Words and photos by Bea Lizarondo Soliman
When your idol asks for someone in the crowd to sing a duet with him/her in front of a crowd of thousands, will you be brave enough to grab the opportunity? For Lancelot Papelera or “Lance”, a twelfth-grader from Pasig, the answer is a definite yes!
Last February 13, during Elements: UP Fair Wednesday, singer and guitarist Barbie Almalbis asked if there was someone in the audience willing to sing a duet with her of the song “High” by The Speaks.
After minutes of scanning the crowd for a brave soul, Barbie spotted Lance who had his hand raised, so he was brought to the stage.
When the first few chords of “High” began playing, you would think that Lance, being so close to Barbie Almalbis and facing a large crowd that was holding phone cameras in the air, would have been trembling with stage fright, but no. Instead, he was exhilarated!
After Barbie sang the first two verses of the song, Lance entered to sing the chorus, and when he began singing, the audience went wild.
His confidence-filled performance won the UP Fair crowd over and received so much positive feedback.
Some of the fair attendees were so entertained by him that they even took photos with him and followed him on his social media after Lance gave himself a shout-out after the performance.
Here are some of them on Twitter:
When I asked him what his first thought was when Barbie Almalbis asked for a volunteer to sing with her, he said: “The first thing that came in my mind was that this is my moment! I confidently raised my hand and jumped to grab the chance to perform with her. The people that surrounded me during that time really boosted me with confidence and with it, I made it to stage. I didn’t feel any nervousness but instead excitement and happiness!”
You can watch Lance’s performance with Barbie Almalbis here:
https://www.facebook.com/UPFairElements/videos/378159672971179/?v=378159672971179
Given the chance, would you also volunteer to go up on stage with your idol? Tell us in the comments!
