Sylvia Anne Ratonel (born 14 June 1988) is a Singaporean singer and spokesmodel. She is most popularly known as the first female finalist in ''
Singapore Idol
''Singapore Idol'' is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by MediaCorp Studios and FremantleMedia Operations BV. It began airing on MediaCorp Channel 5 on 9 August 2004, as an addition to the Idol franc ...
'' history as well as being the runner-up of the
third season. The show launched her career in music and entertainment; in January 2010, less than a month after the competition, she signed a full-time contract with national broadcaster
MediaCorp
Mediacorp Pte. Ltd., doing business as Mediacorp and stylised as mediacorp, is a media conglomerate in Singapore. Owned by Temasek Holdings—the holding company of the Government of Singapore—it owns television, radio, and digital media prope ...
, and sealed a recording deal with Universal Music Singapore in March of the same year Ratonel also became the first Singaporean celebrity ambassador for cosmetic brand
Maybelline
Maybelline New York (formerly The Maybelline Company and Mabelline and Co.), trading as Maybelline ( ), is an American multinational cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care company, based in New York City. It was founded in Chicago ...
New York. In 2010, Ratonel was ranked as part of the Top 100 Sexiest Women in the World by FHM Magazine. She also won the Breakout Star of the Year ELLE Awards 2010.
Her eponymous debut album, ''
Sylvia Ratonel
Sylvia Anne Ratonel (born 14 June 1988) is a Singaporean singer and spokesmodel. She is most popularly known as the first female finalist in ''Singapore Idol'' history as well as being the runner-up of the third season. The show launched her ca ...
'' was released on 27 October 2010, making her the third female ''Singapore Idol'' alum after Maia Lee and Olinda Cho to release an album. Four singles were released from the album, three of which became Top 10 hits on Singapore radio charts. Her post-competition career has made Ratonel the most successful female singer to emerge from ''Singapore Idol''.
Biography
1988–2009: Early life
Ratonel comes from a family of five, and has two brothers Bryan and Timothy. Her family faced financial struggles in her early years. When she was 10, the family moved into a small flat with only a living room and no bedroom. Ratonel later said in an interview that they "grew up sleeping together in one room, on mattresses".
[8 Days magazine, 24 December 2009. MediaCorp Pte Ltd] Life was not easy for her family. At times, they had to depend on church rations and would go to church every Sunday to receive food.
[CLEO Magazine, November 2010] Ratonel and her family now live in a two-bedroom HDB flat. She is of Filipino descent.
Ratonel attended Fengshan Primary School, and graduated to
Bedok View Secondary School
Bedok () is a planning area and matured residential town located in the geographical region of Tanah Merah along the south-eastern coast of the East Region of Singapore. Bedok is bounded by five other planning areas: Paya Lebar to the north, ...
, where she transferred from the Normal (Academic) stream to the Express stream.
She opted for a polytechnic education at
Temasek Polytechnic
Temasek Polytechnic (TP) is a post-secondary education institution and statutory board under the purview of the Ministry of Education in Singapore. Established in 1990, it is the only polytechnic in Singapore offering a law programme.
History ...
with the intention to start working earlier. Ratonel eventually graduated with a diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management. She worked part-time to supplement the family income during her time in Temasek Polytechnic.
After graduating, she deferred her plans to pursue a degree to avoid burdening her parents. Instead, she went to work at the Conrad Centennial Hotel as a secretary.
[Video, Sylvia Ratonel launches Motorola Dext phone and announces MediaCorp contrac]
/ref>
Growing up, Ratonel considered herself shy and timid and did not participate in school performances. Her family enforced a strict upbringing, such as the rule to return home everyday before 8:00 pm. At the age of 18, Ratonel left home in what was a rebellious phase, and began visiting clubs and drinking alcohol. She has since mended her relationship with her family and refers to herself as "a good girl who likes bad boys". Under the persuasion and encouragement of her family, Ratonel decided to audition for ''Singapore Idol'' in 2009 albeit having no professional vocal coaching prior to the competition.
