Arts & Leisure
Posted on January 18, 2016 05:15:00 PM
Chadleen calls the tune
Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman
HER NAME may not ring a bell just yet. But Chadleen Lacdo-o, a rising singer-songwriter artist, is bound to make waves thanks to her talent. But more than her singing skills, she has an inspiring tale of triumph. She was born with a cleft palate, overcame it, and is now dubbed as the country’s “Miracle Artist.”
The 20-year-old singer from Cebu, who launched her self-titled debut album on Jan. 13 at the Hyatt City of Dreams, was bullied in class as a small child because of her condition.
A cleft palate is a congenital split in the roof of the mouth, which makes one speak nasally.
“I used to ask myself why I was different. I remember it so well. The class was on break and our teacher was looking for entertainment. I volunteered to sing in front of the class, but they ended up laughing at me,” she told BusinessWorld.
She had two operations to fix her deformity. The first surgery was a major failure. Her stitches opened four days after the operation. She was two years old.
“We were feeling hopeless,” she said.
But at the age of four, she and her mother lined up for Operation Smile’s mission in Cebu. Operation Smile is a non-profit organization that provides free reconstructive surgery to children with facial deformities. Ms. Lacdo-o was the last patient in the last day of the provincial mission.
Her operation was a success. Since then, she has become Operation Smile’s poster girl, traveling here and abroad to sing and inspire her audience with the belief that like her, they, too, can overcome struggles.
“Singing has been my speech therapy to help me with my diction,” she said.
She pursued her childhood dream of singing in front of an audience -- and this time, no one was laughing at her. In 2013, she joined and won TV5’s Kanta Pilipinas, a reality talent show, which had composer Ryan Cayabyab and singers Lani Misalucha and Rico Blanco as judges. Her winning piece was a rendition of Rivermaya’s “Himala,” which is included in her debut album.
Under 12 Stone Records, her album, with seven tracks, is dedicated to anyone who’s struggling physically or emotionally, she said. It includes three original songs: “Sana Ikaw Na Nga,” the carrier track that she wrote two years ago, “Thank You,” and “Salamat sa Ngiti.” -- Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman
A cleft palate is a congenital split in the roof of the mouth, which makes one speak nasally.
“I used to ask myself why I was different. I remember it so well. The class was on break and our teacher was looking for entertainment. I volunteered to sing in front of the class, but they ended up laughing at me,” she told BusinessWorld.
She had two operations to fix her deformity. The first surgery was a major failure. Her stitches opened four days after the operation. She was two years old.
“We were feeling hopeless,” she said.
But at the age of four, she and her mother lined up for Operation Smile’s mission in Cebu. Operation Smile is a non-profit organization that provides free reconstructive surgery to children with facial deformities. Ms. Lacdo-o was the last patient in the last day of the provincial mission.
Her operation was a success. Since then, she has become Operation Smile’s poster girl, traveling here and abroad to sing and inspire her audience with the belief that like her, they, too, can overcome struggles.
“Singing has been my speech therapy to help me with my diction,” she said.
She pursued her childhood dream of singing in front of an audience -- and this time, no one was laughing at her. In 2013, she joined and won TV5’s Kanta Pilipinas, a reality talent show, which had composer Ryan Cayabyab and singers Lani Misalucha and Rico Blanco as judges. Her winning piece was a rendition of Rivermaya’s “Himala,” which is included in her debut album.
Under 12 Stone Records, her album, with seven tracks, is dedicated to anyone who’s struggling physically or emotionally, she said. It includes three original songs: “Sana Ikaw Na Nga,” the carrier track that she wrote two years ago, “Thank You,” and “Salamat sa Ngiti.” -- Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman
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