the biggest threat in the competition by other contestants, Delleva showed why she deserved the title with her powerful rendition of Angeline Quinto’s “Kunin Mo Na Ang Lahat Sa Akin” and a strong yet emotional cover of Yeng Constantino’s hit “Ikaw.”
“I feel very and happy and thankful! We have different genres and we have different things to offer so it’s really hard to predict who will win, but I just gave my all and it all paid off,” says the 19-year-old communication student at University of Perpetual Help in Las Piñas.
Delleva is no stranger to singing competitions after representing the Philippines in Karaoke World Championships 2014 in Stockholm, Sweden and landing a semi-finals spot at GMA 7’s popular show, Bet Sa Kantahan. With her latest win and with the help of McJim, she hopes she would make it big in the music industry and be everyone’s “apple” of the eye.
Through Dreams Get Real Talent Search, gentlemen’s brand McJim Classic Leather affirmed its image as an advocate for fresh new Filipino talents and Original Pilipino Music (OPM).
After launching the careers of some of the most in-demand acts today, like vocal trio JBK, pop-rock band Fifth Dynamics, and Neo Domingo, McJim continues to enliven the local music by giving aspiring artists the opportunity to kick-start their own musical journeys.
“The six last acts gave us an extraordinary and mind blowing show. Each one of them levelled up so we had a hard time choosing who should the competition, but we feel that Apple is the readiest among the six—she has the pipes, the presence, and she knows how to work a crowd,” says Chris Cahilig, Dreams Get Real project head. “But, we wish other contestants well and we hope that they learned something in this competition that they can use to kick-start their careers.”
Delivering their best performances ever in a concert-like finale, the other finalists—Carmella Ravanilla and Zsarina Concepcion from Rizal, Erickson Malabanan from Batangas, Micah Llona from Taguig, and Trix Casauay from Caloocan—left it all on stage with their performances that showed their vocal talent, star quality, and character.
Despite losing the competition, the five other artists showed their support for the eventual winner and were still thankful for the experience. For the 18-year-old Concepcion, being thrown into the company of talented people who share a passion for singing—and learning from them in the process—is such a big deal already.
Delleva, the newest grand champion of Dreams Get Real: The Search for the Next OPM Star, bagged a full album and music video grant; P100,000 in cash prize from McJim Classic Leather; artist marketing support; and a talent management contract.
“We are in good hands with McJim. During the competition, we never felt that we are competing against each other because McJim made us feel that we are a family,” says Delleva. “Expect more from me because McJim will give me a platform to be a recording artist.”
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