She was plucked from lovely Mililani, braces and all, to be replanted inside Hollywood boob tubes wherein literally overnight, she turned into America’s hula-shaking, faux peony wearing sweetheart. Now, after surviving five head-busting weeks in which her own crown almost rolled due to seesawed performances, will American Idol’s very own real-life sun-sighed Lilo, Jasmine Trias, be able to hold on to her swinging luck?
From top Jasmine Trias
and Camille Velasco
Everybody wants Jasmine
Jasmine Soriano Trias wafted in like a cool breeze when she first came into the picture. She is very young and delicate-looking yet she weakens knees when she steams up the screen with her solid, mature singing. And that’s what she usually does onstage: sing. She can be flirty and passionate when she wants to be without falling off the edge of decency. And her hip display of allegiance to her homeland—i.e., ear-flower power, hula-dancing tutorials backstage, Lilo & Stitch—made her into a stylish rage mistress and a source of pride for puka people.
The seventeener is the first contender of Asian heritage to make it this far—and so near the prized title—in American Idol (AI). Fellow Fil-Am, Camille Velasco reached the end of her yellow brick road two weeks ago, thus unloading all Asian banner-raising responsibilities on Jasmine.
“My mission is to bring Hawaii to the rest of the world,” she once said. Hawaiians love her, Filipinos are fascinated with her while America roots for her. However, her complicated ethnic origins—which she listed as Spanish, Filipino, and Chinese—has turned discussion boards on the web into racial war zones.
Philippines was originally listed as her birth place on her American Idol profile, but after one or two episodes, it had been changed into Hawaii; this was immediately picked up by Idol crabs. The pseudo-patriots cry foul, Uncle Sam claims the little brown girl and freethinkers say let it be.
Pragmatists think the change was done to solicit American votes. And since local adoration can’t give her the American Idol title, why suck up to the wrong nation? She is a full-blooded Filipino but had been raised in Hawaii, Yank state, so that technically makes her A-me-ri-can. Many Filipinos outside the land of milk and honey don’t recognize this technicality; she has Filipino parents and looks like a Filipino, so she must say that she’s a Filipino. But would US audience agree to a “Filipino” American Idol?
From golden to rotten . . . and back?
This almond-eyed Hawaiian wave has an oscillating history in AI. Sporting toothy hardware at her impressive yet never-shown audition in Waikiki, she was initially referred to as “girl with the braces,” then as “the Maryknoll mystery girl” since, in spite of consistently receiving all-thumbs up verdicts, she was a no-facer finalist up until the selection of the Final 12.
However, the blast of warmth that welcomed her into AI viewers’ fold more than made up for the early snub.
The AI judges’ response to this tropical zephyr’s rendition of “Run To You” during the semifinals whipped up quite a storm. She was the only person in the show to elicit flattering nods from all three judges: Grammy siren Paula Abdul called her “a pro” and major A&R daddy Randy Jackson said hers was a remarkable voice that they have loved from the start. Her favorite critic, Anglo whiplash Simon Cowell, of course, did away with the sweet talk and went straight to “good enough for me.”
All three agreed that she showed potential. And for five weeks, she did her best to actuate that potential with interesting results.
Soul Week, she soared; she was, as Paula had put it, “an effortless, beautiful spirit” and “superb” said Simon while guest arbiter Nick Ashford who wrote her song, “Inseparable,” thought it was a great rendition. Country Week, she went from golden to rotten; kindly put, the judges weren’t so down with her Faith Hill diva-ing in “Breathe.” However, she redeemed herself with an upbeat performance of “You’re All I Need To Get By” during Motown Week.
On Elton John Week, the usually subtle Jasmine went all out in “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” and eventually lost control of the notes, souring a totally great song. Simon rebuked her for “not doing enough to win,” Randy didn’t think she hit it on the mark while ever-nice Ms. Paula called it “pitchy”; all these nasties said and done in front of Sir Elton himself, who was lounging in the jury box. She almost bid AI aloha but AI junkies opted to kick Camille’s weak-act off the show and keep sweet-hot Jasmine.
She reverted to form last week, which had a movie theme and with meg master Quentin Tarantino on board but reception was lukewarm. She borrowed Sleepless in Seattle OST, “When I Fall In Love” and though she didn’t impress the axe-wielding trio as much as she did weeks before, the filmmaker called her “a delicate powerhouse.” “Good performance” said Randy while Paula commended her for doing a “good job.”
“You have a real nice tone to your voice, always real pleasant,” complimented Paula, a former diva herself.
Quentin added that he was very much a fan of the teener that it almost didn’t matter to him that her diva track act that night hardly falls under “greatest performance” rack.
But Simon was unforgiving. “Jasmine, let me tell you the problem with you and Diana (DeGarmo, another young contender): You are children trying to be adults, and it doesn’t connect. This is where you’re having a problem in the competition. If I’m being realistic, I could go to any Sheraton Hotel or a resort and hear somebody singing like you, and we’d all have a nice dance, and so what? And that’s the problem.”
We’d love to hear from the judges tonight what Simon told Jasmine that fateful day she got into the Final 12: “You have brought back what we love about you.”
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Date Posted:07:09:34 04/23/04 Fri Author Host/IP: NoHost/66.198.148.200
By Ricardo F. Lo
The Philippine Star 04/23/2004
Jasmine Putting Up A Good Fight
It seems that Jasmine Trias, the only Filipina on the American Idol elimination round after Camille Velasco was booted out, is on her way to, let’s keep our fingers crossed and pray, a good finish.
In the latest episode of the popular talent-search, Jasmine has stayed.
"She’s putting up a good fight," said Funfare’s Toronto-based "international correspondent" Ferdinand Lapuz.
The three African-American girls on the show – now known only by their first names, La Toya, Fantasia and Jennifer – are, so to speak, tough nuts to crack. One of them, Jennifer, has been booted out in this week’s elimination round.
"I got goosebumps when I heard Jasmine’s version of I’ll Never Love This Way Again," said Ferdinand. "She’s the only Asian, and a Filipino at that, to have gone this far on American Idol. Ibang putahe si Jasmine; she’s so refreshing."
Will Jasmine be "it"? Who knows? Stay tuned. * * *
Jasmine Trias: Fil-American idol