Sylvia Ratonel facts for kids

Sylvia Anne Ratonel (born on June 14, 1988) is a talented singer and model from Singapore. She is best known for being the first female finalist in the history of Singapore Idol. She finished as the runner-up in the third season of the show.

Singapore Idol helped start her career in music and entertainment. Soon after the competition, she signed a contract with MediaCorp, a national broadcaster. She also got a record deal with Universal Music Singapore. Sylvia Ratonel became the first Singaporean celebrity to represent the makeup brand Maybelline New York. In 2010, she was named one of the Top 100 Women in the World by a magazine. She also won the Breakout Star of the Year at the ELLE Awards in 2010.

Her first album, named Sylvia Ratonel, came out on October 27, 2010. Four songs from the album were released as singles. Three of these songs became Top 10 hits on Singapore radio charts. After Singapore Idol, Sylvia Ratonel became the most successful female singer from the show.

About Sylvia Ratonel

Her Early Life (1988–2009)

Sylvia Ratonel grew up in a family of five. She has two brothers, Bryan and Timothy. Her family faced money problems when she was young. When she was 10, her family moved into a small apartment. It had only a living room and no bedrooms. Sylvia later shared that they "grew up sleeping together in one room, on mattresses."

Life was not easy for them. Sometimes, they relied on food from their church. They would go to church every Sunday to get food. Today, Sylvia and her family live in a bigger apartment.

Sylvia went to Fengshan Primary School. Then she went to Bedok View Secondary School. She later chose to study at Temasek Polytechnic. She wanted to start working sooner to help her family. She earned a diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management. While studying, she worked part-time to help her family. After graduating, she worked as a secretary at the Conrad Centennial Hotel. She put off going to university to avoid burdening her parents.

When she was younger, Sylvia thought of herself as shy. She did not join school performances. Her family had strict rules, like being home before 8:00 pm. At 18, Sylvia left home during a rebellious time. She has since fixed her relationship with her family. She now calls herself "a good girl who likes bad boys." Her family encouraged her to try out for Singapore Idol in 2009. She had no professional singing lessons before the show.

Her Journey on Singapore Idol (2009)

On June 6, 2009, Sylvia Ratonel auditioned for the third season of Singapore Idol. The auditions were held at The Cathay cineplex. Judge Ken Lim was very impressed by her audition. He believed she could make it into the Top 10.

Sylvia passed the next rounds of auditions. The judges had different opinions about her talent. But at the Piano Show round in September, she really impressed them. She sang Duffy's song "Mercy."

During the competition, Sylvia sometimes did very well. Other times, she was one of the weaker contestants. She ended up in the bottom two twice. However, starting from the Top 6 round, she gained a lot of support. Viewers voted for her, and she safely moved forward for five weeks.

After the semi-final round on December 8, Sylvia became the first female finalist on Singapore Idol. On December 27, 2009, she competed against Sezairi Sezali. She finished the competition as the runner-up. Even though she was disappointed, Sylvia was happy to reach the finals. She said her "Idol journey has been wonderful." She added that it was "fulfilling" and she was "glad that I managed to touch many people's hearts."

After Idol and Her First Album (2009–2011)

Sylvia Ratonel's first public performance after Singapore Idol was at the Celebrate 2010 Countdown Party. She performed "Empire State of Mind" with other Singapore Idol contestants.

In January 2010, Sylvia signed a full-time contract with MediaCorp. She also helped promote the new Motorola Dext phone. In March, she signed a record deal with Universal Music Singapore. Her unique look also caught the eye of Maybelline. She became the new face of Maybelline New York. This made her the first Singaporean celebrity ambassador for the brand.

Before Singapore Idol ended, Sylvia and Sezairi Sezali agreed to sing together. They wanted to feature each other on their first albums. Sezairi's album, Take Two, came out in mid-2010. It included a duet with Sylvia called "A Woman and a Man."

Sylvia also appeared in a TV movie called Seven Days. She sang a duet called "You and I" with Rai from Jack & Rai. In June, Sylvia started co-hosting a food show called "Buffetlicious." She hosted it with Michelle Chia on MediaCorp Channel 5.

For the 45th National Day Parade of Singapore, she sang "One United People." She also performed a dance version of "Song For Singapore" with Sezairi Sezali. She was honored to sing the National Anthem of Singapore. This was before the Singapore F1 Grand Prix race on September 26, 2010.

Sylvia appeared on the cover of Cleo magazine twice in 2010. She also appeared on the cover of Seventeen magazine. In December, Sylvia won the Breakout Star of the Year at the ELLE Awards 2010. Later that month, she recorded "Come Home to 5" with Sezairi Sezali. This song was a theme for Channel 5.

On October 27, 2010, Sylvia released her first album, Sylvia Ratonel. Four songs were released from the album. These were "Fly," "It's Raining," "Mari Bersamaku," and "Loving You." All but "Mari Bersamaku" reached the Top 10 on the 987FM Top 20 Chart. "It's Raining" reached No. 3. Sylvia released a music video for "It's Raining." To promote her album, she held a launch party in November 2010.

Her Role in Aladdin (2011)

In 2011, Sylvia Ratonel was involved in two charity events. She also announced that she got a role in a musical. The musical was a Singaporean version of Aladdin. Sylvia played the main female role of Jasmine. The show ran from November 24 to December 17, 2011.

Sylvia was also chosen to record the theme song for the 2011 National Day Parade of Singapore. The song was called "In A Heartbeat." This made Sylvia the first female Singapore Idol contestant to record an original national theme song. A music video for the song was released on July 4, 2011. Sylvia did not appear in it.

Her Music

Albums

Singles

Other Songs

These songs are not official singles and are not on a Sylvia Ratonel album.

Music Videos

Awards and Nominations