Renaldo Lapuz
Encyclopedia
Renaldo Lapuz (born December 18, 1962) is a Filipino
-American
who auditioned on the seventh season
of the television series American Idol
, singing the self-written song "We're Brothers Forever."
. His mother is of German descent and lives in Wisconsin. Lapuz immigrated to the United States in 2004, and worked as a janitor at Greyhound
and Wal-mart. Lapuz regularly sang as a member of the Filipino Choir at Immaculate Conception Church in Reno, Nevada
.
In 2007 Renaldo Lapuz auditioned for American Idol in Dallas, Texas
. For his audition, he sang his own original song, "We're Brothers Forever", while wearing a handsome wide-brimmed, winged, marabou
feather-covered white hat with the word "SIMON" printed on it and a metallic silver cape. During his audition, which aired in January, judge Simon Cowell
complimented him but gently rejected him by saying of his performance "I'm going to make a prediction here. I have a horrible feeling that it's going to be a hit record. You're very entertaining. I actually like you... but it's going to be a no." (Due to his age he was also ineligible.) Lapuz returned to the show to sing his song during the finale of American Idol Season 7 in May 2008, this time supported instrumentally by the University of Southern California
marching band.
, the first of which being so popular that it generated a cease and desist
letter from News Corp. Subsequent releases have received more than 59,640,100 hits. His audition piece has become so popular that about five of his now famous video clips have landed in the top 10 most favorite for the week, totaling to about 39,056,000 favorites as of posting time. Since it was uploaded on January 16, Lapuz's seven-minute video has attracted more than 59,590,998 views (as of 11 pm, Tuesday, May 20, 2008), which is also among the top views in YouTube for the week.
In February 2008, the Philippine Daily Inquirer
reported that a major label with local operations was trying to locate Lapuz for "a possible recording deal".
On November 24, 2010, Lapuz released a new album on iTunes, Amazon, and Napster. His new album consisted of two self-written songs, "Christmas Chocolatee" and "Daddy", in both English and Tagalog. Speaking with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Reynaldo recalled the inspiration to "Christmas Chocolatee:" "When I was a little boy, my late sister Fe Lapuz-Velasco gave me a toy, a plastic kid on a horse. It was my first Christmas gift and I remember drinking hot and sweet tsokolate and eating ‘tasty’ bread with no filling, for Noche Buena."
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who auditioned on the seventh season
American Idol (season 7)
The seventh season of American Idol, the annual reality show and singing competition, began on January 15, 2008 and concluded on May 21, 2008. Ryan Seacrest continued to host the show with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returning as judges...
of the television series American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, singing the self-written song "We're Brothers Forever."
Biography
Lapuz is a native of the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. His mother is of German descent and lives in Wisconsin. Lapuz immigrated to the United States in 2004, and worked as a janitor at Greyhound
Greyhound
The Greyhound is a breed of sighthound that has been primarily bred for coursing game and racing, and the breed has also recently seen a resurgence in its popularity as a pedigree show dog and family pet. It is a gentle and intelligent breed...
and Wal-mart. Lapuz regularly sang as a member of the Filipino Choir at Immaculate Conception Church in Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
.
In 2007 Renaldo Lapuz auditioned for American Idol in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. For his audition, he sang his own original song, "We're Brothers Forever", while wearing a handsome wide-brimmed, winged, marabou
Marabou
Marabou can refer to:* Marabou Stork, a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae* Marabou , a Swedish chocolate brand* Marabou , a historical term for a multiracial person in Haiti...
feather-covered white hat with the word "SIMON" printed on it and a metallic silver cape. During his audition, which aired in January, judge Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
complimented him but gently rejected him by saying of his performance "I'm going to make a prediction here. I have a horrible feeling that it's going to be a hit record. You're very entertaining. I actually like you... but it's going to be a no." (Due to his age he was also ineligible.) Lapuz returned to the show to sing his song during the finale of American Idol Season 7 in May 2008, this time supported instrumentally by the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
marching band.
Internet popularity
Lapuz's American Idol Season 7 audition piece was a favorite on video sites, with more than 68.2 million hits in the video sharing website YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, the first of which being so popular that it generated a cease and desist
Cease and desist
A cease and desist is an order or request to halt an activity and not to take it up again later or else face legal action. The recipient of the cease-and-desist may be an individual or an organization....
letter from News Corp. Subsequent releases have received more than 59,640,100 hits. His audition piece has become so popular that about five of his now famous video clips have landed in the top 10 most favorite for the week, totaling to about 39,056,000 favorites as of posting time. Since it was uploaded on January 16, Lapuz's seven-minute video has attracted more than 59,590,998 views (as of 11 pm, Tuesday, May 20, 2008), which is also among the top views in YouTube for the week.
In February 2008, the Philippine Daily Inquirer
Philippine Daily Inquirer
The Philippine Daily Inquirer, popularly known as the Inquirer, is the most widely read broadsheet newspaper in the Philippines, with a daily circulation of 260,000 copies. It is one of the Philippines' newspapers of record...
reported that a major label with local operations was trying to locate Lapuz for "a possible recording deal".
On November 24, 2010, Lapuz released a new album on iTunes, Amazon, and Napster. His new album consisted of two self-written songs, "Christmas Chocolatee" and "Daddy", in both English and Tagalog. Speaking with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Reynaldo recalled the inspiration to "Christmas Chocolatee:" "When I was a little boy, my late sister Fe Lapuz-Velasco gave me a toy, a plastic kid on a horse. It was my first Christmas gift and I remember drinking hot and sweet tsokolate and eating ‘tasty’ bread with no filling, for Noche Buena."