Margaret Ortega

Margaret Ortega
Birth name	Margaret Marie Necio Ortega
Born	November 26, 1993 (1993-11-26) (age 17)
Origin	Manila, Philippines
Genres	Pop, Jazz, R&B
Occupations	Singer, Actress, Model
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2010-Present
Website	[1]

Margaret Marie Necio Ortega (born November 26, 1993 in Manila) is a singer-songwriter based in Hong Kong. On July 1, 2010, she became the champion of Star Factor 2010, a Hong Kong singing competition.^[1] She has been performing at numerous events since, such as the Philippine Airlines 70th Anniversary^[2] . She is currently under the management of ALV Talent Circuit Inc. She has also been awarded the Ani ng Dangal^[3] award for her achievement in music on the international stage, by the NCCA, presented at Malacañang Palace. Along with English, Margaret can also speak Cantonese, Pilipino and Mandarin.

Education

A graduate from South Island School, Ortega had not realised her musical potential till joining Star Factor. Margaret had been involved in many of the varsity sports in her high school. She was on the junior varsity football and sailing teams. Ortega was also on her junior varsity and varsity basketball teams respectively. A few years before Star Factor, Margaret began to teach herself to play her mother's old guitar.

Star Factor

Margaret defeated 12 contestants. She earned the top prize of 3,000 HKD, a trophy and a recording session at MadMax Studios. She performed "Terrified" written by former American Idol judge, Kara Dioguardi and Jason Reeves.

Ortega's win caught the attention of the international media. Her first interview after the competition was published in the Philippine Star.^[4] Interviews with many shows such as 24Oras on GMA7,^[5] Biyaheng Langit,^[6] RatedK on ABS-CBN, News5 Aksyon on TV5,^[7] amongst others.

Music

Margaret's musical style is a mellow mix of acoustic, pop and jazz. Margaret has released some unofficial music videos and audio files on her official YouTube and Facebook accounts.

Charity work

Margaret is also heavily involved with charities. At the age of five her parents would bring her along when they did volunteer work or held fundraisers. She single-handedly raised ₱1 million pesos both in cash and kind for the victims of Ondoy and Pepeng last year by creating a group on Facebook.^[8]

In Hong Kong, she has been actively participating in charity works for Mother’s Choice and The Little Sisters of the Poor (Home for the Aged). She has also travelled to Tanzania, Africa and China to continue her charitable works. She intends to involve herself in charitable works in the Philippines.

References

1. ^ "Pinay teenager wins in HK talent search "". GMA News:24oras. 09.07.2010. http://www.gmanews.tv/video/65938/24oras-pinay-teenager-wins-in-hk-talent-search. Retrieved 30 October 2011. 
2. ^ "All-star line-up at PAL event"". The Philippine Star. 14.mar.2011. http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=666065&publicationSubCategoryId=70. Retrieved 30 October 2011. 
3. ^ "32 artists honored today with Ani ng Dangal". Manila Bulletin. 27.Feb. 2011. http://www.mb.com.ph/node/306530/32-arti. Retrieved 30 October 2011. 
4. ^ Jr.,Bum Tenorio (05 Sept. 2010). "Pinay Wins HK Songfest". Philippine star. http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=609232. Retrieved 30 October 2011. 
5. ^ "Pinay teenager wins in HK talent search "". GMA News:24oras. 09.07.2010. http://www.gmanews.tv/video/65938/24oras-pinay-teenager-wins-in-hk-talent-search. Retrieved 30 October 2011. 
6. ^ "“Star Factor Grand Champion”". IBC-13. 24.11.2010. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=165160666857425. Retrieved 30 October 2011. 
7. ^ "KAMPEON: Pinay, wagi sa singing contest sa HK. Joey de Leon, mananatili pa rin sa TV5 sakaling maging "kapatid" si Revillame"". SHOWBIZ AKSYON. 09.07.2010. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=459933684523. Retrieved 30 October 2011. 
8. ^ "Filipinos rally to help storm-ravaged Manila". The Standard Hong Kong. 02.oct.2009. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=88635&sid=25566320&con_type=1. Retrieved 30 October 2011.