X-Factor UK alum Maria Laroco to tour US with boyband JBK and Marcelito Pomoy

X-Factor UK alum Maria Laroco to tour US with boyband JBK and Marcelito Pomoy

by rick olivares

This coming July, former X-Factor UK contestant will hit the United States for month-long tour that includes fellow show alumni (boyband) JBK and singing sensation Marcelito Pomoy.

In many ways, the trip is a fulfillment of an earlier trip to the US to perform in a post-X-Factor event that didn’t come to fruition when she was denied a visa. 

“Good things happen if you work hard for it,” quipped Laroco. “And if you wait for the right time for them to happen.” 

Laroco, the singing star out of Dagupan, Pangasinan, knows a thing or two about timing and rejection.

Prior to her X-Factor UK stint in 2018 that gained her international recognition, Maria auditioned for one of the country’s top entertainment companies. She was told she wasn’t too pretty enough. 

Yet her singing talent netted her a contract with a local record company but nothing happened for over an entire year such that when they sought a release, it was immediately granted.

“It was then that we decided to take matters into our own hands,” recalled Maria’s father, Freddie, of the decision to try their luck abroad.

Subscribing to the “Do-It-Yourself” ethic also takes a leap of faith.

Freddie and his wife, Vangie, are both teachers in Pangasinan. When they noticed that their daughter was winning singing competitions in and around their locale, they decided to give her musical dreams a serious push. 

“When Maria told us she wanted a career in singing, it came to the point that we had quit our jobs as teachers,” said Vangie. “You have to choose. You can be absent at work once, twice. But not too often. We decided to dedicate ourselves to giving Maria’s dream a chance.”

The parents switched to selling products online to provide for the immediate needs of the family. 

“I’ve always dreamt of performing abroad,” bared Maria who turned 18 last January. “And X-Factor UK was something I always watched and I decided to try my luck.”

When email arrived confirming that Maria got in, they couldn’t believe at first. “I think I must have read and re-read the email for a hundred times that day,” said Maria at the memory that remains a cherished moment.

Her getting in seems like destiny because around the same time, Maria took part in the Great British Festival, an annual event held by the United Kingdom’s Embassy at Bonifacio Global City, and won for herself two tickets to London.

“If that isn’t fate, I don’t know what is,” she noted. The tickets helped get them there. And the London Filipino community that included Freddie’s sister Edna, businessman Wynchu Importante, Fely Estacio, Maribeth Gaspar, Che Jadraque, Leo Sungpunco, and Terry Santos among others. Even Englishmen – Dave Moscrop and Charles Chandler – pitched in to provide not only board and lodging, but also help in terms of clothing but the means to get around.

“In return for the generosity of our hosts, we did all their house chores, baby-sat, and walked their children to school,” said Vangie. “It was our way of thanking them for all their help that allowed us to ease into new surroundings and for Maria to concentrate on performing.”

“It was a great experience for the entire family (including only son Michael Joshua who they took along),” said Freddie looking back at this life-changing moment.

Even one of those companies that rejected Maria changed their minds that they sought an audience upon her return to Manila (the family politely declined). 

After the X-Factor stint, Maria was invited to perform in a concert in Tokyo, Japan, in front of the Royal Princess, Masako. “It was a nerve-wracking moment,” confessed Maria. “It isn’t every day you get a chance to perform in front of royalty.”

And now there is this upcoming massive American tour with JBK and Marcelito Pomoy. Before that, there is the SM Skydome concert with OPM legend Ding Dong Avanzado, JR Custodio, Esremborak, and Benedict Soriano Dural on April 26.

“Sometimes, I still cannot believe everything that has happened,” reflected Maria of how performing on X-Factor UK has changed her life. “Imagine this… I get to perform in the UK and soon with Ding Dong Avanzado and go on tour with JBK and Marcelito. It is proof that you should never give up on your dreams.”