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Ivy Grace Paredes |
Dubai: For any amateur singer, making it big on a singing competition such as The X Factor is a dream come true.
Ivy Grace Paredes, a 33-year-old Filipino mum from Dubai, recently experienced that moment when she earned four ‘yes’ votes at her X Factor UK audition, where she performed a powerful rendition of Whitney Houston’s All The Man That I Need.
“I’m very happy. It’s a very nice feeling,” Paredes told tabloid! over the phone.
“I just used to watch X Factor UK on YouTube, and one day I’m there auditioning. The spotlight was on me and I learned it’s never easy to get through X Factor UK.”
Paredes said being star-struck because of the show’s famous judges nearly ruined her performance.
“After my performance, I felt disappointed. I was not able to focus because it was the first time I saw Simon [Cowell], Nicole [Scherzinger], Sharon Osbourne and Louis [Walsh]. So there were times I was a little bit out of tune, but I was still hoping to get four yes votes,” Paredes said.
The invitation to the audition came just a month after Paredes signed a contract as a singer at Rocky’s Cafe in Regent Palace Hotel in Dubai.
Paredes moved to Dubai in 2009 to work at Comedy Junction in Al Mamzar. She later won UAE’s Global Pinoy Singing Idol, a competition organised by Filipino radio station DZMM.
“I made a lot of sacrifices [to join this competition]. I gave up my work in Dubai to try my luck. Two days after I got the invitation I resigned,” said Paredes, who left Dubai on May 2 and went to the UK on May 11.
Parades is a native of Davao del Sur in southern Philippines but grew up in Malaybalay, Bukidnon. She started singing professionally and in competitions when she was nine years old. At 14, she gave up her studies to work as a singer to support her family and put her two siblings through school. Even after her experience as a singer in Dubai and after joining several competitions in the Philippines, including Talentadong Pinoy, the Philippines’ version of the Got Talent franchise, Paredes was reluctant to audition for The X Factor UK.
“I was too scared to join the X Factor. Because of my age I don’t have enough confidence to compete in such big competitions. It was [businessman] Kunal Bhansali who encouraged me to [participate in] big singing competitions,” Paredes said. She met Bhansali at a competition in Dubai.
“He cited 4th Impact as an example. He said that I should not waste my talent since I already have a child. I want to thank him for his trust in me as an artist, as a mother and as a friend. He never doubted my capacity and whatever happens at X Factor — win or lose — his support is always there”.
4th Impact is a Filipino girl group who participated in the 12th season of The X Factor UK.
Paredes submitted her audition piece in the last week of March where she sang the same Houston song. She received the invitation to attend a live audition a month later.
“I really didn’t expect it. I was just trying my luck,” Parades said. “I wasn’t even sure if I sent the best audition video. I just chose a video with a good audio.”
Paredes did not know anybody in London, but she says she got support from Filipinos living there. She also met 4th Impact, who she said inspired her.
“They told me to stay focused, do my best in singing, follow all the X Factor rules and be disciplined,” Parades said.
Paredes now joins X Factor UK’s boot camp, but she can’t talk about what’s happening as per the competition’s rules.
“So far what I can only share what you saw on TV. We are not allowed to [talk beyond that]. But yes, the next round is the boot camp,” she said.
She also admitted that her Dubai experiences helped her on X Factor. “It helped my lungs,” Paredes said, laughing.
“If a singer does not sing for a long time, it’s like the lungs shrink and need time to stretch again. So since I perform and sing in Dubai every day, [that served as good preparation]. When I arrived here for X Factor, I didn’t easily get tired. That was my advantage.
“Plus, for so many years I’ve been performing in front of people, different events, so my advantage over other contestants is that I know how to choose my songs,” Paredes added.
Despite her experience as a singer, she says she still feels stage fright during a performance in front of a huge audience but she’s learnt to control it. With her newfound success, Paredes is expected to get more invitations to perform in concerts, particularly in the UAE and the Philippines. She returns to Dubai on October 21 for a show at Club of Asia at Wafi Mall.
“I really want to perform again in Dubai and meet all the Filipinos who are supporting me there,” she said. “As much as possible I want to visit those countries that [have] Filipinos who are supporting me since I have enough time now to send [them a] message or thank them personally. It’s not also easy for them to [stay up] in the wee hours just to watch my X Factor performance,” Paredes said.
Among all the positivity towards her viral video, Paredes said she also has her fair share of haters.
“There are also a lot of Filipinos who are against me or doubt me,” she said. “I can’t please everyone, but I still I want to thank them because it will motivate me further to do my best in the competition.”
Her biggest motivation is her two-year-old daughter, she said.
“I don’t know yet what happens after X Factor UK, but I do know that I need to work hard for her,” Paredes said. “I really want to be successful for my daughter. Most of the time I’m travelling and I’m afraid anytime anything could happen. So that’s why I want to make my life secure because that’s what I’m going to leave to my daughter — a life that is secure. I need to be both a loving mother and a father who works for her future.”
