You know her as the Random Girl who shot to fame singing Jennifer Holiday’s “And I am Telling You” in a videoke kiosk in Megamall. There was no turning back after her Youtube clip went viral, caught the attention of two million viewers, and landed her a spot on The Ellen DeGeneres show. Even international music celebrities like Ryan Seacrest and Carson Daly joined in showering her vocal prowess with praises.

Now Zendee is officially a recording artist. This December 12, she releases her first ever single "Runaway" under Warner Music Philippines. The song was a natural choice for both Zendee and Warner Music, as it showcases Zendee’s powerful and soulful voice while showing some vocal gymnastics with a refreshing twist.

“Having my own song is something that I used to just imagine. Singers recording songs in studios were something that I used to just watch on TV. I never thought that I will also be able to do it and with a major label at that! I feel so blessed, this is really a dream come true!,” exclaims the 21-year-old from General Santos City, clearly giddy from how far she has gone. Runaway is about not allowing difficulties to get in the way of your dreams, just like Zendee did.

The song was written by Andrew Fromm, who has also written for the likes of The Backstreet Boys, Nsync and K-ci & JoJo. His songs appear in over 45 million albums worldwide and he is quite excited to work with a world class Filipino talent like Zendee. "I'm honored to have co-written a song that I hope will skyrocket Zendee to #1. She has a fantastic voice.

It's always insanely exciting to watch such a gifted artist record and release a song you pour your heart into. That said, I wish Zendee nothing but the absolute best and I pray wherever Runaway is released, it's embraced by all" shares Fromm. Aside from being Zendee's first single and first song as a recording artist, “Runaway” is also the first local recording to be mastered for iTunes for the Philippines by Warner Music Philippines and Asia Pacific. This means that the recording is digitally optimized for increased audio quality in digital format. You can preview and download Zendee's Runaway single on iTunes and catch more of her on her social media sites.

ARTIST PROFILE: ZENDEE

Zendee Rose Japitana Tenerefe, 21 (b. June 21, 1991), started singing when she was four years old, in General Santos City, South Cotabato, Philippines. At six years old, she was recording her vocals on cassette tapes and sending these to her mom, who was working abroad then also as a singer, in the hope that she would be “discovered” and they could then be together. Believing that her talent would give her the means to help her family, Zendee also started joining singing contests, as well as every other singing opportunity that came her way, throughout her teens.

She became a scholar of Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao, now Sarangani representative, after singing at his campaign sortie. With his help, Zendee completed her education with a degree in Information Technology at STI-General Santos.

Shortly after college graduation, Zendee got her first big break when she was brought to Manila to participate in the ABS-CBN talent show X-Factor Philippines, which began on June 23, 2012. Unfortunately, she did not make it past boot camp tryouts; her friend, KZ Tandingan, went on to win. The intrepid Zendee elected to stay in Manila to try out for other singing competitions, including Pinoy Dream Academy Season 3 and Pilipinas Got Talent Season 4, both by ABS-CBN.

Again, she didn’t make the final cut. Not giving up, Zendee also joined smaller singing contests, such as a segment on primetime variety show Will Time Big Time on TV5. During this period, Zendee and her mother would sleep at a Mandaluyong fire station at night, and the young singer would practice at videoke display stands at nearby malls during the day.

As luck would have it, one practice session in SM Megamall, Zendee – singing Jennifer Holliday’s “And I Am Telling You” – was captured on video by a passerby (Yuan Juan or youngjay0918), who happened to be a video blogger. The video, posted on July 28 on YouTube with the title “Random Girl,” quickly went viral, garnering over 2 million hits, 14,063 likes and more than 5,000 comments.

On the web, Zendee became known as “Random Girl,” “Mystery Karaoke Girl,” “Viral Diva,” and “Supermarket Superstar.” This astounding video brought her to the attention of Warner Music Philippines, which offered her a recording contract on their 1st visit to their makeshift home in the Fire Station. Zendee also caught the interest of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where she was regarded as “the next big thing.” The Ellen camp contacted her in August, and together with Warner Music, flew her to Los Angeles for taping.

Her debut on the international stage, a performance of “And I Am Telling You” on Ellen, aired on Oct. 26, 2012. During the show, DeGeneres gave Zendee an iPad 3 made to look like a miniature portable videoke machine, “filled with all the songs” that the singer loved. Currently recording with Warner Music Philippines, Zendee keeps herself busy with frequent guestings on Party Pilipinas, Manny Many Prizes, to name a few.

You may also see her in different shows nationwide, be sure to watch out for updates and her music through:

Artist Website: www.zendee.com.ph
Facebook: facebook.com/zendee.music
Twitter: @ZendeeOffical
YouTube: Zendee Rose Tenerefe