Random videos

Ok, so here are some videos of me singing in random venues.... some are for radio and tv guestings and some are live gigs with my band Drizzle w/ DNA... enjoy people!

Empire State of Mind (Radio guesting for 94.7)

Tensionado (TV guesting for Music Uplate)

The Climb (PAWS charity event)

Tiktok (gig at the Hardrock Cafe)

Will post more videos soon! Thanks for watching! :D

Live performances series

Ok, so i know it has been quite a while since I last posted anything on this blog, but I have been seriously busy with gigs and everything, singing almost 6 days a week... but enough of that :p I figure I am going to post a new series of blogs showcasing some of my live performances and music videos... I realized that I haven't posted a single video on this blog, even my own music videos. So yeah, i think I am going to start this series with the 2 music videos that I made.

TENSIONADO was the first single from my first album. Everything was slow motion in this video, so in order for it to look slow motion, i had to sing really fast! So when they play it in slow motion, I am still singing on time.... It was a fun shot to do, and although it sounded really funny singing my song really fast, it definitely paid off, the video looked great.

D2 NA LANG was my 2nd single, and this time, we took a different approach  in the video, we wanted a "live" feel to come through in the video, so we decided to do it in a studio. Spryta studios was kind enough to allow us to film for the whole day. And this was memorable because I get to play on a grand piano...

Ok so that's it for now. Next I will be posting some of my live gigs, radio and TV guesting so please drop by again soon! :D Thanks for stopping by!

BREAKING THROUGH SHOW

Last night March 17, 2012 was the night we held our first ever self-produced show entitled "BREAKING THROUGH" at the Hardrock cafe makati. It was so much fun and our guests Arthur Manuntag, Jay Durias and Totop Suzara were exceptionally brilliant last night! Considering it was our first big show, there were minor "glitches" and mistakes commonly associated with doing your first show... but overall it was fun and super duper exciting... Thank you to everybody who came and we hope that you had a good time as we did... Congratulations to my bandmates also, Dio, Bolichie, Mandy, Plenus and Kenji, Jimmy and Kuya Edwil... We did it! I am so proud of us... I hope we get to do more shows and concerts like these... :D i love you guys!

Bolichie and Me

Mandy in his "serious" mode as always :D

Kenji singing Magasin by Eraserheads

Having fun on stage..

Dio singing Rainbow with Jay Durias (not shown)

Totop Suzara singing "Man who can't be moved" i love this song!

My boys starting the Eraserheads medley...

Dio the "pogi"

Musical genius Mr. Jay Durias on stage with us

This show also marked our attempt do "concert" type shows because we wanted to grow and continually challenge ourselves and boy oh boy were we challenged! Over a month of rehearsals and we still didn't quite get it to flow the way we wanted it to flow... It wasn't a failure, don't get me wrong. I mean the people responded to us quite well actually. But being the perfectionist that I am, I know that we will definitely do a better job next time, because we sort of know better. I mean, there are soooo many other things to think of! Lighting, ticket sales, stage design, sponsors etc. These are things you don't normally think of when doing a regular gig. In gigs you show up, worry about the sound a little, formulate a hit lineup and you are good to go. In a "concert type" show, every single detail contributes to the success of it. I pledge to learn all the intricacies and hopefully do a better show next time. Kudos to everybody who has done it before us...

I have no picture of Mr. Arthur Manuntag but if I find one I will surely include it here... Again thank you to all who came to support us. My family who was also part of the production (Mama, Breezie, Rakoi, Janet, Chai... thank you and i love you guys!)

Until next time!

And there will definitely be a next time!!!

YOU ARE WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO BE...

Stop complaining. The world doesn't owe you anything.

So many people are saying that they were never given the break that they deserve or if they had the right people they would be in a better place or position. Let me break it to you... YOU ARE WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO BE. You make your own destiny. Not your manager, not your friends, not your bandmates. YOU. It may take a little longer getting there but if you work on it... it's definitely gonna happen. Maybe not exactly how you picture it was going to be, but you have to learn how to appreciate what you have. You have to see the beauty that is now. See the good and positive in everything that is happening. Don't dwell on negativity. It's only going to bring you down.

I have been in the music industry for... weeeeeelll.... a long time (let's not think about it too much, exactly how long... LOL!) I have done pretty much everything, lounge singer, girl group, back-up singer, commercial singing, sing for a political campaign jingle, sing and dance, be the band in a talk show a-la David Letterman, theatre singing, released albums, join a singing contest, session for some of the best band in the industry. You do what you can to survive. But early on, I have decided that this is what I wanted to do, and this is my passion, and so there may be a lot of detours, but eventually, and a loooot of years after, I am still doing what I love to do... Sing.

Sure there may be what you can call "shortcuts", like maybe wearing a 2 piece bikini while singing Whitney Houston songs (RIP Whitney, God bless her soul) will definitely get you gigs, But for how long? And will you earn the respect of your peers by doing that? (Take note: you do need the respect of your peers if you intend to be in the industry for a long time. Word of mouth travels a long way.) Plus shortcuts, are exactly what they are "short cuts", you will not learn all the intricacies of your craft if you do it that way. There is so much to learn in doing it the right way. The mentality nowadays would be "Why do I have to learn to be good in singing? When I can just wear something skimpy and I am good to go" or the ever so popular mentality : "It's ok if you don't sing it right, The audience wouldn't know the difference". But you would know, and if you can live with that, you don't have to read my blog, carry on with your life with contentment. But if you wish to know my opinion on this continue reading...

