Marcelito Pomoy In Concert: A Revelation

By: Maria Girlie Pascual

I have heard about him, read about him, maybe heard snippets of his YOU TUBE stored performances, but never really paid much attention to this world famous Filipino curiosity who can sing in both male and female voices, until now. I was assigned to interview Marcelito Castro Pomoy last Sunday, April 3, 2022, when he performed at the Doubletree Hotel in Skokie, by my publisher Ms V, who also attended the event. Producer and Director Extraordinaire Gerry Rebello made the introduction, and soon, I was in front of Marcelito after his gracious wife, Joan, asked him to sit with me for a few minutes for the interview for the Chicago Philippine Reports TV an hour before the show started.

We exchanged a few pleasantries and got right to a very casual, impromptu conversation while James Delacruz recorded the interview for editing later. It went very quickly, maybe a mere fifteen minutes or so because I was acutely aware of his need to vocalize and do a final sound check prior to the concert. He shared details about his upcoming shows, how COVID greatly affected his performance schedule after he secured a place as a finalist in the 2019 America’s Got Talent (AGT): The Champions series, and how excited he was that Joan Paraiso Pomoy, his wife of seven years, is 7 months pregnant with his second child after raising a 7 year old daughter in Manila as their eldest.

Marcelito’s concert this tour was actually his first singing gig after the Philippines went on lockdown in 2019, and Marcelito was not able to follow-up and perform after winning AGT and had to turn down concerts in some US cities including Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York. He was very charming, always smiling and very respectful with the requisite “po” and “opo” between responses.

Surprisingly, I did not learn about Marcelito Pomoy from my interview with him, but rather I came to know the man and the performer when he opened up his heart and shared his wonderful talent to his audience which included this writer. He recounted how he was abandoned by his mother when his father went to prison at a very young age. His life story was quite shocking and sad to hear, how at 8 years old he lived in the streets until a police man adopted him. He remembered how he did odd jobs until he was in his teens, and during that period in his life, while working for a Chinese businessman tending to chickens in a poultry farm, Marcelito lightened his load by singing to the chickens. By doing so, he realized that he had a gift to share. Driven by the desire to rise above the poverty that he had known all his life, Pomoy honed his singing talent, joined multiple contests until his uncanny skill in singing both male and female voices landed him the title of Grand Champion in season 2 of “Pilipinas Got Talent” in 2018. Winning this prestigious contest opened a world of opportunity for him including a guest spot at the “Ellen De Generes Show” the same year. From then on, the offers came pouring in, landing him a spot at the “America’s Got Talent: The Champions” series putting him firmly on the international stage as a bonafide singing sensation. That is, until COVID shut down the world, and Marcelito had to wait patiently for his star turn.

The revelation that struck me that night was when he was finally reunited with his mother and sister after he almost died at he hospital needing financial help, he was greeted unkindly by both. Instead of turning his back to them for their cruelty, Marcelito decided to share with them his success, forgiving and bestowing kindness instead of bitterness. That, I believe, was his greatest achievement, to forgive and to pay it forward with his charitable work and deeds, fundraising for the less fortunate and hoping to make a difference in their lives. That was the true revelation. The entertainment part was the cherry on top. Singing crowd favorites that got him to where he is today, I could not help but admire the man behind the story, and the voice behind the fame. Champion, philanthropist, good father, kind husband, this diminutive man dreamt big, reached for the stars and even in his darkest hour, knew that God would save him. Sing on Marcelito, and yes, “The Prayer”, your prayer, has indeed been answered. Congratulations for a successful Chicago concert, please come back soon!