Madonna Decena

Decena already showed promise with her talent in singing. She began training at age seven. At age eleven, she began joining singing contests. By the time she became 16, she already made it singing with bands in several music lounges. Despite being a singer, she managed to do well in school. She graduated high school from AMA Computer College. While she was finishing her degree in communications arts at Miriam College, she worked part-time to augment her parent's income.

Decena graduated from Miriam College with a degree, she had been performing as a singer in various lounges in the local scene before going abroad. She worked hard as the family's breadwinner. In search of better-paying opportunities, she went to Singapore to sing with a band. Being a single mother to two daughters, whom she left to the care of her parents in Quezon City. In search of better-paying opportunities, she decided to try working in the UK. She sang in several music lounges in Manchester before being admitted to Steve Jones Entertainments based in Merseyside, a small talent management company. However, she found the pay still not enough. This prompted her to audition for Britain's Got Talent. In her interview with the Liverpool Echo she stated "I was studying music in Manchester, but I needed to get a visa to be able to work, so a friend suggested I get a manager who could help me," she explains. Madonna found Steve, a manager based in Prescot, and went to an open audition he was putting on for cruise ship singers. "Steve took me on straight away and helped me to get my visa. He and his wife even opened up their house to me. "He gave me confidence and encouraged me to apply for Britain's Got Talent."[1]

Madonna has reached the semi-finals of the judges’ auditions for “Britain’s Got Talent.” If she makes it to the voting round, she will compete in live telecast of the final round on May 31, 2008. Madonna has become a crowd favorite in the ongoing search, especially after the three judges – Simon Cowell, actress Amanda Holden and journalist Piers Morgan (who is also a judge in America’s Got Talent) – picked her for the semi-finals during the live audition at Manchester theatre. When interviewed by Piers during the first round of audition, Madonna said she joined the show to be able to provide for her two young daughters, then cried uncontrollably before the gallery crowd. The female judge, Amanda Holden, cried in sympathy which turned into awe as Madonna sang Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” and belted the last line with such emotion and conviction that knocked the audience off their feet. After her semi-finals stint at Britain’s Got Talent, Decena decided to leave UK for home. With the help of legendary Filipino boxing world champion, Manny Pacquiao, she had come back to the Philippines where she is expected to join the local entertainment industry.

• http://www.gmanews.tv/story/80421
• http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/04/28/08%5B%5D