From a jampacked KTV room to a full house in Araneta Coliseum in a matter of months.

"I’ve always had this passion for singing, but I never thought I’d earn from it," discloses Jan Nieto, runner-up of Philippine Idol Season 1 and GMA 7 contract artist.

He sang at their church choir together with his 5 other siblings in what seemed like the only way for him to pursue this passion. He then took it a step further by joining the world renowned Ateneo Glee Club during his freshman year in college. He tried out, was accepted, and did the grueling after school rehearsals. But it was more then he bargained for, as he relates, "Everyone was sight reading pieces, and I couldn’t even tell a do from a do sharp." So instead of humiliating himself further, he walked away after two weeks, and concentrated on judo, hoping to kick singing away from his system.

He took the nerd route, tucked a degree in Management Engineering, then joined the corporate world, spending a few months in KFC and eventually landing a lucrative position in Unilever Philippines. "I was even assigned in Cagayan Valley for close to two years, and would drive back to Manila on the weekends." It was a life he enjoyed because he didn’t know any other way.

Through this all, he still couldn’t get away from singing. There were company events, weddings here and there. Some of my friends were prodding me to turn professional. And although it did cross my mind, it just was not part of, emphasizing, "The Plan."

He had a stable job, traveled abroad, had a new car, a girlfriend, some extra cash to spend – a life most men his age could only wish for. "I was happy,", he says half-smiling, "but somehow, something in me felt I could be happier." Jan knew what it was, but he was in denial. He knew he had the talent but it seemed like everything was too late, with the passion quietly hidden inside his heart. "I even stopped watching singing contests on TV because it would just frustrate me!"

Then came Philippine Idol. His officemates convinced him to give his dream one last shot. "I was still within the age requirements. All I needed was a song and guts." He wasn’t confident of this decision, so much so that he didn't even tell his family about it. "So you can imagine the shock when they found out I tried out, much more make it to through the first round".

From the beginning, Jan was considered the dark horse in the competition primarily because he was the only finalist in the Top 12 that had no prior professional training nor experience in performing. “Everyone else was either part of a band, or had sang in lounges and bars, or performed in plays. All I had going for me was my little church choir in our village in Filinvest East,” laughs Jan.

From Day 1, viewers of Philippine Idol had a mouthful to say about Jan. And the comments were extreme. “People, especially in the blogs, either loved me or hated me. That is why after a few weeks, I intentionally stopped reading the blogs and decided to just do my own thing as best as I know.”

Every week, he buried himself with trying to perfect his song. The elusive title was anchored on a two-minute song, and week after week, he lived and breathed that two-minute song. And week after week, he succeeded, until, there he was, just a step away from winning the title.

The crowd screamed, waving their blue and silver pompoms, swaying to his songs. He gave his best. Some of his detractors surrendered, admitting on their blogs that he was the best on the Finals Night of Philippine Idol.

But as the votes were tallied, the title wasn’t meant to be his. He recalls, “I really had no expectations to win. Of course, I wanted to win, but I was ready for the defeat. I did more than I thought I could do, and knowing that some people saw that made me feel like somehow, I too had won.”

It was this defeat that made him realize that there was no turning back. This is what he wanted to do, and this is where he wanted to stay. A few weeks after the competition, without any concrete plans, he bid goodbye to the corporate world

In 2007, his singing took him to places and events he never thought he would reach. He shared the stage with the pop music icons of the country, hopped from one corporate show to another, traveled to different parts of the country as headliner in concerts, sang for crowds in the various malls, recorded a jingle and appeared in a commercial (Knorr Sinigang Mix), did a theme song of a breakthrough TV series (Kamandag), and landed as a regular on the country’s top-rated Sunday noontime variety show (S.O.P.).

“Performing has brought out a side of me that I didn’t know I had. I am a planner who makes sure of his moves. But now, I just go with the flow. Of course, I still worry about where my next pay cheque will come from, but I have learned not to dwell on it too much, and hope for the best. God has been good and I just thank Him for everything”

There is still a lot more for Jan to explore. Showbiz has endless possibilities and he has barely scratched the surface. “Of course, I am still working on an album. That is every singers dream.” Some of the country’s premiere songwriters have already been tapped to do songs for this upcoming album. “Even if they say the local recording industry is down, I am still hopeful to one day see my CD on the shelves”.

Jan Nieto is living proof that it is never too late for anything. “A lot of opportunities faced me and I guess my heart just knew which one to grab.”