2009: ''Singapore Idol''
On 6 June 2009, Ratonel participated in the auditions for the third season of ''Singapore Idol
''Singapore Idol'' is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by MediaCorp Studios and FremantleMedia Operations BV. It began airing on MediaCorp Channel 5 on 9 August 2004, as an addition to the Idol franc ...
'', held at The Cathay cineplex. Her audition impressed judge Ken Lim
Ken Lim (born 1964) is a Singaporean concept & campaign manager, concerts & event promoter, established artiste manager, composer, music producer & publisher. He is the executive director of Hype Records.
Early life and career
Ken Lim runs on ...
, who asserted that she had the potential to make it into the Top 10. Ratonel passed the callbacks and theatre auditions, with the judges' opinions divided on the amount of talent and potential that she possessed. However, at the Piano Show round in September, she managed impressed the judges with her rendition of Duffy's "Mercy
Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, relig ...
".
For several rounds, Ratonel alternated between being one of the strongest and weakest contestants, landing in the bottom two on two occasions. However, beginning with the Top 6 round, her support from the viewers had gained even momentum for her to advance through each round for five consecutive weeks, safely avoiding the elimination group in every round. After competing in the last semi-final round on 8 December, Ratonel became the first female finalist on ''Singapore Idol''. On 27 December 2009, she competed against Sezairi Sezali for the title of ''Singapore Idol'', and finished the competition as the runner-up. Despite being disappointed, Ratonel has expressed happiness of being able to reach the finals, saying "my Idol journey has been wonderful. I would never change anything about it. It's been a really long and tiring journey, but it's so fulfilling.... I'm really glad that I managed to touch many people's hearts, and their lives. I hope to continue doing that,"
In a post-Idol televised interview with both Ken Lim and Ratonel present, Lim answered that he "didn't think that atoneldid well" when asked about his opinions regarding the results, and compared her performances in the finals as weaker than those she had in the semi-final rounds.
* The episode was later revealed to be a non-elimination round, explaining a repeat of the Top 4 the following week.
2009–11: Post-''Idol'' career and debut album
Ratonel's first public performance after ''Singapore Idol'' was at the Celebrate 2010 Countdown Party at Marina Bay. She performed "Empire State of Mind
"Empire State of Mind" is a song performed by American rapper Jay-Z featuring American singer Alicia Keys from the former's 11th studio album, '' The Blueprint 3'' (2009). It was released on October 20, 2009. Produced by Al Shux, the song featur ...
" together with the rest of the ''Singapore Idol'' Top 13.
In January 2010, less than a month after ''Singapore Idol'', Ratonel was signed on a full-time contract with national broadcast station MediaCorp
Mediacorp Pte. Ltd., doing business as Mediacorp and stylised as mediacorp, is a media conglomerate in Singapore. Owned by Temasek Holdings—the holding company of the Government of Singapore—it owns television, radio, and digital media prope ...
. She was also engaged to promote the launch of the new Motorola Dext social-networking phone. On 23 and 24 January, she appeared in promotional events at the Iluma
Bugis+ (pronounced as Bugis Plus), formerly Iluma, is a 10-storey shopping mall located 5 minutes from Bugis MRT station. It is located within the Bugis district of Singapore and opened on 28 March 2009.
Building
Designed by WOHA, the facade o ...
cineplex in Singapore. Later in March, she signed a record deal with Universal Music Singapore. Her pan- Asian look caught the eye of make-up brand Maybelline and in that same month, she also became the new face of Maybelline New York, the first Singaporean celebrity ambassador for the popular cosmetics brand.
Prior to the end of ''Singapore Idol'', Ratonel and Sezairi Sezali had already agreed to have each other as featured artists on their debut album regardless of who won the competition. When Sezairi's debut album, ''Take Two'' was released in mid-2010, the track list was revealed to indeed contain a duet, titled "A Woman and a Man", with Ratonel as a featured artist.
