As the final verdict nears, her aura reflects fear. She then bows her head and closes her eyes, praying not to be called next. The temperature rises; everybody’s in deep breath; then… Sheryn Regis! Her name is blurted out as the first runner-up and she finally breaks into tears. This was close to what Mommy Daisy felt during her labor pains with Sheryn for more than a day! All the fears were felt; all the prayers were already uttered. On the other hand, it was not disappointment but great joy that surrounded Mommy Daisy and Daddy Bernard when their beloved baby girl came out. Mommy Daisy was relieved, seeing her baby normal and healthy despite the fact that she made “lihi” to a cat! That’s why she immediately inspected Sheryn’s physical features for fear of her resembling a feline. At first, she wanted to give her a name derived from Chiko Machimoto, a popular Japanese singer at that time. But it was Sheryn’s aunt who suggested Sheryn Mae instead. She liked the sound of it and decided to put it on the birth certificate. Majority of the viewers were surprised and tongue-tied. How could this happen? The darling of the crowd, the texters’ choice, and the consistent top finalist throughout the contest: relegated to first runner-up? Did the Lord have other plans for her? Like the viewers, Sheryn’s life was also filled with many questions and doubts. Nevertheless, these did not stop her from believing in the Lord and she just continued to pray harder, hoping that someday she will be able to lift her family from poverty. Sheryn was raised in Carcar, a small hometown in Cebu. She is the eldest and has two siblings - Elton and Joseph. As they were growing up, they already experienced the realities of living. Financially, it was very obvious that they were struggling. Due to economic crisis, her father was forced to work as an OFW in Saudi Arabia but it was still not sufficient to provide them a comfortable life. It was during those times that her mother seriously guided Sheryn in singing. Ironically, it was Daddy Bernard who could sing well. He was also a consistent winner in amateur singing contests but due to his absence, Mommy Daisy took the place of a singing coach. She recalls that at the age of two, Sheryn was able to hum and sing simple tunes already. At the age of five, she memorized Ms. Kuh Ledesma’s “Dito Ba?”. At the age of seven, she started joining amateur singing contests, one after the other. Sheryn got only P30.00 as a prize on her first try. They used the winnings to buy a minus-one tape of Shirley Bassey’s Greatest Hits for her next contest piece. It was the song “Saan Ako Nagkamali?” by Ms. Tillie Moreno that won her the grand prize for the first time at the age of eight. Needless to say, she went through a lot in joining those contests. Though most of the time discouraged by other people, she remained strong in pursuing her dream as a singer for the sake of her family. Due to budgetary constraints, she wore very simple dresses during competitions. Her mother would usually explain to her that it’s not her costume that would make her win but her golden voice. There was an instance that she even had to cross a river wearing her gown already just to reach the contest area. She also experienced being harassed psychologically by a rival in one contest somewhere in Medellin, Cebu. That rival claimed to be an army man. When it was her turn to sing on stage, there was a brown-out and her father lost consciousness. It was believed that someone put something in his drink to make him fall asleep. Frightened as she was, her supporters were there to protect her. The following day, the said rival suddenly disappeared and Sheryn was declared the winner. Sheryn admits that every time she won, they had food on the table, specifically bread. Sheryn used to envy other kids for they have the luxury of time to play after school and can afford to have the most adorable toys. While the others were playing, she devoted her time in rehearsing her winning pieces. While the others had Barbie dolls, she resorted to painting softdrink bottles to make them look like dolls. Though she did not have formal training, she reminisced on how she practiced singing beside a deep well. She thinks that it helped her reach high notes for she tried to imitate the sound of her voice echoing from the well. Singing became her passion because if not, they wouldn’t have enough money to support her education and other family expenses. Besides singing, she tried teaching voice lessons to kids when she was still in high school. Originally, she wanted to take up Medicine but due to poverty, she opted to take up B.S. Secondary Education, Major in English instead. She finished college at the Cebu Normal University. In college, she