Little Idol, big voice: Malubay, baby
Damian Grass

MIRAMAR(Fla)—When Ramiele Malubay takes the stage on “American Idol,” the 20-year-old with punkish blond streaks in her dark hair comes off as bubbly, polished and even a little edgy. That’s not exactly the young woman her friends and family say was too shy to sing “Happy Birthday” a few months ago.
When her parents tried to get her to sing a karaoke version at high school friend Arthur “A.J.” Ke’s birthday bash, the 20-year-old Malubay just hid in the corner and rolled her eyes. “Since it was a really cheap karaoke machine, a bunch of the words were spelled wrong,” Ke said. “But once she was up there, we were all cracking up, and we all ended up having a great time.”
And if it wasn’t for her father’s prodding, the diminutive Filipino-American singer with the big voice probably wouldn’t have auditioned a second time for “American Idol” — which means she wouldn’t be standing among the final 12 contestants on the top-rated Fox TV show. She was rejected in the initial stage last year and balked at going back. “I think she was lacking a bit of that confidence and didn’t want the people close to her expect too much from her,” neighbour Isidra Yokose said Tuesday night at the lobby of Hilton Garden Inn in Miramar, where family and friends have been meeting every week to watch the show, cheer for Malubay — and furiously text in votes on their cell phones, of course.
“She is so incredibly special to us and to the rest of the Filipino community,” added family friend Geny Panaligan-Ke, who organizes the “Watch ‘N Vote 4 Ramiele” gatherings. “I don’t know where she gets it, but she definitely has the talent, the potential and the confidence to make it,” Yokose said. “We are so proud of her, and we have all the faith in the world that she will make it big.” Before her good looks, tiny stature — she’s 4-foot-11 — and big voice made her a fan favourite, Malubay worked part-time as a waitress at a sushi restaurant in suburban Fort Lauderdale, where she grew up with her younger sister and her Filipino parents.