Ratonel appeared as a guest star in the MediaCorp telemovie ''Seven Days''. In the movie she performed the duet "You and I" with Rai from the Singaporean pop duo Jack & Rai. In June, Ratonel made her debut as co-host alongside Michelle Chia in the MediaCorp weekly food variety show "Buffetlicious" on MediaCorp Channel 5
Channel 5 (Chinese: 五頻道) is a free-to-air, English-language television channel in Singapore. Owned by state broadcaster Mediacorp, it broadcasts general entertainment, news, and sports programming. The channel's logo is a big white number ...
.
On the 45th National Day Parade of Singapore, she covered Stefanie Sun's "One United People" and later lip-synced to a dance version of the parade's theme song, "Song For Singapore" alongside Sezairi Sezali. She was honoured to perform the National Anthem of Singapore before the start of the Singapore F1 Grand Prix race on 26 September 2010.
In the same month, Ratonel made it to the list of Top 100 Sexiest Women in the World in FHM
''FHM'' (For Him Magazine) is a British multinational men's lifestyle magazine that was published in several countries. Its master edition contained features such as the ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women in the World, which has featured models, actres ...
. She appeared on the cover of Cleo Cleo may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Cleo'' (magazine), an Australian magazine established in 1972, now active in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand
* Cleo (group), a South Korean girl group formed in 1999
* ''Cleo'' (play), by Lawren ...
in March and November 2010. She also appeared on the cover for Seventeen
Seventeen or 17 may refer to:
*17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18
* one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017
Literature
Magazines
* ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine
* ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...
in June. Ratonel won the Breakout Star of the Year ELLE Awards 2010 in December. Later that month, Ratonel recorded a duet of "Come Home to 5" with Sezali, a promotional theme song for Channel 5 which has been airing since 24 December 2010.
On 27 October 2010, Ratonel released her eponymous debut album, ''Sylvia Ratonel
Sylvia Anne Ratonel (born 14 June 1988) is a Singaporean singer and spokesmodel. She is most popularly known as the first female finalist in ''Singapore Idol'' history as well as being the runner-up of the third season. The show launched her ca ...
''. The album received mixed reviews from online critics and has yet to receive a sales certification. Four singles were released; "Fly", "It's Raining", "Mari Bersamaku" and "Loving You". With the exception of "Mari Bersamaku", every single has reached the Top 10 of the 987FM Top 20 Chart, with her highest-charting single, "It's Raining", peaking at No. 3. Ratonel released a music video for "It's Raining" to negative reviews. To further promote the album, Ratonel held an album launch party at The Boiler Room at St James Power Station
St James Power Station is a building located in HarbourFront, Singapore. Built in 1926, it was Singapore's first power station, having supplied electricity to the nearby port and the surrounding industries, shipyards and residences. It was previ ...
on November 2010.
2011:
Aladdin
Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...
According to her Twitter page, Ratonel has been involved in two charity events set to take place in July and August 2011. She also announced on Twitter in June that her audition for a role in a musical has been successful. The musical was later revealed to be a Singaporean adaptation of Aladdin, with Ratonel playing the female lead role of Jasmine. The show ran from 24 November to 17 December 2011.
Ratonel once again received national honour by being selected to record the theme song, "In A Heartbeat", for the 2011 National Day Parade of Singapore. This made Ratonel the first female alum (and third overall) from Singapore Idol to record an original national theme song, and the first non-winner to do so. A music video was filmed for the song and released on 4 July 2011, but Ratonel does not appear in it as a result of negative reception from her previous video, "It's Raining".
Discography
Albums
Singles
Other songs
The following songs are not (official or promotional) singles and have not appeared on an album by Sylvia Ratonel.
Music videos
Awards and nominations
References
External links
* Sylvia Ratonel YouTube Channe
* Interview with RazorT
* Sylvia Ratonel Official Faceboo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ratonel, Sylvia
1988 births
Living people
21st-century Singaporean women singers
Temasek Polytechnic alumni
Singaporean people of Filipino descent