was exposed to theater acting and chorale singing. It gave her a chance to travel abroad and to perform to Filipino communities in Canada and in the USA. They had Mr. Leo Martinez and Ms. Gina Alajar as workshop mentors. In 1999, she was awarded as the Best Interpreter in the Cebu Pop Music Festival (a songwriting festival) and the original composition that was sung by her also won the Grand Prize. Previously, Sheryn worked as a regular lounge singer in Cebu Plaza Hotel where she also met the love of her life. Her husband, Earl Echiverri, was the pianist then. They had very good rapport at work and they eventually became closer. Though the age gap is quite big, this did not matter at all. When asked what made her fall in love with her husband, she immediately answered, “His maturity attracted me most. He is like a father, a friend, and a husband all rolled into one! I couldn’t ask for more.” They got married in 2002 and their love was blessed with a wonderful daughter in 2003. At the age of two, the child can already imitate Sheryn’s singing style. She can even entertain other people effortlessly by displaying her natural charm and sweetest smile. No wonder she’s nicknamed “Sweetie”. “When God closes the door, He opens a window.” She tried her luck in Star In A Million last 2003. She was a consistent top finalist but as the saying goes, “You can’t win them all.” She ended up as the first runner-up and got the texters’ choice award. She went back to Cebu thinking that it was the end of her dream. Unexpectedly, aside from ABS-CBN, another company offered her a recording contract. After careful deliberation, she decided to accept ABS-CBN’s offer for she has always been grateful for the exposure that the network has given her. “I got known because of them. Tinatanaw kong utang na loob ‘yon sa kanila.”, Sheryn quips. After her heartache in SIAM, great opportunities started to come her way. Aside from being a mainstay in MTB and ASAP Mania, she had gigs in Suburbia Malate. She’s been regarded by her fans as “The Powerbelter” but was given the title “The Shining Diva” by Ms. Charlene Gonzales when she guested in Feel At Home. She sang “Kailan Kaya”, the theme song of the popular ABS-CBN’s fantaserye, “Marina” which starred Ms. Claudine Barretto. This was followed by another theme song from “Krystala”, (she sang with Aegis) ABS-CBN’s superserye which starred Ms. Judy Ann Santos. Her first solo album under Star Records entitled “Sheryn, Come In Out Of The Rain” was released on April 2004 and has reached platinum status in less than three months. Her single “Come In Out Of The Rain” was a consistent hit in the radio and was #1 for 12 consecutive weeks in the Myx Hit Chart. She had a series of shows in and out of the country. She was personally chosen by Mr. Vehnee Saturno to represent the Philippines in the Voice of Asia 2004 where she won the Second Place after competing for three consecutive days. She had her first two-night solo concert in Music Museum entitled “Sheryn Regis on a Higher Note” on September 2004 where tickets sold like hotcakes. She joined Sarah Geronimo, Mark Bautista, Christian Bautista, Rachelle Ann Go, Frenchie Dy, and Raymond Manalo in the “Pinoy Idols” concert held at the Araneta Coliseum last November 2004. On February 2005, she became part of the new ABS-CBN’s morning show, Most Requested Show (M.R.S.) which gave her the honor to work with top caliber hosts - Mr. Roderick Paulate and Ms. Amy Perez. A Homecoming concert was held last May 15, 2005 in Cebu Coliseum entitled “Sheryn, Back at Home”. She paid tribute to her fellow Cebuano artists and the show gained a standing ovation from the audience as well as great reviews from the press. In 2005, she had a U.S. Tour along with her fellow singing Champions which became one of the most successful concerts during the said year. Sheryn has launched her second album entitled "Sheryn Regis, What I Do Best" of which the carrier single bearing the same title became a hit. She is the lovely voice behind the song “Sabihin Mo Sa Akin”, the theme from ABS-CBN’s fantaserye, “Kampanerang Kuba” which stars Ms. Anne Curtis. Her song "Hindi Ko Kayang Iwan Ka" was chosen to be the love theme song of Ms. Kristine Hermosa's teleserye entitled, Gulong ng Palad. Sheryn hosted the recently concluded Search for the Star in a Million Season 2 with fellow champs Erik, Rachelle Ann, and Mark. She is also the host of Little Big Star Cebu which is shown in ABS-CBN's Regional Channels. “No pain, no gain..” Triumphant as she seems to be right now, trials may still come along her way. But in every tear that falls, there is a certain hope that fills her heart which makes her stronger and shine among the rest. After all, she is not The Shining Diva for nothing.