Cebuanas who made it big in singing include Pilita Corrales, Dulce, Manilyn Reynes, Vina Morales, Sherlyn Regis, Amapola, Anna Fegi, Morisette Amon, and the two “The Clash” winners, Golden Canedo from Season 1 and Jessica Villarubin from Season 3.
Jehramae is from Talisay and she won P1 million cash and a five-year recording contract with Viva Entertainment in the exciting finals last May 8. Her runners up are Hans Paranda, 15, of Antipolo, and Jannah Faye Bocatia, 18, of Manila.
Jehramae rendered the ballad, “Sana,” of I Belong To the Zoo as her winning piece. “The three of us chose different genres in our performances,” Jehramae offered.
“I would always convey the message of my song to the Star Agents. I gave my best throughout the competition.” Andrew E, Sam Concepcion, Katrina Velarde, Janine Teñoso and Georcelle Dapat-Sy served as the Star Agents of “Born To Be A Star.”
In Cebu, Jehramae joined a number of mall and barangay singing contests. From the time she was 10 years old, she also started taking voice workshops in Cebu. As early as 12, she started joining musical competitions.
“Ang daming singing competitions na dumaan sa buhay ko, like ‘Tawag ng Tanghalan’ and ‘Idol Philippines’,” says Jehramae who’d go to Manila just to join amateur contests.
“Ilang beses ako natalo pero hindi ako pinanghinaan ng loob. Marami din akong natutuhan sa mga pagkatalo ko, but I managed to improve and rise above my losses.”
This makes her a true-blue kontesera. By the time she was proclaimed grand winner in Born to be a Star, one can truly say that the time was ripe for Jehramae to finally claim her triumph.
Jehramae is grateful that “Born to be a Star” provided her with a venue to showcase her singing talents to a wider audience, a unique experience that could very well pave the way for a professional singing career.
By staying focused on her goals all throughout the competition, Jehramae was able to consistently shine the brightest, a fact that did not escape the discerning eyes of the Star Agents.
She told herself: “Ito ‘yung dream mo, Jehramae. Ito ‘yung passion mo. So just keep on going. You won’t reach your dreams if you just wish for it. You have to work hard for your dreams. Yun ang hindi ko inalis sa isip ko.”
Born and raised in Cebu, Jehramae really learned to speak Tagalog fluently. “The competitions were always here in Manila,” she said. “I should be good at speaking in Tagalog.”
Today, Jehramae can converse in fluent Tagalog with hardly any Cebuano accent. You can simply just ask her where she hails from to know her roots.
The youngest in a brood of four, Jehramae is presently in Grade 11 at the Asian College of Technology, an international school in Cebu. She admits she found it hard juggling her time between singing and coping with her online classes as a student of Accountancy and Business Management (ABM).
“There were times I really had to cope with school,” she admitted.
“I would miss out on activities on time, but my teachers gave me consideration. They understood and allowed me to catch up.
"They gave me special activities. Aside from being a professional singer, I also want to finish college. It’s really different when you graduate and have a college degree.”
Her inspiration and role model is Sarah Geronimo.
“She’s a real big star,” said Jehramae about Sarah. “She can do a lot of things. Singing, acting, dancing, hosting. I want to be like her, all around. She’s my big inspiration. I’m really trying my best to explore new things. In this industry, you should not just stick to one. You should be ready to explore your craft and show your versatility.”
