Fil-Canadian Boy Named Top Singer at WCOPA
By Marieton Pacheco, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau
Posted at 07/23/2015 4:22 PM | Updated as of 07/23/2015 10:32 PM
BRITISH COLUMBIA, Canada – A 12-year-old Filipino-Canadian boy was named as the Junior Vocalist Champion of the World in the recently concluded World Championship of the Performing Arts (WCOPA) in Long Beach, California.
Ethan David won gold in almost every category he joined, from Broadway, pop, rock, rap and more. He bested about 200 other participants in the 11 to 15 category.
He made it to the finals and was declared Junior Vocalist Champion of the year.
“Down to finals, they only picked 5 so I really got nervous there cause I never thought I’d get to the finals. I actually feel very happy and also I cried because I never thought I’d get that far,” he said.
But success did not come easy for the young performer whose parents initially did not want him to join the competition.
“First obstacle was the financial aspect cause it involves a lot of money. I told him when he wanted to join the contest, I said right away ‘no’,” said his mother Maridel David.
His father, Froilan David, added, “He really worked hard, his goal was to knock on a hundred doors…a lot of times he got rejected but you won’t see it on his face that he’s sad. He’ll just smile and say ok.”
David spent the last six months raising money to fund his WCOPA dream from selling candy, recycling bottles, and holding fundraising concerts. It comes as no surprise why the Filipino community has been touched by his story.
“Without them, I won’t be at the World Championship of Performing Arts. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you,” he said.
David is set to visit the Philippines next month for a guesting stint and a project with a US based music producer is also in the works.