January 28 ------ Amid her continuous rise in showbiz, Belle Mariano wants you to know that there’s more to her than being an actress. The 19-year-old is embracing and exploring her musical side — first with her debut album Daylight under Star Pop and now, her first concert ever with the same title, presented by both Star Pop and ABS-CBN Events, which is happening tomorrow, Jan. 29, via KTX.ph..) “I love singing, too. Acting isn’t just my passion. Like everyone else, I have more than one passion and there are a lot of things that I want to do,” Belle explained in a virtual presscon.
Belle has been in the industry for nine years, starting out in the children’s gag show Goin’ Bulilit and the drama Lorenzo’s Time, but it can be said that 2021 was her year of breakthrough for successive big breaks that have made her the “belle of the ball.” Apart from her first album, she had her first female lead role in a series, He’s Into Her, and film Love Is Color Blind with love team partner Donny Pangilinan. Belle is one of those artists who can stake a claim that they worked their way up. During a one-on-one chat, it wasn’t hard to feel her happiness that she’s now ticking off goals she used to only dream about, including headlining her own concert.
She gushed to The STAR: “Ever since, wini-wish ko na sana maka-concert ako, pero parang ngayon palang ata nag-si-sink in sa akin, na oh my gosh, may concert ako, and dun nanggaling yung kaba, excitement na talagang mapakinggan ng lahat yung mga songs mo sa album. This is my first-ever concert and who would have thought? I was just dreaming of this before.” Asked what to expect in her concert, she said she wants the overall positive vibe of the album to translate into the virtual show. “I feel like this concert will be a reminder for us, to everyone, that despite all the struggles we’re going through, there’s always ‘daylight’ that comes after. I wanted it to be intimate, light, something that everyone can relate to.”
Besides singing all seven tracks on her debut record, Belle hinted at performing covers with reworked arrangements. Guests include Trisha Denise, SAB, Jayda, composers of her album’s songs, as well as Kyle Echarri, Ben&Ben and Donny. Staging her first concert, there have been some challenges, Belle readily admitted. “Feeling ko, ang pinaka-struggle ko dito is stage fright. Alam mo, yung kahit virtual lang makikita, andun pa rin yung kaba. I just want to give my best in this concert since this is my very first.”
Nevertheless, the Star Magic and RISE Artists Studio talent enjoyed having creative control and say on Daylight: The Concert, which is directed by Alco Guerrero under the musical direction of Iean Iñigo. “Madami po (input). Really, when direk and I were talking, I was amazed since lahat ng ideas namin, nag-a-align. Like here sa concert ko, there won’t be any stage, there’s just gonna lights, and a fun, yes, dreamy vibe, for everyone.”
Daylight album
Belle also took a hands-on approach to the making of her album, which was dropped last December. She was heavily involved in the selection of the title and songs that best “resembled who I am.” “All the songs in the album are really just light that every time I’d hear the songs, I could see myself sitting in the veranda, watching the daylight, drinking a cup of coffee. Ganun yung vibes din kasi ng music so that’s why we came up with the title.”
Belle, who has confident and emotive vocals, was proud to showcase works by young composers on her debut record. The track Rise was written especially for her by the equally talented Jayda Avanzado. “(She said) I researched some things about you, your life, etc., sabi ko, really? Yung song na sinulat niya relatable siya sa journey ko in this industry. Sabi ko nga ang galing naman nito, wow! You can really see, everytime you hear the songs in the album, the passion of the composers and how much they love what they do.”
She expressed hope of writing her own songs someday. “Hopefully, one day, I’ll be able to compose my own songs because now every time I try, one struggle ko talaga, paano ko tatapusin yung kanta (laughs). Laging ganun nangyayari, so hopefully, makakatapos ako ng song (laughs).”
Source: philstar.com