Lani Misalucha Skype interview coverage

The long wait is over. The concert of Lani Misalucha that was postponed will be on December 6. I got a chance to have a conference with her via Skype at Star Records conference room last October 17. According to her, it will be different genre and theme.

There will be pop songs, songs from the new album, and classical pieces/ballads but it will be like a Cirque de Soleil atmosphere. She has been performing and Las Vegas on regular days which is why we are only talking to her online.

She compared audiences here and Vegas. She simply answered, the Americans are easy to pleased unlike the Pinoys.  We Pinoys are restrained. We are shy to show appreciation and we are very musically inclined.

Her last performance in the Philippines was 2007 and we won't know when she will be back so this is the best year to watch her live. She will be joined by Arnel Pineda and Jed Madela at Araneta Center.

For more interviews and schedules of concerts, follow this blog or like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.

The Script – Live in Manila 2015

Concert release material

Midas Promotions is proud to present The Script at Mall Of Asia Arena, Manila on April 17^th 2015!

Title: The Script – Live in Manila 2015

Venue: Mall Of Asia Arena

Date a nd Time: Friday, April 17 2015, 8:00PM

Ticket prices: - PHP 8,000 VIP, PHP 7,000 Patron, PHP 5,500 Lower Box A, PHP 4,000 Lower Box B, PHP 2,500 Upper Box, PHP 1,000 General Admission (booking fees not included)

*Tickets will be on sale starting 9am, October 23^rd, 2014 at www.smtickets.com or any SM Ticket Outlets, for inquiries, call 470-2222.

Meet The Script: Danny O’Donoghue (vocals, piano), Mark Sheehan (vocals, guitar), Glen Power (vocals, drums). Three Irish men who are as direct – as impassioned – as their songs. The onetime studio whizzes that have stepped up to form a band, then, on their last album, stepped front and center. It was called #3 and featured the trio on the artwork. It did exactly what the no-nonsense cover and title intended.

“The last album was us stepping out in to the light,” affirms Danny, as impressive a speaker as he is a frontman, but now with a top-spin of telegenic confidence, courtesy of his two seasons judging on The Voice on BBC1. “We’d been the faceless band before that,” he adds with typical candour. “We’d had two albums that were enormously successful but there was a disconnect – people might know the song but they wouldn’t know the band, or the name of the band.”

But their 2012 worldwide smash Hall Of Fame – a collaboration with Danny’s Voice co-judge Will.I.Am – changed all that.

“That song put it in no doubt who this band were,” nods the singer. “We went full frontal. We went from being the alternative Irish pop/rock to the mainstream. And that was partly achieved by The Voice,” he acknowledges, explaining his band-focused reasons for taking the telly gig in the first place.

“The excitement and energy went off the Richter scale,” continues Mark. “And it did that in America too. As we’ve toured and toured there, people are coming back to the shows, bringing their friends and their parents – a real cross-section of people and ages. It’s a great thing to have that broad appeal. It’ll give us longevity.” “It feels like a festival crowd every time,” adds Glen. 

Such was the impact of The Script’s newfound live power.

“That sound on #3 – we were loud and proud,” says Danny with well-earned satisfaction. “We’d spent a couple of tours trying to perfect the stadium-filling sound. And we found it with Hall Of Fame. And it was amazing to get to that on our third album – most bands these days don’t even get to their second album.”

The Script’s fourth album, No Sound Without Silence, is the sound of a band firing on all cylinders and channelling the momentum of their last, rocket-powered campaign. They finished touring #3 at the end of last year, took a scant couple of weeks off, then quickly re-entered their studios in London and Dublin.

The first single, the ultra-catchy Superheroes, blessed with an appropriate sense of sky-scraping uplift, and underpinned with crunchy guitar riffs, was one of the first tracks to be written and was inspired by the highs as they came off stage at one of their sold out stadium shows in the USA. Superheroes premiered on radio on Monday 21^st July.

This trio of songwriters had had so many ideas while touring, they were bursting out of the specially-built mobile recording studio they’d taken with them on the bus.

“When I hear this music I can feel certain states pass me by,” laughs Mark. “We should have called the album Songs In The Key of Bus. We put this studio in the back of the tour bus and it happened to be sitting on top of the engine – and the noise! It was the worse tour bus in the world. I don’t know how it made it across America. Everyday something went wrong. The AC would break, or the toilet malfunctioned. One night it crashed – and we had it recorded! It sounds like the end of the world.”

