JED MADELA IS ON A ROLL!

World champion Jed Madela is certainly on a roll. After his thanksgiving blogcon at the Pamana Restaurant a few weeks back (where he thanked ABS-CBN and It’s Showtime for getting him to be a Tawag ng Tanghalan hurado), he resumed his normal routine. For Jed, that involves dazzling audiences with his talent, both in real life and on the internet.

When President Ram Nath Kovind of the Republic of India was in Manila for a state visit recently, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte hosted a dinner for him at the Kalayaan Hall of Malacañang Palace. Jed performed two songs during the dinner, John Lennon’s “Imagine” and Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up.”

At the meet and greet, the guests (including President Duterte and his partner Honeylet Avanceña) praised Jed’s singing. But according to him, the guest of honor’s statement was most humbling. President Kovind told Jed, gesturing toward President Duterte as he spoke:

“He tells me you are a champion from the World Championships of the Performing Arts, where you won six gold medals. What an honor to hear you sing. What a privilege,” President Kovind said, clutching his chest and bowing slightly to Jed.

Aside from impressing visiting diginitaries, Jed has also gone viral with his cover of December Avenue’s hit “Kung ‘Di Rin Lang Ikaw,” which was a collaboration with Tawag ng Tanghalan season 3 runner-up John Mark Saga. The video he and Jed filmed together has since been viewed over two million times on Facebook. Many media outlets have also taken notice of its success.

“Two million views on Facebook and a couple thousand sa YouTube channel ko. It feels great that people were touched by our version of the song. It’s overwhelming and at the same time there’s pressure on my part, kasi mag-iisip nanaman ako kung sino ang susunod kong iimbitahan sa YouTube channel ko,” Jed says.

According to Jed, he enjoyed working with John Mark because he sees himself in the newbie.

“It was a nice experience doing a collaboration with John Mark because I see myself in him when I was just starting. Tahimik lang siya pero when it’s time to do my job, we sing with heart and passion.”

Jed’s looking forward to devoting more time to his YouTube channel. He says YouTube is great because it allows celebrities like him to reach out to their fans in a different way.

“It’s a great experience. What John Mark did sa collaboration namin was amazing and beautiful. Knowing people love it, which is why it reached a million views already, I’m inspired to do more collaborations and YouTube videos in the future.”