User:WanderingSampaguita/sandbox

Pop singer Michael Cruz’s long road to stardom has taken him across the globe and up and down the music charts throughout the years without diminishing his perseverance to make music.

Cruz found fame in 2004 as a finalist on “Star in a Million,” a Philippine singing-competition TV series often compared to (and as popular as) “American Idol.” His unconventional fashion sense and uncommon energy enchanted the voting viewers who tuned in weekly to the ratings-dominant network ABS-CBN to cheer him on.

Cruz received not only a lot of local (and international) accolades for his music, he also snared a lot of attention for openly stating he was gay during questioning on air by one of the judges. While the Philippines is known today as the most gay-friendly nation in Asia, at the time it remained conservative regarding queer artists. Cruz’s fearless admission provided light and increased visibility to the Filipino LGBT community, with Cruz cited in articles as the “first male celebrity who has openly admitted he’s gay.”

Cruz did secure a record contract after “Star in a Million” ended and in 2005, he scored a hit with a cover of Madonna’s “Crazy for You.” Madonna approved his version directly and granted Cruz permission to record and release the single. His rendition of the song earned him a nomination for Best Performance by a New Male Recording Artist at the Awit Awards.

Cruz continued to perform on various television shows in the Philippines until an opportunity to travel to the United States brought him to New York. Feeling he had found his wonderland, he gave up his fame in the Philippines to live surrounded by the artistic denizens of New York nightlife, where he worked in recent years as an event producer.

Emboldened by his surroundings, Cruz stands ready to return to music, with various projects and collaborations underway. And even though it has been years since his hit song debuted, recent viewer comments on YouTube channels still posting his “Crazy for You” video suggest his fan base remains behind him while hungering for more.

Pop singer Michael Cruz first rose to fame in 2004 as a finalist Star in a Million (season 2), a Philippine singing competition TV series often compared to American Idol. His unconventional fashion sense as well as the energy he would bring to his performances captured the hearts of the voting viewers who tuned in every week to the ratings dominated network ABS-CBN to cheer him on.

Cruz not only received a lot of local accolades for his music, he also got a lot of attention for openly admitting he was gay after being questioned on air by one of the judges. While the Philippines is known as one of the most gay-friendly nations in Asia today, at the time it was still held conservative regarding queer artists. Cruz’s admission shed light and increased visibility to the LGBT community, cited in articles as the “first male celebrity who has openly admitted he’s gay.”

Cruz did secure a record contract after Star in a Million ended and in 2005, he scored a hit with a cover of Madonna’s “Crazy for You.” Madonna approved his version directly and granted Cruz permission to record and release the single. His rendition of the song earned him a nomination for Best Performance by a New Male Recording Artist at the Awit Awards.

Cruz continued to perform on various television shows in the Philippines until an opportunity to travel to the States brought him to New York. Feeling he had finally found his place, he gave up his fame in the Philippines to live surrounded by the artistic denizens of New York nightlife, where he worked as an event producer.

Emboldened by his surroundings, Cruz is ready to return to music and has various projects and collaborations in the works. And even though it has been years since his hit song debuted, recent viewer comments on YouTube channels still posting the “Crazy for You” video suggests that his fan base is not only still behind him, but also hungry for more.