‘I lost my self-confidence:’ Ramiele Malubay

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LOS ANGELES — Ramiele Malubay, the 20-year-old sushi waitress from Miramar, Florida who dreamt of becoming the first Asian Idol, got booted out of the top-rated talent show “American Idol” last Wednesday, April 2. “I felt like I disappointed my fans, my family, my race, the Asian people,” she said in a telephone press conference call with various media outlets here and abroad.
Malubay, who made it to the top 10, is assured of participating in the “American Idol Tour” which will bring the top 10 finalists to perform all over the U.S. The petite 4’11” singer, who sang Dolly Parton’s “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?,” seemed to have lost her confidence as the show progressed.

Below are excerpts of the telephone conference call that Philippine News participated:

I am sorry you got voted off. Could you tell us a little bit about what you were feeling?
I did not want to be all negative. I just felt that a lot more went into all these things. Nobody wants to go home. But all of us have to leave some time. There is only one winner.

And how far did you think could you go?
I’ve always just get by weekly because I didn’t want to think that I was going to be booted out. If you think of it that way, your experience is totally erased. I made it in the tour, so I am excited for that.

You have heard about the success that Jasmine Trias had in the Philippines after Idol. Would you consider following Jasmine’s path and have your career both here and in the Philippines?
Yes, I want to go back home and see what I could do over there. She left a lot for me to follow so I am grateful for her for being the first Filipino American Idol, to go beyond the show and do big things.

I noticed your family was there every week. Did they temporarily move out to L.A.?
No. My dad would fly every week and my sister, it was actually her first week here.

Did you feel any added pressure because you wanted to become the first Asian Idol?
Yes. But just to see the fan base grow was flattering. It was exciting but I felt I have to do well not only for myself and parents, but also for the people supporting me.

You did not have as much experience as some of the other performers this year. Did you feel you had some catching up to do?
No, we are all on the same playing field. I was okay with the way things were.

Do you think Simon Cowell was kind of cool on you from the beginning?
Simon is nice. Backstage he said, cry on my shoulder. He was telling me, it was the song choice. I know it was the song choice.

You came out strong in the first week and then it seemed like something happened. Was it nerves?
I let my performance on the first week go to my head and I tried to over think things too much. When you do that, the song just gets out of control.

How was your confidence?
My confidence dropped. I should have never second-guessed myself.

How did you handle pressure?
Crying every week for everyone leaving is how I handled the pressure, just letting it all out.

Do you plan to come back to the Philippines?
Yes, I do. Probably for Christmas because I have not spent Christmas in the Philippines yet. Last time I was there was in 2006.

How do Americans react when you say your favorite singers are Regine Velasquez and Lani Misalucha?
They give me the face of, who is that? Some of them know them, though.

How did you go about choosing your songs each week?
I would try to just look at the song and see what I could do with it.

Were there any songs that you had really wanted to sing?
I wanted to sing “A House Is Not A Home.”

What kind of album will we expect from you?
I grew up listening to a lot of 60s, 70s, 80s and I would love to make an R&B solo album and make it a little bit more upbeat, add my flavor to some old songs or covers.

You hold the record for changing your song the most often and that your family kept giving you song advice during the competition. Was that still the case?
No, they stopped giving me choices. I was like, come on, let me be. I tried to tune everybody else out so I would not get so stressed and so psyched out.

Do you guys have access to computers?
We are allowed on the internet but it is our choice whether or not to look at all those things.

What is next for you?
I want to sing in L.A. If that does not work, I am going back to nursing. I want to try acting too.

What did you learn from your experience in Idol?
I learned to be more humble, to appreciate things more, to be more courteous and to acknowledge everybody who worked on the show.

What advice do you have for future contestants?
Be yourself. Enjoy every single minute of it.