The Story of Kris Lawrence
Kristoffer Lawrence Cadevida is a Filipino R&B singer. He is popularly known as Kris Lawrence. He won the prestigious singing contest of ABS-CBN, ”Search For A Star In A Million”. With the unique style of him, he is regarded one of best dressed singer of the country. His wardrobe, no matter how many duplicate it can never be looked as good as Kris Lawrence. He is in into Hip-hop and R&B, influenced by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Usher, Brian McKnight and Michael Jackson and dubbed as the country’s Heart of R&B. Kris engages not just in pure singing but also in songwriting and producing. He can also play the piano with ease.
This 5’6” Fil-Am was born on the first day of September 1982 in Los Angeles, California. His mother is of a Fil-Am descent and his father is a Filipino. Grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, he is considered the black sheep of the family. He studied and graduated his high school in St. Genevieve High School in Panorama City, California on year 2000. He is a music major in Cal State University Northridge. He met Jay-R in the same school and became his fiercest rival in singing competition. He studied also in College of the Canyon and after two years, he was seen working for Posh Entertainment, an established hiphop/R&B label.
Jay-R- Kris rivalry eventually fizzled as they formed their an all-male R&B vocal group dubbed as ”First Impression” and found themselves rehearsing at each other’s house. Jay-R made his way to Manila and established himself as the R&B Prince. It was Jay-R who kept on prodding Kris to join and auditioned for Search For A Star In A Million Season 2. This paved way for Kris towards his stardom.
He took his chance when he went to Philippines to join the prestigious singing contest. Week by week, he showed an amazing vocal versatility and exemplary stage presence. Out of thousands who auditioned, he made it and even bested 11 contenders in the Champion’s League. He found himself eventually having one-on-one showdown on the final round. It was a close fight for the three contestants, Kris, Tata and Jimmy Marquez in three rounds. The first round was Choice Ko where Kris sang his favourite song, Lately. Round 2 was called Duet With My Idol where he dominated the stage with his song romantic The Closer I Get To You with Pops Fernandez. The third round was Bunutan and Biritan where the three will sing their drawn song. Jimmy was eliminated and the two champs had a very good fight in one-on-one showdown. In Round 4, the remaining contender performed the official theme song, Where No One Dares To Go by Vehnee Saturno.
With the uniqueness of his style and captivating presence, the judges announced Kris Lawrence as the “new champion” of Search For A Star In A Million. Aside from the pot of money, Kris won a house and lot showcase and a recording deal with Viva Records and ABS-CBN. He joined the ranks of the champions like Sarah Geronimo, Eric Santos, Rachelle Ann Go, Frenchie Dy and Jerome Sala.
His vocal prowess was best shown in his self-titled debut album, Kris Lawrence. The album featured 6 tracks including his original single, “Kung Malaya Lang Ako” which became an instant hit and topped the charts of local radio stations. It also featured his own rendition of “I Love The Way You Love Me” and “When I See You Smile”. Kung Malaya Lang Ako was also included in a compilation album entitled Pinoy Biggie Hits.
The album received a moderate success and paved its way to made appearances in several concerts of top singers in the country such as Jay-R, Sarah Geronimo and Billy Crawford. Aside from non-stop guesting stints and tours, he is highly visible in A.S.A.P. and also inked contracts with ABS-CBN and Star Records. He is managed by Arnold Vegafria’s ALV Talent Circuit.
He was also engaged in a franchise business of Aficionado perfume and cologne line.