Transport mishaps aside, The Script wanted their new songs to capture what Danny describes as “that nervous energy coming straight off stage. It was a bit uncontrollable at the start, it was shooting everywhere.”

But gradually these seasoned writers/producers – they compose and record everything themselves – wrestled their songs into shape.

So you have a song like the ultra-catchy Superheroes, the first single, blessed with an appropriate sense of sky-scraping uplift, and underpinned with crunchy guitar riffs.

Another single contender is The Energy Never Dies, "about the moment you realise you may not have long left on this Earth”, says Danny. With the lyric when you know your days are numbered and you’re looking in my eyes, it’s not the end, cos the energy never dies, “It’s saying to the one you love, we will meet again in the after life”, explains Danny. 

Without Those Songs is a road song of a different kind. It was written after a visit to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and is The Script’s hymn to the power of classic songs, and of classic songwriters. Then there’s No Good In Goodbye, destined to join Breakeven, For The First Time and The Man Who Can’t Be Moved as a live singalong favourite.

Says Danny, “that’s all we try and do: condense complex thoughts down to really simple songs. With that one, we wanted to put a twist on a word: where’s the good in goodbye, where’s the fair in farewell... Then we tried to make that into a lyrical idea, which seemed to work really well.”

As counterpoint there’s Flares, a gentle song built around rippling piano. It started off as a love song, but after Danny’s mother suffered a brain aneurysm while the band was recording, it took on a new meaning for the front man.

“It’s about faith – ‘did you see the flares in the sky, were you blinded by the light…’ And I did, yeah,” admits this otherwise skeptical man. “The situation changed and it was a fucking miracle.”

Like Superheroes, Flares is a “very uplifting song, about people getting past adversity. And when you’re told by more than one doctor that your mum won’t make it through the night…” Danny stops and shakes his head. “Well, the only person who changed that – challenged that – was my mum. And she fought her way through to where she is now,” he says, the relief writ large in his face, his voice, and his band’s songs.

All that, and a modern Irish anthem, Paint The Town Green, an energetic, feelgood, party-on hymn to the spirit of their homeland.

“We’re not crying on the page,” insists Mark with a grin, “and it’s not super-emotional as a song. It’s just about missing home and talking about what every emigrant around the world feels.”

The Script better get used to that. No Sound Without Silence and its impassioned, catchy, emotional songs will be keeping them on the road, all over the place, for a good long while to come.

The Script have scored a huge amount of success globally - they have sold over 20 million records, and all 3 have been multi-platinum throughout the world. Hall Of Fame, the lead single from last album #3, was a worldwide #1 single with over 5 million sales, 133 million Youtube views, and over 100 million Spotify plays. The Script have done especially well Stateside, where they have 5 Platinum singles and have sold over 1 million albums. Their #3 world tour spanned 11 months, and saw them play sold out arena shows in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia including 2 shows at London’s O2 Arena. 

Richard Poon sings hits of Burt Bacharach in new album

Press release

The country’s premiere crooner Richard Poon interprets some of Burt Bacharach’s biggest hits in her new album aptly titled “The Crooner Sings Bacharach.” This is Richard’s second album with Universal Records, after the album “Legends,” which was awarded Gold.

The album consists of 12 Bacharach classics including “What The World Needs Now,” “I Say A Little Prayer,” “Don’t Make Me Over,” “Close To You,” “Raindrops Keeps Falling On My Head,” among others.

“I think this is the best album I’ve ever done ever kasi even my record label executives are raving about it,” shares Richard. “It’s a nice album taas kamay ko sa mga arrangers ko.”

THE CROONER SINGS BACHARACH

1. Always Something There To Remind Me

2. The Look Of Love

3. A House Is Not Home

4. What The World Needs Now Is Love

5. Alfie

6. Walk On By

7. Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)

8. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

9. I Say A Little Prayer

10. Don't Make Me Over

11. You'll Never Get To Heaven

12. (They Long To Be) Close To You

Original Songwriter Chlara Unstoppable Album Release On November 3rd, 2014

Press release

British born Pinay singer-songwriter Chlara will release her debut album Unstoppable on the evosound label this year on November 3rd. Exclusive digital album pre-order available on iTunes on September 15th with the hit track You Complete Me available for download. Leading single You Complete Me will be available for streaming on Spotify and Deezer on the same day. 