I have nothing against skimpy clothing, I also wear them occasionally (not 2 piece bikinis though... I have to draw a line somewhere... hehehehe... plus I don't think the audience or my bandmates will like it very much... hahaha!), whenever I feel that, that is what's needed for the gig. But you see, whenever I wear that, I feel obligated to prove myself more. I personally feel that I am pressured to make people see beyond the clothes, and actually listen. I feel that what you wear is a part of your performance. And i think that is a rule in general. BEYONCE doesn't wear a panty and a bra when she is doing a serious song. I don't think she ever will... and I agree with her. What people need to get is, clothes are "part" of the performance. There are other factors in a performance that should also be taken in congruence, to make it a whole. And guess what? ACTUAL SINGING is also part of that. The physicality or how you move on stage is another, your spiels... the list goes on. I discussed this on my earlier blogpost about passion so I am not gonna delve into that. Now I am not gonna tag myself as an "expert" on all things. What I am saying is coming from my heart... and more than a decade of experience.

This is what I know from experience: Learn your craft. Be passionate in what you do. Never give up hope. And if you are going to do something, do it RIGHT. The universe will answer and you will be exactly where you want to be.

SHOW POSTER...

         Yey! I am soooo excited! The poster is finally out. It means there is no turning back now. A couple of months back, somebody suggested that its mighty time for us to do a big show. A semi-big production, and well, we were deliberating on whether we are ready to do it? Will people go watch us? Well, we said what the heck?!? Let's do this!!! And so here it is... The poster for our show. It means this is really going to happen, whether we are ready or not. So we better work our asses off and give everybody the best show we can give. :D

      Will update you guys more... as the countdown towards the big show progresses.... Thanks for reading!

      Love,
     Drizzle

19East with Freestyle

Rolling in the Deep Cover with Freestyle @ 19 East (Click link to watch)

Need You Now Cover with Freestyle @ 19East (Click link to watch)

         I had the privilege to sing for one of the best R&B bands here in the Philippines. Freestyle. They are currently lacking a female singer and considering the members of the band are completely like family to me, they asked me to fill in, tuesday at 19 East. (Actually it has been 3 or 4 tuesdays already) It was a blast! A lot of people showed up and we ended up doing an encore on our last set (It was Mike Luis' MJ Medley). I love singing for them :D

         It's nice to step out of my comfort zone, in this case the comfort of my own band, every once in a while. The arrangements to the songs are different, and the feel in general is different. It helps me grow as an artist. You have to adapt to the changes in tempo and the medleys that they do. The audience rapport is different as well. They are the kind of audience that knows most of the songs of Freestyle by heart, but they were very receptive considering they have no clue who I was or they were probably expecting the old singer. It was a very good learning experience for me. And the Freestyle boys are like my brothers, so if they ask me to "session" again, I would do it in a heartbeat.

        Thanks to Tita Bing Manarang Lucas for the photos and the videos! :D

PASSION

PASSION (noun) : A strong liking for or devotion to some activity,

object or concept.

If you are going to do anything, do it with passion. Don't do it halfway, or halfheartedly. Give it your whole heart, your soul, your entire being. And derive satisfaction from the activity itself and let it not be motivated by the external or side factors...

The music/entertainment industry is very unforgiving, it's very tough and at times you lose hope and eventually lose track of what made you want to do this so bad. But you have to remember what you love about what you do. You have to be passionate in your craft, be thirsty for knowledge, never resting in your quest for excellence, not just musically mind you, but the whole art of performing. There has to be a balance to everything, the music, the aesthetic, the rapport with your audience, the physical (how you move and present yourself physically on stage), it is all part of a single pie. You CANNOT neglect a single aspect and drown yourself excelling in a single aspect of a whole. You cannot be all aesthetic and no music.

I miss the days when I would be inspired to be a better singer/performer with just watching the other bands that we were alternating with. You see the passion, the drive to be better. They were not satisfied with just an "OK" performance. It was QUALITY over QUANTITY. They make you want to be better. You take your audience on a musical journey, there are some parts of the set where, you make the audience feel a feeling they had at some point in their lives. Make them remember a memory of a heart ache or maybe make them feel happy with a song that they like. Nowadays you make them dance and you are a good band. Never mind that the lyrics were all messed up or you don't quite hit the notes, as long as you can shake your bikini-clad booty on stage, your good. Don't get me wrong, i don't have anything against people who wear skimpy clothes on stage, as long as it is appropriate or in sync with your song (or songs), by all means do it. But singing a Whitney Houston song in a 2-piece bikini? Come on.... Seriously???

I am in no way an expert in this. I am just another fish swimming in the sea of life. I don't know if I am the only one feeling this. Or if my observation is actually just a hallucination. If it is then kindly (operative word here is kindly :D) let me know.

Which goes back to my point, PASSION. Everything else falls into place. Love what you do and be the best that you can be in your job. This just not only applies to musicians but to everyone that cares to read my blog. There is so much to gain with being passionate at what you do. You become better at your craft, and eventually if you work hard, you can inspire people to do the same.Then the world becomes a better place... right? Don't dwell on the negativity. Passion brings you a whole different outlook and perspective on how you look at things. Dwell on what I am trying to say, bring the passion back in what you do. Never stop learning... and BE the best that you can be.