‘New Gen Divas’ Continue To Soar High
Called “New Gen Divas,” the group of four formidable young ladies are products of different reality singing competitions where they emerged either as finalists or winners.
Four young, fresh, unique and exquisite talents are now belting out their own style of music and vocal techniques in the weekly musical variety program “ASAP Natin ‘To.”
Called “New Gen Divas,” the group of four formidable members are products of different reality singing competitions where they emerged either as finalists or winners. The group was introduced during the April 25 episode of ASAP.
Cebuana singer Janine Berdin, 19, started her showbiz career by joining “Star Circle Kid Quest: Search for the Next Kiddie Superstars 4” in 2010. Unfortunately, she didn’t make it as the “Grand Kid Questor” but she still pursued acting projects and bit roles in some drama series until she returned to Cebu. Fast forward to 2018, she joined Season 2 of “Tawag ng Tanghalan” in “It’s Showtime” and was declared the grand champion.
Another Cebuana talent, Sheena Belarmino tried her luck in “Dance Kids” back in 2015 and became a grand finalist of “Tawag ng Tanghalan Kids” or TNT in 2017 alongside the well-known TNT Boys where she was landed in the fourth place. She also emerged as fourth placer in the grand finale of “Your Face Sounds Familiar Kids” Season 2 in 2018.
Elha Nympha won the second season of “The Voice Kids” in 2015 and made some appearances in the US version of “Little Big Shots” hosted by Steve Harvey and the French version of the “Little Big Stars” presented by Cyril Hanouna. She covered Sia’s “Chandelier” in both shows.
Zephanie Dimaranan or simply Zephanie was Ehla’s batchmate in “The Voice Kids.” She was also the contender of Janine in the qualifying round of TNT. Though she lost to both Ehla and Janine, Zephanie was determined to reach her dreams of becoming a singer until she finally won the “Idol Philippines” title in 2019.
Pressure Each Sunday
Every performance or segment of New Gen Divas is uploaded in the digital platforms of ABS-CBN Entertainment where it receives positive reviews from netizens and garners hundreds of thousands to millions of views.
Speaking to OneNews.PH, Janine and Sheena admitted that they feel overwhelmed by the feedbacks they are receiving after every number.
According to Janine, they didn’t expect the positive reactions from the public because they don’t have an audience whenever they perform in ASAP so they are not able to gauge if their number is appreciated. But the staff members of the show would tell them that their performances have reached millions of views in digital platforms. ASAP does not have a live audience to prevent the spread if COVID-19 amid the continuing pandemic.
“Hindi talaga namin ine-expect na ganoon iyong magiging reception ng mga tao sa amin po. Kasi kapag kumakanta kami sa ASAP eh walang audience so hindi namin alam if the people like it, kung nag-e-enjoy ba talaga sila, pero every time na sumasalang kami, kinakausap kami ng staff na iyong performances namin milyon-milyon na raw ang views. We’re so happy and grateful,” Janine said.
Sheena described the feeling as “very overwhelming” and “I am very grateful that the audience accepted us as New Gen Divas.”
Both Janine and Sheena said the number of views would add pressure every time they perform on stage. But it’s definitely a blessing to their respective careers.
“We really have to deliver our best because not everybody gets the chance. It was a big responsibility and pressure on our part” Janine said.
Sheena echoed Janine’s thoughts. “Na-pe-pressure talaga kami kasi baka hindi namin ma-reach iyong expectations ng ibang tao. Siyempre, may mga nam-ba-bash, hindi namin maiiwasan iyan pero ine-enjoy lang naming iyong fact na nakasali kami sa ASAP stage (We really feel pressured because we might not reach the people’s expectations. Of course, bashing is also there but we are just enjoying the fact that we get to performing on ASAP stage),” Sheena said.
No ‘sapawan’
The four young ladies have their own style of singing. Elha, Sheena, and Zephanie are power belters while Janine’s style is something edgy and rock soul, yet they collaborate well on stage.
For Janine, their chemistry really works. “That’s the best thing in us. We are (a) match made in heaven. When we have an idea, we work together to make it work.”
“We listen and adjust [to each other] whenever we perform on stage,” Sheena said.
Catch more of the “New Gen Divas” on “ASAP Natin ‘To” every Sunday noon on TV5.
