My First Music Video

what an amazing experience it was to shoot my first music video. we started the day at 5 am to take the two-hour drive to hacienda isabella in tagaytay. it’s a property owned by renowned singer-actress kuh ledesma and i must say it is a beautiful place. even though i was awake for 25 hours straight doing the video, i had so much fun. the production team was composed of the nicest people in the world and they made sure i was comfortable with everything before they shot each scene. the stylist and makeup artist were as equally kind and put up with me as i expressed my sentiments about the criminally short dress or the heavier-than-normal false eyelashes. the guy who played my love interest was quite the gentleman and i bet he’d make a lot of girls smitten when they see the video. and the best part of it all...(thanks to all those people) i actually think this video is going to be awesome.

i’ve got nothing but gratitude to show the people behind this production. omar cervantes, the director, knew exactly what he wanted to do with this video, took that idea, and ran with it the entire time. our cinematographer, jun aves, followed every detail and no doubt made each scene look exquisite. rommel malimban and jj purugganan will be taking care of post-production, and from what i’ve seen in them, they’re gonna turn what we’ve shot into a real work of art.

and, he’s not part of the production team, but i MUST say thank you to my manager, henry onglatco, for financing the whole thing! he believes in me so much it’s scary! hahaha! and ofcourse we wouldn’t even have a venue if it weren’t for jesse and mags david’s hookups (yet again)! they also gave me a whole bunch of mossimo clothes, which you will see in the video. too bad i can’t wear them on a day-to-day basis when the vid comes out. people are gonna be like, “didn’t she wear that in the video?” argh...but still, i’m LOVIN’ the free clothes.

at the end of the shoot, they had me do some spiels for a behind-the-scenes thingamajig for MYX. the director had me explain what the whole thing was about and, looking back on what i said, i think i sounded really stupid! i blame it totally on my sleep deprivation so now i must try to redeem myself here. the video is for one of the covers i did, you’re the inspiration, which was popularized by chicago in the 1980s. i’m one of those people who love irony, so i didn’t hesitate to suggest a tragic ending for this video. while it didn’t turn out to be a greek tragedy, it ended in a kind of unexpected way. the story is really very simple and it’s been told a thousand times. but what will make it different is how we tell it.

well i am so excited to see the final product. and i REALLY need to get cable installed at my place so i can actually watch this thing on TV!

now that i’ve revealed the secret of the location, i want to share its beauty with everyone. log on to http://www.haciendaisabella.com to see more of its jewels and to find out how you can make reservations.

The Where and The Who

We took a look at a possible venue for our shoot last Thursday. And I must say it was PERFECT. Since we are going for something classic, we want to make sure the venue is going to match the theme. I don't want to mention the name of the place yet because I feel like it is my (or our) own hidden treasure for now. It's a beautiful house tucked away in Tagaytay and the whole property is about 4 hectares. But we'll be needing only a fraction of that, ofcourse. The landscape is gorgeous from every angle. The interior has an inviting, rustic feel. And I can only imagine the sunsets there are spectacular. Here are a few pictures:

We have also made our top picks on guys who might play my love interest. It was kind of weird because my real concern was whether or not these guys can act, yet I only had their pictures for reference. It was even more weird for the director and my manager when they were browsing through the photos, because two guys pouring over other guys' pictures (many of which are topless) can never look right. (Unless they swing that way--which I have no problem with whatsoever--but that wasn't the case). Anyway, there will be another meeting on Monday to finalize everything.

The shoot is scheduled to be next week and I am just excited and terrified to do my first music video. I will soon find out if I can act! Although I have an inkling the answer is negative. Oh well...we shall see! I hope I'm not setting myself up!

Now & Then

I can finally say I've finished recording all of the songs for my upcoming album. They are now undergoing the last stages of mixing. There is a particular track that everyone seems to love and it's going to be my first single. My first single! I had recorded an indie album in the States, but none of the songs ever got airplay, nor did I really expect it. But this time, I'm actually going to hear one of my songs on the radio. I wonder how that would feel--to hear my voice over the airwaves for the first time? It's crazy. (And a little bit nerve-wracking. I mean, what would the critics say?!) Ah...but let me enjoy the positive stuff first!

Before I go on about the current events of my singing career, allow me to shed some light on some history. I grew up in a small city outside of Washington DC, where most of my friends were African Americans and my kind of music was R&B and Neo-Soul. At the age of 13, I would be nodding my head to Aaliyah, Erykah Badu, and Lauryn Hill. So people might wonder, "Why is she singing standards now?" Well, my friends and environment weren't the only things influencing my musical taste. Both of my parents are musicians and they come from opposite ends on a spectrum of genres. My dad is responsible for my propensity to Ray Charles, The Beatles, and Bread. My mom, on the other hand, has a more classic preference. Her repertoire boasts of standards sung by Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Natalie Cole. In a time where everything is being hurled forward into the future, sometimes it's a relief to go back. And I know a lot of people can agree with me when I say current trends are soon to expire. It's a risk to do something new (which happens to be old) but I'm sure the experiences are going to be worth it.

On the album, we've mixed up some favorite standards with a few covers of timeless pop songs. I am dreading what people would say about my rendition of an unforgettable OPM hit. The first time I recorded it in the studio, we almost decided to scrap it. They said I sounded too American. It might be cute for other artists to have that twang, but we didn't want to go for cute. We were reviving an OPM classic and we would need to do it justice. After some language coaching from my mom, I think the second attempt at the song was less futile. The other tracks on the album include my original compositions. One of them will also be a single in the coming months and I hope it can become something special to even a few people out there.

As the CD is almost out, we are already brainstorming for the first music video. Actually, we've done a bit more than just brainstorming. We already have a concept (which, I might mention, was partly conceptualized by me!) and now we just have to follow the steps. We are currently looking for a location to shoot and a certain someone to play my love interest. I just met with the production team this week and it was great to see that they are as excited as I am. We all want to do something different and at the same time simple, without forgetting to be evocative. If all goes according to plan, we'll be shooting the video two weeks from now. I have no idea what to expect since it will be my first video, but it goes without saying, I am so looking forward to it.

I won't try to deny it--it's a very exciting time! Practically no one knows about this blog yet, but I'll be spreading the word soon. If you are reading this, feel free to comment. I'd love to know what people make of this.

What Shouldn't Be

this entry is not going to be related to music in any way. now that i have invented such an outlet to express my emotions at any given time, i guess i will take advantage of it. i just want to say this: the green-eyed monster is an ugly thing and i totally think it is unnecessary. but every now and then, it does visit me. it just knocks at my door and i let the bugger in. (i just became british for a second.) jealousy is the most hideous sickness in the world and i wish i could be immune to it.

i suppose everyone has their insecurities, or atleast the desire to be like someone else, or the involuntary attempt to compete with them. do you know what makes me insecure? well, a lot of things. and i never try to let anyone see that because i need everyone to know that i am completely confident in my own skin. the truth is a lot of things terrify and intimidate me. i considered delving into the details just now, but i’ve decided against it. writing it down (or typing it here) would just make those insecurities more real, then i wouldn’t be able to lie to myself and say “nothing intimidates me”. so, no. i’ll keep them to myself.

hmmm. this blog thing is never going to work out if i keep this DTA attitude. oh well i guess i’ll just write about music next time. or i could give myself more time to learn to open up. i’m a clam! i’m a clam! suddenly i am craving for some clam chowder soup.

well...a better post next time. (a more normal one too.) i am still tired from tonight's gig and i just had to check my friendster, hence the attack of the green-eyed monster. (sigh.) i gotta delete my friendster account.