Not many people realize their dreams sooner than others. “Ever since, I wanted to join The Voice competition,” Cydel Gabutero said. Not only did she join.
On Aug. 16, she was named one of the four winners in ABS-CBN’s The Voice Philippines Teen Edition Season 2.
The competition usually selects one champion but this time, they decided to select four co-winners. It was also the first time that the competition was held online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Cydel and the three other winners – Heart Salvador, Isang Manlapaz and Kendra Aguirre – each received P500,000, and a house and lot.
A member of FamiLea, under the mentorship of Broadway star Lea Salonga, Cydel had Jojo Acosta as her voice coach in the competition.
It was actually the second time the singer participated in this contest. In 2013, she joined the audition for the Voice Kids Edition. While she did not advance to the contest proper, the experience proved beneficial to her as gradually, she gained more self-confidence. While she did not win in The Voice Kids, the entertainment door opened wider for her.
A talent scout spotted her and invited her to perform the lead role in “Blanka”, a 2015 musical on the life of a street urchin in the slums of the city and her struggles to alleviate her family from deprivation and misery.
In 2016, she was part of another stage production, “Annie”, at Resorts World, which drew rave reviews in Manila.
These experiences expanded her performance skills to new heights. At the teen competition finals, Judge Lea asked her what else can she do beyond singing. Her reply was quick – that she also acts.
Apparently, Lea was amazed, Cydel said, adding, her reaction really touched me and made me realize how she appreciates the talent of young people, who have been inspired by her journey, starting as a child-singer and actress.
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When Cydel was about 3 years old, her father recalled, she would grab the microphone during family videoke sessions and tried to belt out tunes. “That’s when we noticed her love for singing,” he said.
Eventually, she started mimicking some acting scenes she watched onscreen.
Cydel is the eldest of the four children of Jose Marie Gabutero and wife Precy of Barangay 6 in San Carlos City.
She started performing in public particularly in Barangay Fiesta contests, when she was 5 years old. Since then, she has joined more than 100 local singing competitions, getting her loads of triumphs.
Cydel considers herself a home-trained singer. She gets tips from her father, a singing enthusiast, who has been her all-time critic. Apparently, he does not mind the “stage father” tag as he always accompanies his daughter when traveling while her mother stays at home to take care of her siblings.
Her father, who is a financial analyst in an insurance company, serves now as her career and financial manager.
She is thankful to those who have helped develop her performing ability -especially Nui Cabales, Jeremy Rondovio, John Ray Gonzalez and the LGBTQ+ community in the city. It was at Nui’s studio where she performed in the virtual The Voice finals last month.
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During Cydel and her family’s courtesy call on San Carlos City Mayor Renato Gustilo, Vice Mayor Christopher Paul Carmona and Sanggunian members on Aug. 20, the city government surprised her with the announcement that it will give her a commendation for giving honor to San Carlos through a Sanggunian resolution.
The city is also giving her a P50,000-cash incentive. I am thankful to our officials for their appreciation and support, she said.
She was widely applauded by the city employees when she sang “Angel”, her audition piece which she dedicated to her departed aunt and grandmother and “Lean on Me”, her winning piece.
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With the health crisis still limiting live performances, the singer continues entertaining followers via the online platforms, where she has proven herself capable of becoming big hit.
When she posted on YouTube her interpretation of Celine Dion’s “Power of Love”, she got, in a matter of days, more than 300,000 likes, the positive reactions reaching 1.26 million today and counting. Her viral post captured the attention of a TV network which interviewed her in a nationwide show.
Her most recent post, Adele’s “When We Were Young” appears on track of getting wide following.
At the same time, she maintains her Dream Board, where she posts her aspiration sand wishes.
She recently uploaded online the song, “Rise Up” while playing the ukulele, which she dedicated to the frontliners in the campaign against coronavirus. This week, she was part of a “Concert for a Cause”, a live show on Facebook.
“I plan to have my vlog soon,” she said so that she can entertain and inspire more people.
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This 11th grader at Tañon College wants to concentrate on her studies, finish her Senior High School and pursue her college education.
While she sets her eyes on a professional singing career, she plans to enroll in something else, which is just as close to her heart as music. “I want to study either Hotel and Restaurant Management or Culinary Arts,” she said.
She admitted feeling the pressure in her young singing career.
“There are instances when I feel like giving up, especially with my school load and hectic schedule,” she said, “but I draw strength from God and the words of encouragement my parents and family give me.” They inspire me in my dream of becoming a professional singer and a career woman, she said.* (With details from Eddie Flor Silva, Noel Mondragon, Sheryll Lou Paraguya, Denise Ayana Alfaro & Iansel Dacudag)
