The (Mega) Voice

A young boy from Sablayan named Mega Frandio Oane (You Tube erroneously listed his family name as “Dane”) participated in The Voice Kids Philippines aired over ABS-CBN Channel 2 last night. Mega was not able to spin the seats of the judges-mentors namely, Lea Salonga, Bamboo and Sarah Geronimo. With the right choice of song, the little boy, they say, could have won the competition. But he succeeded by having a great fighting spirit to follow the footsteps of Jireh Lim, another homegrown talent, the original composer of “Buko”, the song Oane have rendered during the show's blind audition. No matter what, the people of Sablayan, the tourism capital of Occidental Mindoro, is so proud of you Mega. Keep on trying and we pray that next time you’ll land on the big, mega, league!

But all roads lead to Rome they say.

In Italy, the mega nun Sr. Cristina Scuccia topped her country’s version of The Voice last Friday in her rendition of “Flash Dance…What a Feeling”, that clinched her victory among the final four competitors during the four-hour finale. Watch her rendition of the song HERE. The 25-year old nun who sing and dance garnered a convincing 62% of the votes but not without some negative reactions from some quarters even from Catholic circles.

While Mega Frandio Oane is a son of the owner of Mega Pinoy Beach Resort in Sablayan, Suor Cristina became a novice in 2009 and reportedly worked for two years with poor children in Brazil before formally joining the order although she still has to take her final vows.

Of her wearing of habit and crucifix during the show, some viewers and fans raised concerns and question whether such exhibitionism is appropriate for a nun. Critical viewers see it as a gimmick to win attention and ultimately win the contest. I will leave it at that. When asked what’s up next, she said to the reporters: "I will go back to my priorities – prayer, waking up early in the morning, school service. That's fundamental for me to be able to begin something new later on." Sister Cristina was born and raised in Sicily.

But singing nuns are not new in the entertainment field (or call it “dimension” if you wish). There was once a song about Saint Dominic that made it to the mainstream musical world. I was singing the song when I was 8 or so but it was only 10 years later I did realize that it is actually an inspirational or religious song. It even outsold Elvis Presley during its stay on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is entitled “Dominique”. “Dominique" is a 1963 French language popular song, written and performed by Jeanine Deckers of Belgium, better known as Sœur Sourire or The Singing Nun. So, Jeanine Deckers was the original sin,..err, singing nun.

To every great artist, this is the mega truth: Our talents are gifts from God.

Win or lose….

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(Photo: SBS.Com)