If there was ever a difficult song to sing, it would be “I Will Always Love You”.
Originally written and recorded in 1973 by the incredibly Dolly Parton, it became a hit yet again in 1992. Whitney Houston took the song to new heights when she recorded and sang her version for the blockbuster film The Bodyguard with Kevin Costner.
Houston’s version of the song stayed on the charts for a then-record-breaking 14 long weeks – at the number one spot, at that. Since then, many people have tried to cover the soul-belting tune, but not many can pull it off.
One young girl named Zendee didn’t know that her public karaoke performance of the song would bring her to internet fame.
Zendee Rose Japitana Tenerefe is an extremely talented singer from the Philippines. She’s no stranger to singing. In fact, she has competed in many singing competitions in her home country before the video below went viral.
Little did Zendee know, she would be discovered one day at the SM Megamall in Ortigas. Inside the mall, there was a public karaoke machine. Dressed casually in a Superman t-shirt and jean shorts, she selects “I Will Always Love You” on the machine.
As the song begins, people look on, knowing that her choice of song is extremely difficult to sing.
The lyrics begin to display on the screen and Zendee spares no time at all showing off her talent. She begins to showcase her powerhouse voice and passersby can’t help but stop and watch her belt out the classic hit. People couldn’t believe what they were watching!
The video, uploaded back in 2012, ended up going viral. However, no one knew who the girl in the video was – she was only known as “the random girl”. It wasn’t long before someone tracked her down and Zendee then became a superstar overnight.
Ellen Degeneres invited Zendee to appear and sing on her show – and that’s when the world fell in love.
Soon, Zendee had a massive following on social media and even signed with the Warner Music record label in the Philippines. Her incredible karaoke performance has since been viewed over 15 million times and Zendee has over 134,000 followers on Instagram.
Her next stop on the fame train was when Jason Mraz asked Zendee to be the opening act for his concert, followed by her debut album called I Believe that was released in 2013. It was an absolute dream come true for the Filipino singer.
Zendee is so grateful for the opportunities she’s been given. She knows success in the music industry doesn’t come easy.
Zendee first auditioned for the ABS-CBN talent and failed. Afterward, she competed in The X Factor Philippines competition but never made it very far. However, Zendee knew that she would never give up – and it’s a wonderful thing that she never did.
“It seems like there’s some truth in the saying that the best singers are yet to be discovered in some unexpected places. We’re glad to hear them out, and the best thing about the world today is that everyone can get a chance to shine,” said an article about Zendee on See It Live. And we love the sentiment behind the statement.
Zendee shows that with enough persistence and determination, anything can happen.
Watch her life-changing performance below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
