X Factor winner can’t sing as pro in Israel

MANILA, Philippines – Celebrations broke out in the Philippines Wednesday, January 15, after Filipina caregiver Rose Fostanes, 47, won Israel’s first “X Factor” competition.

But ironically, her runaway success is unlikely to improve her earning prospects in the Jewish state, with officials saying she would not be allowed to put her talent to professional use.

“She can only work as a carer, according to the law,” a spokeswoman for Israel’s population and immigration authority told Agence France-Presse.

“Of course she can sing – anyone can do that – but not as a professional.”

In other countries, winners in the famous talent search franchise are given a recording contract.

The unmarried, openly gay Fostanes – the only foreigner among the finalists in Tel Aviv – won the television talent show with a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.”

Israel’s media said her victory had put the spotlight on the country’s low-paid migrant workers, among them tens of thousands of Filipinos, who work as carers or in menial jobs.

Her victory also came as tens of thousands of African immigrants and asylum seekers pressed a major protest against the Israeli government’s tough immigration policies.

Fostanes has worked abroad for more than two decades – including 6 years in Israel – to support her family. Her day job had been to care for an elderly employer in Tel Aviv.

Fostanes, the only foreign contestant, lives in a crowded apartment in an area inhabited mostly by foreign workers in Tel Aviv.

‘Like Cinderella’

“Not all workers and cleaners from the Philippines are in a position like this: It’s like Cinderella, you know,” she told the show in an earlier interview uploaded on YouTube.

But she fretted whether the Israeli audience, who had made her an early favorite, would tire of her plain looks and vote her out in favour of younger, slimmer rivals.

“This is what I’m afraid of, because I don’t have the whole package,” she said.

But the fans were won over.

In a live performance watched on television by many of her impoverished countrymen before dawn Wednesday, Fostanes’ powerful, soulful singing voice won the judges’ nod.

Her ecstatic younger sister, Rose, told Manila television network ABS-CBN: “This is my sister’s life dream turning into reality. Who would have thought it would happen abroad?”

Fostanes had blitzed through the earlier rounds with impressive renditions of songs by Tina Turner, Lady Gaga, Prince, and Christina Aguilera, among others. (WATCH her performances here: Rose Fostanes’ ‘X Factor’ journey)

Clips of her performances have been drawing tens of thousands of hits since they were uploaded on YouTube this month.

Fostanes’ girlfriend Mel Adel said last weekend she feared her partner’s disclosure at the show of their lesbian relationship would harm her chances of winning. “But I was elated that she did not disown me,” Adel said.

Philippine officials were quick to hail her victory.

“We know the situation she was in and we are very proud that she has again given the Philippines pride in the showcase of her talent,” President Benigno Aquino’s spokesman Edwin Lacierda told reporters Wednesday.

“The Filipino has an innate advantage when it comes to the arts…. It clearly shows that the excellence of the Filipino can be expressed anywhere, everywhere, when they are given the opportunity to show their talent.”

Lani Cayetano, mayor of Taguig City where the singer’s siblings live, said: “She is indeed an epitome of hope, her powerful voice touching hearts not only of Israelis, but of all of us.”

Fostanes has been likened by fans to Susan Boyle, the middle-aged Scottish singer whose humble looks and shy demeanour belied a scintillating voice that captivated millions on the television talent show “Britain’s Got Talent” in 2009. – Rappler.com