42 Facts About Mau Marcelo

Mau Marcelo was called "Philippines' Diamond Diva" after her much-applauded performance of "Diamonds Are Forever" by Shirley Bassey during the Movie and Musical Theme Week.

Mau Marcelo was the Philippine representative to Asian Idol, which was held on December 15 and 16,2007 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Mau Marcelo's father left the family when she was four months old, while her mother died when she was 14.

Mau Marcelo has a half-sister from her mother and two half-brothers and another half-sister from her father.

Mau Marcelo first performed publicly in a singing contest during her school's foundation day when she was first grade.

Mau Marcelo eventually joined different local singing contests around her native Quezon Province when she was eight, winning most of the time thus giving her a boost of self-esteem.

Mau Marcelo eventually graduated in Quezon National High School and attended college in Manuel S Enverga University Foundation, both in Lucena City.

Mau Marcelo joined her first national singing competition through Star for a Night, which was shown on IBC-13.

Mau Marcelo reached the grand finals, but lost to Sarah Geronimo.

Mau Marcelo eventually joined a band called "Chemical Syndrome" and toured around Lucena City and surrounding areas.

Mau Marcelo has joined other televised singing competitions such as Star Quest at ABS-CBN's Magandang Tanghali Bayan and ABC-5's Sing Galing.

In 2004, Mau Marcelo went to Singapore to gain foreign exposure in singing with the help of her stepsister's husband.

Mau Marcelo even joked in an interview that she had so many trophies in her house that she donated some of them to gay beauty pageants.

Mau Marcelo tried out in Philippine Idol through a "fast track" screening held in SM City Lucena.

Mau Marcelo was contestant number 1646 during her auditions in Pasay, wherein she sang Jaya Ramsey's "Laging Naroon Ka".

Mau Marcelo's audition was not shown on Philippine Idol, although she appeared during the final phase of the theater eliminations singing "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" by Laura Branigan.

Mau Marcelo did not reach the Top 4 of the Women's Semi-finals and had to go through the Wildcard.

Mau Marcelo's confidence slowly started to dwindle to the point that she commented during the Wildcard Results Show, when there was only one finalist spot to fill, that Philippine Idol is a "beauty contest".

When her name was finally called as one of the finalists, Mau Marcelo cried out loud on stage.

Mau Marcelo talked to him about what she was going through the competition.

Mau Marcelo advised that she can continue with the contest, but would rather not see her getting hurt in the process.

Mau Marcelo received immense fan support during Philippine Idol to the point that some of them even lent their services to her by giving her a total make-over from her choice of clothes, hairstyle, posture, and even her manner of speaking.

Mau Marcelo even underwent a strict South Beach Diet and lost 12 pounds during the competition.

Lea Salonga, who was a guest judge during the Movie and Musical Theme Week on November 19,2006, praised Mau Marcelo and named her as the best singer in the competition.

Mau Marcelo was called twice in the "Hot Spot", wherein the official Bottom 3 or 2 were not announced.

Mau Marcelo rebounded on her third song, "Try It on My Own" by Whitney Houston, which was the record company's choice and would become her "victory song" if ever she would win.

Mau Marcelo clarified in a press conference that everything was settled, adding that Viva Entertainment released a statement saying that the company "was very happy for her".

Entertainment columnist Lolit Solis even joked that Mau Marcelo fitted perfectly to play the role of Eunice Lagunsad's mother.

Mau Marcelo admitted that she did not fit the mold of Filipino pop singers, referring to the local audience's penchant to idolize singers based on looks rather than talent.

Mau Marcelo decided on extending her stay in the Philippines to focus on her career, adding that she would still pursue singing if she would migrate to the United States.

Together with her fellow Idol finalists, Mau Marcelo performed in a concert held in Araneta Coliseum on March 23,2007.

Mau Marcelo guested in a Lani Misalucha concert together with Frenchie Dy, wherein the three of them performed a Dreamgirls medley.

Mau Marcelo's guests include fellow Idol finalist and Lucena resident Reymond Sajor and Chemical Syndrome band, in which she was a former member.

Mau Marcelo has yet to have a regular stint on TV, compared to Magdangal who became a talent for SOP Rules weeks after Philippine Idol.

Mau Marcelo said that she is happy for him and not envious of his success.

Mau Marcelo performed in Singapore as part of Built from Skratch Skool tour music promotions in 2010 where she showcased new material which would later be released in the Philippines.

In December 2007, Mau Marcelo participated in Asian Idol, which was held in December 2007 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Mau Marcelo performed "Ako ang Nasawi, Ako ang Nagwagi" by Dulce and Gloria Estefan's "Reach".

Mau Marcelo was part of the compilation album of Star for a Night.

Mau Marcelo recorded a title track under Sony BMG include singles on the Philippine Idol: The Final 12 CD: "Minsan Lang Kitang Iibigin" and "Kaleidoscope World".

Besides the title track, the EP includes two other songs Mau Marcelo performed on Philippine Idol, as well as "Minus One" versions of these songs.

Mau Marcelo said that the title track best describes her struggles during Philippine Idol as well as her way of thanking her fans for their unwavering support.