If his dream of becoming a famous singer does not pan out, America's Got Talent contestant Peter Rosalita says he'd like to be a civil engineer. Or a computer programmer.
For now, though, the Filipino boy, 10, from Abu Dhabi is basking in his newfound online fame, after he stunned judges during his audition on the hit US reality show.
The video of Peter's audition, on the first episode of the show's 16th season, has been viewed more than three million times on YouTube since it was uploaded on June 2.
"You have an amazing voice, an amazing personality, an amazing energy. Everyone is going to fall in love with you after this audition," judge and show creator Simon Cowell said after Peter's rendition of the 1975 Eric Carmen song All By Myself, also made famous by Celine Dion in 1996.
Dion's team even shared Peter's audition video on Twitter..
Speaking to The National, Peter, who's been training his voice at a music school in Abu Dhabi for the past two years, says he is still coming to terms with the response he's received from his audition that has gone viral.
"I am so happy. I was watching other America's Got Talent contestants on YouTube before and now I'm watching myself," he says.
A Grade 5 student at Richmindale school in Abu Dhabi, it was Peter's music teacher at the Cadenza Music Institute who helped him pick his audition song.
It was so amazing and overwhelming meeting all the judges. I had only a few minutes with them
"We chose the song because it fits my range of voice," he says. His other favourite song is Never Enough, performed by Loren Allred in the film The Greatest Showman. Peter counts Dion, Josh Groban, Whitney Houston and Bruno Mars among his favourite artists.
An only child, Peter was born in Abu Dhabi and lives with his parents and aunt, Mary Jane Villegas, his guardian who travelled with him to the US for the audition and who can also be seen in the video. His father, Ruel, is a chef, while his mother, Vilma, works as a cashier.
He says his family decided to send his first audition tape to the show after they noticed he was obsessively watching America's Got Talent videos on YouTube.
“You need to send your audition video on their online audition site and if you are chosen you will follow their process,” he explains.
All expenses for the 10-day trip to California, for both Peter and his aunt, were covered by the show.
"It was so amazing and overwhelming meeting all the judges. I had only a few minutes with them as there are a lot of other contestants," Peter says of his trip to the US in April.
While he's still under contract with the show, the youngster is currently back in Abu Dhabi, and would not reveal any spoilers.
“I had my celebrity judge audition, so please follow the show as well as my social media as it progresses,” he teases.
Villegas, who brought Peter's parents to the UAE 12 years ago, says the family noticed his gift at an early age.
“He used to love to sing along to cartoon videos that usually have a lot of musical scenes, even before he could properly utter the words,” she says.
In 2018, they decided to enrol him at a music school to polish his skills.
Rose Abegail Ortiguero, a music teacher and the managing director of the Cadenza Music Institute in the UAE capital, says Peter is a natural.
"Peter loves practising and never complains. He is one of our best students and his audition just blew us away," she tells The National.
As he waits for the show to progress, Peter, who is currently on a school break, says he's back to his vocal and piano lessons for now. He also loves watching TV and enjoys drawing in his spare time.
He'd like to buy a Nintendo Switch if he happens to bag the show's $1 million prize money. But if Peter does not win, life will go on as before, he says.
"It will be the same as before I joined America's Got Talent ... Studying, my twice-a-week vocal classes and playing."
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Read more:
Six Filipino singers who have gone viral on reality shows: from Angelica Hale to Cyrus Villanueva
How this Filipino sales manager in Abu Dhabi got two million streams on Spotify
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is a calorie?
A food calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of nutritional energy generated from what is consumed.
One calorie, is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C.
A kilocalorie represents a 1,000 true calories of energy.
Energy density figures are often quoted as calories per serving, with one gram of fat in food containing nine calories, and a gram of protein or carbohydrate providing about four.
Alcohol contains about seven calories a gram.
Champions parade (UAE timings)
7pm Gates open
8pm Deansgate stage showing starts
9pm Parade starts at Manchester Cathedral
9.45pm Parade ends at Peter Street
10pm City players on stage
11pm event ends
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
