Not long ago, Jovit Baldivino was a popular mainstay in the local market in Batangas, a province near Manila.
His customers would line up for a serving of his piping hot siomai - a fresh Chinese dim sum. Now, some of those same patrons queue to purchase tickets to one of his many local concerts.
Since winning the first season of Pilipinas Got Talent in 2010, the 19-year-old's profile has rocketed, with big tours and acting work in local television. Baldivino says he relies on his friends to keep him grounded.
"Yes, it has been crazy," he says, laughing. "But for me I have a lot of people around me, family and friends, they love me and make me not change my lifestyle too much."
However, one major change he couldn't avoid is the amount of travel involved in being a successful Filipino pop artist.
As an indication of the tough demands of the Filipino music industry, Baldivino has already recorded three albums in as many years.
His audience includes the large Filipino diaspora around the world, and Baldivino has already conducted tours of the US and Europe this year.
Tomorrow, he arrives in the UAE for his debut Middle Eastern performance before an extensive homeland tour.
"It is a very big schedule but this is what happens when you live your dream," he says. "It has all been a very big experience and I am really learning a lot and meeting new people."
Baldivino specialises in covering rock ballads, and his first albums found him taking on the likes of Queen's Too Much Love Will Kill You and Bryan Adams' Please Forgive Me.
He states his third covers collection, to be released later this year, is closest to his heart.
"It's a collection of Filipino power ballads," he says. "It will be all Filipino music - this is something that I am excited about. I can't wait for it to come out and to perform them."
Jovit Baldivino will play at Al Nasr Leisureland, Dubai, tomorrow at 7pm. Tickets start at Dh60 and are available from www.timeouttickets.com
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Ponti
Sharlene Teo, Pan Macmillan
RESULT
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal: Aubameyang (13')
Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87')
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
RESULTS
Cagliari 5-2 Fiorentina
Udinese 0-0 SPAL
Sampdoria 0-0 Atalanta
Lazio 4-2 Lecce
Parma 2-0 Roma
Juventus 1-0 AC Milan
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Without Remorse
Directed by: Stefano Sollima
Starring: Michael B Jordan
4/5
BRAZIL%20SQUAD
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The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Scoreline
Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')
Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')
Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now