Armarie “Arms” Cruz made her mark in the Philippine entertainment scene when she made it to the top 12 of  ABC 5’s Philippine Idol, the 1st franchise of the American Idol outside the U.S.  During the duration of the said competition, local officials including Mayor Celso Lobregat requested the support of all Zamboangueños to pray and vote for her success in the show.

She was also part of the original group of singers for the game show The Singing Bee hosted by the premier actor Cesar Montano. Arms, however, took a break from the show when other commitments and gigs in Metro Manila were offered to her.