The daughter of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Dubai won in a singing competition, besting more than 200 other contest hopefuls and taking home the prize money of Dh10k (Php145k) last December 9, 2018.
Keira Isabelle Celiz, just 11 years old, hails from Iloilo City in central Philippines. She now lives in Dubai with her OFW parents, studying at GEMS Founders School, a UK curriculum school located in Al Barsha, Dubai.
According to Bree, Keira’s mother, the young student went through the initial audition for GEMS Best of the Best 2018 – Juniors Division which was attended by nearly 250 other contestants. Keira made it to the final cut, becoming part of the 15 finalists who performed live on the show held at held at GEMS Modern Academy.
The young lady performed Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good”, clinching the top spot and going home with a trophy plus Dh10,000 (Php145,000).
“We felt very nervous and amazed during her performance. It felt like we are looking into a different person on stage–the way she sung as well as her stage presence,” Bree shared to The Filipino Times.
“We did not really expect it because all the candidates are superb. They had proper voice lessons and training, while my daughter is only singing at home for fun.”
Keira’s parents are proud of her performance. It was great to know that even though she did not undergo formal voice lessons or training, she still won the show! This simply proves that this young lady has superb talent.
Aside from Keira, two other Filipinos competed in the singing contest’s seniors division: Sara Esmaeili (Filipina-Emirati) from GEMS Metropole School and Natalie Kate Atay from Al Khaleej National School.
Photo credits: The Filipino Times, Definitely Filipino
