TV5’s ground-breaking reality singing search Kanta Pilipinas finally announced its first grand winner – Chadleen Lacdo-O — last Sunday, March 24.

This Cebuana diva is proud to take home the grand prize of PhP 1M cash, a recording contract and a management contract under TV5.

From the 24 hopefuls who came from different provinces across the country, 12 voices stood out to form Kanta Pilipinas’ roster of finalists. The competition got more intense as the 12 finalists were trimmed down to the Top 8. Each week, the finalists went through increasingly-challenging elimination rounds and were thoroughly evaluated by Kanta Pilipinas host Rico Blanco and judges “Maestro” Mr. Ryan Cayabyab and Asia’s only Nightingale Ms. Lani Misalucha. Eventually, only four finalists moved on to the Grand Finals and, as witnessed last Sunday, Chadleen emerged victorious—much to the delight of the crowd and her supporters.

Chadleen has proven that she has something unique to offer music-loving Pinoys. With her pretty face and the privilege of being Operation Smile’s international singing ambassador, who would have thought that Chadleen was born with cleft palate? This daddy’s girl had her first operation when she was 20 months old. Four years later, she became Operation Smile’s ambassador, as she identifies closely with the organization’s cause. Being the first-ever grand winner of Kanta Pilipinas, Chadleen does not only inspire the whole nation with her golden voice—she also encourages others to not let anything stand in the way of fulfilling their dreams.

“I thank God for giving me my singing voice and talent and to everyone who supported me in my journey on Kanta Pilipinas. It is a huge privilege to have been recognized as the grand winner of TV5’s ultimate singing reality search Kanta Pilpinas. I hope I was able to inspire young people to continue reaching their dreams despite their shortcomings, to always believe in yourself”, shared Chadleen.