Maureen "Mau" Flores Marcelo (born May 13, 1980)[2] is a Filipino singer and songwriter who rose to prominence as the first winner of Philippine Idol in 2006.

She eventually joined different local singing contests around her native Quezon Province when she was eight, winning most of the time thus giving her a boost of self-esteem.

She eventually graduated in Quezon National High School[4] and attended college in Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation,[2] both in Lucena City.

[2] Her audition was not shown on Philippine Idol, although she appeared during the final phase of the theater eliminations singing "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" by Laura Branigan.

[2] Her confidence slowly started to dwindle to the point that she commented during the Wildcard Results Show, when there was only one finalist spot to fill, that Philippine Idol is a "beauty contest".

Marcelo received immense fan support during Philippine Idol to the point that some of them even lent their services to her by giving her a total make-over from her choice of clothes, hairstyle, posture, and even her manner of speaking.

[12] Lea Salonga, who was a guest judge during the Movie and Musical Theme Week on November 19, 2006, praised Marcelo and named her as the best singer in the competition.

[13] During the Finale held in Araneta Coliseum, the Idol judges boldly predicted that a male would win the competition, subtly implying that it would become a showdown between Gian Magdangal and Jan Nieto.

[14] The following night, Marcelo cried out loud on stage when it was announced that she bagged the title as the first Philippine Idol, garnering 35.36% of the total votes.

[3] Others questioned the validity of her win, citing a claim that Marcelo had an existing 5-year contract with Viva Entertainment—which produced Star for a Night—during the competition and that its owner, Vincent del Rosario, was considering to take legal actions against her.

[17] Entertainment columnist Lolit Solis even joked that Marcelo fitted perfectly to play the role of Eunice Lagunsad's mother.

[19] Upon receiving her cash prize of P800,000 (originally P1 million minus 20% tax), Marcelo was able to buy herself a second-hand car—which was the first thing that came into her mind right after winning[3]—together with her family's needs,[9] such as saving for her partner's college education.

Her guests include fellow Idol finalist and Lucena resident Reymond Sajor and Chemical Syndrome band, in which she was a former member.

She has appeared on various variety shows, including ABS-CBN's ASAP 07 and GMA Network's SOP Rules, as well as different corporate and radio-sponsored events.

[24] She performed in Singapore as part of Built from Skratch Skool tour music promotions in 2010 where she showcased new material which would later be released in the Philippines.

Prior to Philippine Idol, Marcelo had also recorded, as "Samantha Brown", a self-titled album of ten original songs composed by her stepsister's husband.

Marcelo also recorded a title track under Sony BMG include singles on the Philippine Idol: The Final 12 CD: "Minsan Lang Kitang Iibigin" (solo) and "Kaleidoscope World" (the group song featuring the top 12 finalists).