After two years of hard-earned experience doing live gigs, Chlara has earned steady recognition from her live audience. Upon learning news of this next-generation star, local music lovers began paying regular visits to her gigs and show consistent support for her original songs. Now, this amazing talent is proud to present her first studio album, with a name that tells much about the album, Unstoppable. 

Chlara spent the early years of her life living in England before moving to the Philippines at the age of nine. Her father Cesar passed away when Chlara was only two years old. He was a music lover and left Chlara with his love of music. From the age of three, Chlara was already singing and was very much influenced by the music constantly played at home. She grew up listening to Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Air Supply, The Carpenters, Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. 

After moving back to the Philippines Chlara’s mom Gina enrolled her into a few singing schools, where she regularly joined the schools’ singing programs and plays. Chlara began playing the guitar at the age 11 by learning from her brother and from her own self study. She would watch and learn videos on YouTube. Before starting college, Chlara had already started writing her own songs. Growing up, all Chlara ever wanted to do was to sing and to have the world hear her songs. Now that she is fully focused to reach her dreams, she has signed a long term management and recording agreement with the international music company, Evolution Music Group. Chlara’s fellow artists on Evolution’s evosound label include Air Supply and Connie Talbot.

The young songwriter has no lack of experience performing live. At a young age of 20, she already performed with world famous singer Connie Talbot at the Beijing Poly Theatre in China last June, 2013. 

In early summer 2013, Chlara dedicated a thoughtful amount of time to quality recording on her original album Unstoppable with the Switzerland based producer Adrien Zerbini. Chlara and Adrien worked side by side with veteran guitarist Janno Queyquep, bassist Joshua Royeca, drummer Tony Granados and Ivan Lee Espinosa on the keyboard, to produce a set of engaging pop songs. The album features eleven original compositions including tracks like the endearing You Complete Me, a secret love letter to Chlara’s big time crushes Daniel Padilla and Migz Haleco; Unstoppable, a refreshing pop alternative for your playlists; And which girl doesn’t dream of a perfect guy to end the hunt for Mr. Right? – Chlara says it all to her Perfect one on the track Perfect U N Me.

Watch out for her new album coming in stores on November 3rd, 2014!

September 15th, 2014: Be the first to stream the leading track You Complete Me on Spotify and Deezer and the first to own the digital album on iTunes!

Visit Chlara’s official website on: www.chlara.com
Latest updates of Chlara are available on:

 https://www.facebook.com/ChlaraOfficial
 https://www.youtube.com/babypinkfili1
@chlara_94
 @Chlara_94
@Chlara卡兒Official

Dulce, Isay Alvarez, Sheila Francisco, Karylle lead 'Musikal'

Post-event material

In celebration of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ 45^th anniversary, around 200 theater actors performed for what may be called the “biggest gathering of theater superstars” in history – “Musikal,” held last Friday (September 5) and Saturday (September 6) at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

The celebration was led by theater superstars Isay Alvarez and Robert Sena, Sheila Francisco, Dulce, and Karylle, who did not take her spot in the front line during the All-Star Finale.

Karylle’s gesture was lauded by some people who noted her humility.

A guest, who refused to be named, said, “Karylle obviously had a spot in the first row, but she was humble enough to stick to her place beside theater heavyweights like Isay, Robert, Dulce, and Sheila. Aside from her excellent performance that night, her humility and character shone during ‘Musikal.’”

Karylle performed lead roles in stage musicals like “The Little Mermaid,” “West Side Story,” and “Cinderella,” and reprised her Sita role from last year’s successful staging of Ballet Philippines’ “Rama Hari.”

“Musikal” opened with the overture by The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra with Gerard Salonga.

The revue started with musicals, which tackled old Philippines – “Walang Sugat,” represented by the comic spot “Makikiliti Kang Totoo,” performed by international musical star Sheila Francisco and Red Nuestro. It was followed by chosen numbers from “Ang Kababaihan Ng Malolos” and “San Andres B.”

The Ryan Cayabyab Singers performed a medley of songs from the musical “Lorenzo,” which elicited loud applause from the audience.

Former Sugarfree vocalist Ebe Dancel’s vocals soared in the “Rock Supremo” spot. He was accompanied by Ballet Philippines’ stars Carissa Adea, Kathrina Trofeo, and Richardson Yadao.

Children musicals came next. The segment opened with “Sandosenang Sapatos,” followed by last year’s multi-awarded “Bluebird of Happiness,” and “Batang Rizal.”

