Claiming this year’s UFest Star Search victory, the School of Engineering and Architecture (SEA) Tigers’ representative bagged gold despite the adversities that he encountered upon participating in the event.

Being a first-timer, SEA Tigers’ Ralph Klyde Tiu narrated that he did not expect the events to turn out in his favor because of his insufficient time for preparation.

“I actually thought [that] I wouldn’t be able to get into the top three because I’ve been sick for the last [few] weeks. I wasn’t able to practice at all last week. So, everything that you saw on stage was only three days’ worth of practice.”

Tiu also stated that he barely balanced his academics with the competition, especially because he had no relevant past experiences.

“I did not have a costume ready [and] as an architecture student, doing plates was the highlight of my UFest week. Everything was first for me; it’s my first time joining a contest at ADDU [and] I don’t really know how things work. It’s my first time having to balance preparation for such a big event with a very demanding course.”

The Star Search champion then shared that he was able to manage the difficulties by giving himself enough time to take a break.

“I cope by giving myself enough time to rest. Of course, I was stressed that the competition was coming up really soon, and I’ve had no significant amount of practice, but I chose to let myself rest and recover well so that I could give my all on the final days of preparation,” Tiu stated.

Participants competed in three rounds of the singing competition, the first and second rounds showcasing upbeat and ballad music, while in the third rounds, the top three finalists sang their renditions of Sam Smith’s hit song “Lay Me Down.”

Tiu mentioned that he wanted to remind himself that he was in a race with no one, thus his performance of “Karera” by Bini for the upbeat category.

Furthermore, he added that despite not being able to perform his first choice in the second round, his rendition of “Bakit Ba Ikaw” by Michael Pangilinan practically grew on him as days went by.

The Star Search champion also shared his techniques to train his voice, sharing the need to find the exact vocal warm-up style that would help in enhancing their voices as singers.

“First, I always go out for a run to increase my stamina because I’m a kid with asthma and rhinitis, so breathing is very hard for me at times; going on a run opens up my lungs, which helps me belt my songs out. Second, I do my facial exercises… Lastly, I use Sheryl Porter’s 10-minute vocal warm-up.”

Coming in second place is Accountancy (ACC) Griffin’s Louise Jazen Panzo, while School of Nursing (SON) Panthers’ McLean Pespeñan secured third place.

This year’s Star Search event was held on September 28 at the Bapa Benny Tudtud Auditorium.