Many people, especially teenagers, don’t usually respond well to criticism and rejection.
But 14-year-old singer Fitri Cerado is not like any other teenager. When she was only 11, Fitri auditioned for the first season of AXN’s talent search series “Asia’s Got Talent” and got shown the door by no less than judge David Foster.
Although he was very kind about his criticism of Fitri, David noted that there was a “certain disconnect” between her piano playing and her singing.
Rather than being crushed, Fitri remained undaunted and took the comments of David and the other judges “as a motivation to do better.”
“David Foster’s comment about me and my piano playing made me even more determined to practice harder and prove to him that my talent is worth seeing. I have always looked up to him as well as the other judges as my inspirations and their comments really did help me grow,” Fitri told InterAksyon in a recent interview.
Determined to prove to David and everyone else that her talent is worth seeing and hearing, Fitri continued to work hard on both her singing and her piano playing. She admitted that she underwent more formal training in both areas.
In Indonesia where she grew up, Fitri continued to pursue her passion for music and even joined a nationally televised talent competition called “Super Wani 2” which resulted in subsequent TV guestings there.
“Being and staying in Indonesia did play a big part in my influence for music. But my family decided to move to the Philippines because of their jobs.”
Still, Fitri never forgot about “Asia’s Got Talent.” Keeping her eye on the ball, so to speak, is now beginning to pay off for Fitri. She auditioned again this year for “Asia’s Got Talent” and has advanced to the semifinals of the competition. This time, no one is saying she needs to go back to the drawing board.
“I’m here now,” she confidently told David after he asked her if he crushed her dreams.
Asked how she intends to make it all the way to the finals of “Asia’s Got Talent” and hopefully win against so many talented acts including several from the Philippines, Fitri said her focus remains on being the best that she can be.
“My strategy in making it to the next round I guess is to just focus on my act and never compare myself to others. I just need to be the best version of myself and I just need to give the best effort,” she replied.
But no matter what happens to her on “Asia’s Got Talent,” Fitri is pretty certain that will continue her musical path and has even added songwriting to her expanding talents.
“I love making my own songs and I’ve made a lot so far mostly about my experiences in life. But I also make songs about other people’s experiences in their lives,” she further shared.
Aside from mesmerizing people with her singing, Fitri is also quite good in academics and has developed an uncanny knack for number crunching.
“In college, I am planning to take up Engineering because it is also my interest and I could use my strength in mathematics. But I would still pursue my music career no matter what,” she declared.
A new episode of “Asia’s Got Talent” airs every Thursday at 8:30pm on AXN with replays shown throughout the week. To follow the journey of this season’s acts, check out #AXNAsia and #AsiasGotTalent.
AXN is available on Cablelink Channel 38, Cignal Channel 121, Destiny Cable Channel 61, Dream Satellite TV Channel 20, G Sat Channel 51, and SKYCable Channel 49. AXN HD is available on SKYCable Channel 247.
Watch Fitri Cerado talk about her triumphant return to ‘Asia’s Got Talent’ here:
