girl with a golden voice and a rags-to-riches story makes for a great superstar-making formula. Sarah Geronimo, tinseltown's newest Cinderella, talks about the first pains of stardom while always looking at the bright side of life.

Less than a year after winning the talent search that launched her as a major star, Sarah Geronimo-15 years old, with two hits songs under her name (the cover of Celine Dion's "To Love You More" and her own "Forever's Not Enough")-has not only learned to smile at everyone, wave to fans, and spot a fellow star and make beso, she's also learned that it takes more than a rigidly trained singing talent to survive in this business-it takes stamina. Her father, Delfin, who honed her to become the stunningly gifted performer that she is today, didn't quite brief her on that.

During the holiday season, there were corporate shows left and right, promos for both her now-double platinum Popstar album and the two Viva filmfest entries she was in: Captain Barbell and Filipinas, and rehearsals for her first big concert at the Ynares Gym in Antipolo. The load proved to be a bit much for the 15-year-old and her slight frame. Hence, early Christmas morning, three days before her big concert at the Ynares Gym in Antipolo, she was rushed to St. Luke's Medical Center because of fever and fatigue. The show had to be postponed. Days prior to that, she lost her voice in the middle of a performance at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.

BETTER THAN NOTHING
The girl, however, prefers to look at the bright side of life. Asked what she doesn't like being an artista, she says, "'Yung masyado pong maraming trabaho. Kasi namimiss kop o 'yung pamilya ko," she tells us in between endless sips form her water bottle and doing her own makeup in one of the dressing room at the GMA-7 studios. "Naintindihan ko naman po kasi ganoon po talaga. Mas mabuti nga po 'yung marami kesa 'yung wala po, 'di ba?

It's easy to see why some of the country's top celebrities have been generous in publicly praising Sarah. Kris loves her, and so does Sharon, her co-Viva artist, and Maricel, whom she met on the set of Filipinas. Sarah is genuinely shy despite her hitmaker stature. Just like another singing contest-discovery that made it into superstardom, she likes to pepper her sentences with "po" and "opo."

And she likes to smile a lot, even when the subject is her workload and the fatigue that comes with it. She seems to have accepted them as a fact of her new life as a star, a small price to pay for the blessings that have come her way after winning the plum prize ins Star For A Night last March. Her P1-million cash prize from the talent search paid for all for her family's previous debts, and the 10-year management contract under Viva Entertainment that came with it has assured her that she, her parents and three siblings won't be going back to their less-than-privileged lifestyle anytime soon.

SAD STORIES
Sarah Asher Geronimo grew up in Sta. Cruz, Manila, in a rented house which she describes as "simple lang, maayos naman po kaya lang luma na." Together with her parents, Divine and Delfin, sisters Johna Rizzi (now 18), Sunshine Grace (now 16), and only brother Ezekiel Gabriel (now 7), they would go to church on Sundays in the Espiritu Santo Parochial Church, or at the church in University of Santo Tomas where her mom used to work in the cashier's office and where Sarah spent her high school years (before stopping last semester). Pasyal meant going to Tutuban or Harrizon Plaza. Eating our meant Jollibee.

But even with her father's income as a PLDT employee, the earnings form their small RTW business and the improvised beauty parlor that Divine ran inside their home, the Geronimos could barely make both ends meet.

"Nung walang-walang pera sina Mama, then magpapasukan na po sa school, di po kami makapasok kasi wala po kaming mga gamit. Wala po kaming pambili ng books and school supplies," Sarah told StarStudio last December.

"Ang ginawa ng daddy ko, nangutang siya. Siyempre dahil may binabayaran na naman kaming utang, 'yung kakainin naman namin ang problema. Ayun po, tuyo na lang ang inuulam naming. Tapos po, 'yung kanin iginigisa na lang naming sa margarine. Masarap naman po."

Still, Mommy Divine, who is Sarah's constant companion these days, remembers the child Sarah as "bibo, masayahin, malikot, akala mo laging supervisor." Even as a tyke, Sarah was already showing the makings of a performer. "Sayaw nang sayaw, mahilig kumanta. At umarte, Michael Jackson was Sarah's idol. She loved to sing "Heal the World" and would strut like The Gloved One. Which would prompt a neighbor to comment: "Ano ba 'yang anak mo, parang walang buto kung sumayaw."

BORN PERFORMER
To say that Sarah loved to perform is to make an understatement. She actively participated in school programs and joined a lot of singing contests. She auditioned for every television station and she would usually be taken in. At three, she was already in the kiddie show Pen-pen de Sarapen. She was also cast in For Kids Only, Atbp. And Hiraya Manawari. She was part of the first batch of stars in Ang TV.

But it was Sarah's talent for singing that her father chose to focus on and improve by enrolling her at the Center For Pop Music at six years old. Delfin would've wanted his daughter to attend music school regularly, but there were times when they couldn't even afford the fare to Quezon City, where the center is located.

So he made up for it by training Sarah at home for two hours everyday. (He was not a strict teacher, according to Sarah. Before the grand finals for Star for A Night, she refused to show her performance to her father. "Nagalit siya bakit ayaw ko ipakita. Kinakabahan daw siya. Du'n lang naman siya nagalit.")

We asked Sarah if she doesn't tire of getting asked questions about her underprivileged past.

"Hindi naman po. Minsan lang po parang nawawalan lang kami ng privacy. Pero okey lang naman po. Walang namang masama sa buhay namin."

But life has, of course, become better for the Geronimos after Sarah's triumph in Star For A Night.

These days, Sarah lives around in a new Toyota Grandia, the downpayment for which was supposedly loaned from Viva. The family now rents a slightly bigger house in Tandang Sora.

"Binabaan po 'yung rent nung kilala ng tita ko. Para po siguro makatulong (sa amin)." Her father will soon avail of the early-retirement plan in PLDT, where he's been working for the past 22 years now. They plan to revive their humble boutique and beauty parlor, but this time somewhere in P. Margallo Street near UST. Divine says they're going to name it after Sarah.

There is always, indeed, a bright side for Sarah Geronimo. No matter the workload, she says she enjoys it so much when kids join her onstage when she performs.

"Nakakatuwa," she says.

"Biruin mo mga fans ko mga bata." She misses regular school and her friends, "pero inaayos na naman po, eh, 'yung home study program."

Now if only her payslip could buy her more time to spend with her family the last time they spent a whole day together? "Swimming lang po. Sa Laguna. Private swimming pool po. Rest day po kasi 'yun kaya lumabas po kami." - -