The “vaudeville” musicals were presented next with Roeder’s sexy, comic number “Titina” and the showstopping “Aba Ba Boogie,” from the 1980’s hit musical Katy with Isay Alvarez, star of last year’s revival.

The first act closed on a high note with a performance of some of the songs from Ryan Cayabyab and Bienvenido Lumbera’s “Noli Me Tangere” by the world-renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers and the “Munting Pangarap” number of perhaps the most successful musical in recent years “Rak of Aegis.”

The second act opened with Myke Salomon’s performance of “Magsimula Ka.” Followed by spots from Ateneo’s “Sinta,” “Toilet the Musical,” and Ed Gatchalian’s “Rivalry.”

The cast of “Sa Wakas” performed next with the song “Bawat Daan.”

These numbers mirror the youth’s psyche.

The “Himala” spot was undeniably intense with powerhouse performances from May Bayot, Isay Alvarez, Cynthia Guico. and Dulce.

The mood turned gay when Myke Salomon opened the “Rainbow Segment,” with performances from “gay-themed” musicals like “Caredivas,” “Zsa Zsa Zaturnah,” and “Maxie.”

These fun numbers were followed by a revue of “Rama Hari,” perhaps the most important Filipino musical as it was made by icons of the industry – National Artists Bien Lumbera, Alice Reyes, and Salvador Bernal with the respected Ryan Cayabyab.

“Rama Hari” is based on the love story of Rama and Sita, as presented in the Asian epic “Ramayana.”

OJ Mariano (Rama) opened the suite with “Tagistis ng Ulan.” He was followed by Karylle (Sita), who looked every inch a royalty. She sang the most popular tune from the musical – “Magbalik Ka Na Mahal.” Then, a dance solo was performed by dancers from Ballet Philippines. Robert Sena joined OJ and Karylle for “Awit ng Pagsinta.”

The “Rama Hari” was greeted by thunderous applause.

“Musikal” ended with “Minsan Ang Minahal Ay Ako,” a song from the musical “Katy.” The said anthemic song has unofficially been the “theme of stage performers.” Dulce, Isay, and Aicelle, stars of last year’s revival, led all the performers in singing the song.

After that magical, emotional number, thunderous applause, and a long standing ovation greeted the more than 200 cast members of “Musikal,” further proving that the local theater industry is experiencing a new “high.”

FROM BEETHOVEN TO BLONDIE: MUSIC, A CRITICAL ELEMENT OF “IF I STAY”

Movie release material

In New Line Cinema's romantic drama “If I Stay,” music is the connective tissue that threads the characters' world together. It is also “a metaphor for our passions in life,” states director R.J. Cutler.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

“If I Stay” opens with a Cello Sonata by Beethoven and riffs through an array of music including Zoltan Kodaly, Bach, Buzzcocks, Beck, Sonic Youth, Blondie, Iggy Pop, and The Dandy Warhols, to name a few.

“Music is an undeniably critical element in and of itself in this film and that created a wonderful opportunity for me,” says Cutler. “Telling stories about people who play music and who sing allows you to enhance the narrative in many different ways. You’re dealing with the content of the lyrics, the nature of the performance, and the tone of the actual scene itself. It’s really exciting to get things that function on all of those levels when you find exactly the right piece of music and put it together in exactly the right way.”

Cutler set the musical tone early, giving MP3 players to his cast loaded with playlists that their characters would be listening to, since “they are defined by the music they love,” he explains.

Chloe Grace Moretz, who plays the central character, the cellist Mia, received one filled with music from the classical genre, as well as contemporary music that incorporated classical instruments, like Nirvana’s “Unplugged.” Cutler also included a lot of Mia's parents, Kat and Denny’s favorite music, which Mia grew up on: The Clash, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Elvis Costello, The Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, as well as more contemporary Pacific Northwest-based music that would likely be in the world around her.

The playlist for Jamie Blackley who plays the guitarist and rocker, Adam, overlapped Moretz’s, but with less classical and more of a foundation in Punk and Grunge.

Although Blackley actually plays guitar and sings, he brushed up with lessons from Simon Tong, who played in the band Gorillaz.

The first time Blackley got to perform the music was a pivotal scene which takes place at a Labor Day party at Mia’s house. The day Mia remembers in her retrospective state as her favorite day was also one of Blackley’s favorite scenes. Adam and his band mates play guitar with Mia’s father and his musician friends gathered around a bonfire in Mia’s backyard. Blackley recalls, “That was really fun to film because we had worked so hard on the music.”

