THE LITTLE MERMAID's Rachelle Ann Go Produces Own Concert, 10/26

Much has been said about "Search for a Star" 2004 Grand Champion Rachelle Ann Go. Her last eight years in showbiz have been filled with the good, the bad, and yes, some ugly thrown in too. Yet this lady has remained steadfast in her ways, shrugging off the negative vibes, using all these as the catalyst for her metamorphosis from a young singing champion to a fierce performer. She continues to defy the stereotypes and keeps breaking outside the box as an artist and as an individual, catapulting her to a class of her own.

Rising Above the Challenges

Rachelle, or Shin to family and friends, has gone through just about any intrigue and heartache since she joined the business. Her personal life, particularly her love life, has been reaped in shreds despite the unshowbiz life she lives off cam. Yet she was never the type to dwell on the "would haves," "could haves" and "why haves." Moping was never her style, opting to channel her efforts into getting better and moving on.

Career-wise, the challenges were too many to count. Some proved more difficult to deal with than the others, but being the professional that she is, she took everything in stride – and smartly at that. For years, she was relegated to that “old reliable singer who was picked to fill in for those who just couldn’t get it right when it counts." She was a great singer alright, but she was set aside as one “who didn’t have what it takes to be a star." A lot of the respected thespians could see the brilliance despite the dimmed lights, but it takes more than the testimonials of the music greats to convince some powers that be that she had what it takes to really soar high.

Enough to probably bring the faint-hearted down and out, she proved to be tougher and more mature than people gave her credit for. After all, she was smart enough to have made good use of her idle time – or her “waiting time” – to build on her talents and evolve into a total performer. She spent a lot of time watching videos of concerts of performers she admired like Beyonce, Janet Jackson, and Christina Aguilera, and admired the song and dance prowess of our very own Vina Morales. She got her dancing shoes dusted and ready for some action. She took advantage of the free time to build her stage confidence and nurture that fierceness that later on would prove to be an edge that easily set her apart from the others.

Rising to the Occasion

The years of playing second fiddle seem to stretch indefinitely until a network put its efforts into convincing her to cross over. It was a difficult decision for her knowing full well that the move carries with it the pressure of proving to be worthy of the expectations. Her loyalty can never be questioned for she gave her best any chance she got, but there will always come a point when you need to make that choice between being strung along or believed and relied on. Her debut performance in the Sunday noontime show "Party Pilipinas" (Click to watch) earned her much respect as she worked the stage in a riveting performance that was devoid of any funfare (no dancers, no tech effects): just her sheer talent and stage presence were enough to wow the Dagupan City crowd.

Although the show then was struggling, Rachelle remained steadfast in her performances. And with the changing of the guards came the opportunity to really show the kind of artist that she truly is. Her performance in the debut episodes of both the show’s directors set the tone in some ways for the revitalized noontime show. However, it was her singing Empire State of Mind (Click to watch) while hanging upside down without a harness that sent the signal that this artist is no pushover, nor was she meant to play second fiddle anymore. Her gutsy number proved that this smart girl made sure that when her time came, she was more than ready to rise to the occasion.

Rising Above Mediocrity

Rachelle was never known to be predictable in her ways. Everyone, since Rachelle won the coveted competition eight years ago,  expected the young singer to fight tooth and nail to snatch that rise to ultimate fame that only a few are able to enjoy. Yet this awesome champ chose the road less taken, which was paved by patience, hard work, and dedication. She continued to define her artistry through the years, taking on challenges that have surprised others who didn’t know better. And whereas other established singers dared not compete in international singing competitions, she was gutsy enough to stake her name in a number of these where there were no guarantees as to the outcome. She was there not just to represent the country but to continue to challenge herself as a singer. And when she was being boxed in as a biritera, she dared to step out of the box and proved her mettle in various genres, stressing that a true singer should not be judged only by how high a note she can reach but how much she can move her audience. She had surprised many as well with how well she moves on the dance floor. Little did people know that she has been honing her terpsichorean skills with the help of the ADDLIB Dancers as she continues to improve herself as a performer.