Sinulog idol champ comes out of her shell

CEBU, Philippines - There was something about fighting for seven consecutive nights to stay in competition that appealed to nineteen-year-old Ronna Jenn Lofranco. “The idea of ‘survival of the fittest’ was what prodded me to join Sinulog Idol,” the singing champ from Pusok, Lapu-Lapu City tells The FREEMAN.

Perhaps it was the nightly intensive elimination phase and the challenge to do better than her last performance were what pumped up her blood, or could be, to borrow from her chosen contest finale pieces, it must be the “angels” who conspired to help her “Go the Distance.” But what’s sheer determination and heavenly intervention without pure talent to begin with?

Ronna, a college junior at the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) majoring in Mass Communications, had shown an early interest and ability at singing when she was just a three-year-old tot. She claims inheriting her vocal prowess from her father, who possesses the good singing voice in their family.

It was her time as member of the Saint Alfonso Catholic High School choir where Ronna says her talent was fully developed. More so when she became part of USJ-R’s Adelante Dramatics and Cultural Ensembles (ADRAC) and became lead vocalist of the Soundmerge Band. In 2007, she was declared Visayas Grand Champion in the senior category of the Radyoke Survival Challenge mounted by DYAR Sonshine Radio.

Her Sinulog Idol 2012 auditions saw her with an unfortunate case of a sore throat. On top of that, one of the judges, Cebuana Pinoy Dream Academy scholar Apple Abarquez did not like her first song “Stand Up for Love,” saying it was a common and much-used piece. Ronna sang the Nicki Minaj hit “Price Tag,” which the judges must’ve liked because she went on to become one of this year’s finalists.

The three-year old Sinulog Idol search held at the Fuente Osmeña Circle involved seven consecutive nights of rigorous elimination to determine the most versatile singer among the twelve young hopefuls. They were tasked to perform songs in different genres per night --- from Broadway, pop, OPM, Visayan hits and inspirational selections.

The final category, dubbed as “Time of My Life,” had the top three pick songs that inspired them. Ronna’s song choices were “Angels Brought Me Here” by Carrie Underwood and “Go the Distance” from the official soundtrack of the film “Hercules.”

“Both songs tell something about journey and I relate it to my life, the journey of my life,” says Ronna on why she selected those two songs for the make-or-break finale. She chose and sang well, because before the night ended, she was holding the first place trophy and a cash prize that amounted to P15,000.

The eldest of four siblings, Ronna shares that she handed a big part of the prize money to her supportive parents, to pay back the expenses they incurred when she joined Sinulog Idol. Deservingly, she treated herself, her friends and supporters using the rest of the amount. Her university was also very proud of her achievement. “They had a warm welcome for me when I went back to school, and put up a tarp congratulating me for winning Sinulog Idol.”

Ronna credits her sweet victory to her efforts of “getting out of her shell, letting out the emotions she kept inside and singing heartily.”

“The hardest part was when you didn't know if you're still fine to go on or you're already tired of fighting just to be in the running for the title. You have to sacrifice other things just to focus on the competition alone,” admits Ronna. In the end, the tough aspects outweighed the fun pay-off, which is the friendship she shared not only with her co-candidates, but also with the Center for Pop coaches and the Sinulog Idol judges.

Now, Ronna is looking forward to more gigs after her exposure from Sinulog Idol 2012. She thinks pop songs suit her voice best. “I idolize Celine Dion for her voice that touches my heart and Beyonce Knowles for her powerful voice, her great performance on stage and for her beauty. They both possess dedication and passion for their craft, which I would like to emulate,” said Ronna, whose other dream aside from being a successful singer is to penetrate the media industry.

The Sinulog Idol competition is a collaboration of the Cebu City Government, Sinulog Foundation Inc., Center for Pop Music Philippines , and Soundtraxx Productions Studio.