Adam brings out Mia’s cello and pulls her into the impromptu jam and, for the first time, she and Adam are finally playing music together, melding her classical music with his.

“It’s very symbolic. It’s like they are intertwining all the aspects of their lives,” says Moretz.

Author Gayle Forman, whose novel was the basis of the film, relates, “Being able to actually viscerally experience watching Mia play the cello or seeing Adam and Mia actually jam together was a million times better than it could ever be in the book or in my head. I think the music is really going to resonate with viewers.”

The songs are touchstones in Mia’s memories as she studies her past in the in-between world and reflects on the complex twists and turns in her relationship with Adam.

“It’s really beautiful how R.J. infused music into every aspect of making this movie,” Moretz notes, “You hear their love story; it’s completely encompassed in the songs.”

Cutler reflects, “These two people who are deeply in love with each other, and really connected could be torn apart for no other reason than that they are fully pursuing who they are.

“Life is messy. There isn’t just one path. It’s all the joy that comes from the surprises that it has in store for you and all the tragedy that comes from those surprises. What Mia learns on her journey with Adam is invaluable and helps her make her ultimate choice.”

Opening across the Philippines on September 3, 2014, “If I Stay” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Entertainment Company.

Japanese Singer AISAKU in his ‘ALAALA MO’ Music Video!

After the successful release of his carrier single ‘IKAW PA RIN’ (popularized by Ted Ito), Pure Japanese Singer AISAKU YOKOGAWA proudly unleashes his equally strong follow up track culled from his Ikaw Pa Rin album entitled ‘ALAALA MO’ (Saigo No Ame), another melodic remake of a Ted Ito original.

With "Alaala Mo", Aisaku showcases his flair for the Tagalog language; pronouncing words more vividly, understanding every phase and  applying just the right kind of emotion to its lyrics. Despite being a true blooded Japanese, Aisaku emerges and proves that his mastery of the Filipino language has developed. Over the past several years that he's been performing along side OPM icons, Aisaku seems to have adapted more of the Pinoy Culture and as he would term it, he's become more PINOY-ish now especially when he sings a particular Tagalog song. He sounds way better now that he did a few years ago. Aside from his ability to sing OPM,  Aisaku has also learned to embrace the most common Pinoy habits like taking a selfie using a selfie pod, and taking pictures of every ‘"ulam" he eats. He also revealed that his current favorite song is Davey Langit’s ‘The Selfie Song’. Aisaku admits that he owes this to his great mentors and he wouldn't have done it without their guidance. He is truly grateful to his colleagues and friends in the industry namely Rannie Raymundo, Dulce, Arthur Manuntag, Jerwin Nicomedez, Thor Dulay, Jeanne Vicars, Skarlet among many others. 

Aisaku is more than elated that Alaala Mo enjoyed heavy spins on radio. In fact, he's very thankful to the radio jocks and staff who have been very supportive to his career as a singer. As a token of gratitude to his supporters and fans, Aisaku recently launched the official music video of Alaala Mo, which can now be seen on YouTube, MYX and MTV Pinoy. The video effectively depicts the exact emotions of Aisaku at the time of the shoot. It captures his melancholic and more serious side as he just got his heart broken before the actual video shoot. According to Aisaku, he did not have a hard time recording the songs in this particular album, in fact he did it with so much ease mainly because the songs are very relatable especially to Pinoys who are sentimental/emotional by nature. Each track elicits a strong sense of loneliness since the lyrics are heartfelt and sincere. 

Aisaku's dedication as an OPM act remains unparalleled and this is evident through his music and in how he performs on stage. He always tends to please his crowd and meets his audience's expectation. 

At this point, Aisaku is gearing up for yet another exciting phase in his career. He will soon be launching his upcoming original tracks ‘‘IMADEMO AISHITERU’ (composed/written by Rob Evangelista) and Aisaku’s original composition, ‘DAIJOBU DAKARA ~kaya pa naman~’ poised to dominate the radio airwaves soon!

Grab a copy of AISAKU’s debut album ‘Ikaw Pa Rin’, featuring the much loved hits IKAW PA RIN and ALAALA MO, produced by Janet Ito, released under i&i records and distributed by

Universal Records. IKAW PA RIN  is also available on iTunes, OPM2GO, and in all record bars nationwide.

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For booking inquiries, kindly contact Grace Foronda at +639178058870 or gracelomboyforonda@gmail.com