Mau Marcelo : Information

*mau's biography

Maureen "Mau" Marcelo (born May 13, 1980) is a Filipina singer who rose to prominence as the winner of the first season of Philippine Idol in 2006. For a time, she went by the stage name Samantha Brown. On Philippine Idol, Marcelo was dubbed the "Soul Idol" and "the black belter" for her powerful R&B-style vocals.

Hailing from Lucena City, Marcelo started singing at age 7. By her 20s, she was a veteran of singing competitions, including the Star for a Night singer-search that was won by Sarah Geronimo.

After winning the title, Marcelo's debut performance as the first Philippine Idol was on ABC-5's Shall We Dance: Christmas with the Champions special where she reprised her winning song. On December 20, 2006, she gave a command performance at Malacañang for the Christmas party of the Office of the President of the Philippines.

Recordings
As part of her Philippine Idol prize, Marcelo won a recording deal with Sony BMG. Her forthcoming album under that label will feature "Try It on My Own", her final performance song from the competition.

A CD-EP version of the album, entitled On My Own, was released on January 2, 2007. Besides the title track ("Try It on My Own"), the EP includes two other songs Marcelo performed on Philippine Idol ("Love Takes Time" and "Minsan Lang Kitang Iibigin"), as well as "Minus One" versions of these songs. The release of the full album is planned for May 2007.

Marcelo's other recordings under Sony BMG include two tracks on the Philippine Idol: The Final 12 CD: "Minsan Lang Kitang Iibigin" (a solo) and "Kaleidoscope World" (the group song featuring the top 12 finalists).

Prior to Philippine Idol, Marcelo had also recorded, as "Samantha Brown", a self-titled album of ten original songs composed by her stepsister's husband.[2]

Discography

On My Own CD coverSamantha Brown
Philippine Idol: The Final 12 (2006)
On My Own (2007)