Trio of talent defines next generation of divas

CEBU, Philippines - They have unique styles individually, but they make wonders when they perform as the trio of talent called La Diva.

It was May of 2008 when GMA Artist Center formed a female music trio called La Diva for the “Three of a Kind” segment in SOP to introduce a new generation of divas.

While the three ladies of La Diva are uncertain of how they were chosen, the common factor, however, is that all three of them came from the singing com-petition, Pinoy Pop Superstar. Jonalyn Viray and Maricris Garcia were the Grand Champions of the first and third seasons, respectively, while Aicelle Santos was the runner-up of the second season.

Jonalyn is the soprano, Maricris is the mezzo-soprano, and Aicelle is the alto. Since they possess a sister-like bond, they really are at ease with each other, and so are their voices.

Jonalyn, Maricris, and Aicelle are winners and champions in their own right but together, they stand as GMA Network’s shining trio of divas who captivated the hearts of Filipinos with their melodious blending styles.

Their most unforgettable moment as a trio was when they were chosen by no other than pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao to sing the national anthem of his November 14 fight against Miguel Cotto. It was a truly rare chance to sing in front of the worldwide audience.

“When we learned that we’re going to sing the national anthem, we were glad at the same time pressured since it was the first time that people would see a trio singing the anthem. Pero nabawasan rin yung kaba kasi nga tatlo kami, so kung merong isa na magkakamali, merong tutulong sa ‘yo,” Maricris said.

“Sobrang saya naming lahat at siyempre hindi mo rin talaga maiiwasan na mayroon talagang criticisms in the way how we sang the anthem,” said Aicelle.

“Mahirap yung performance kasi wala kaming mga monitor. Hindi talaga namin narinig yung sarili naming. Grabe ang sigawan ng mga tao pa. Thank God, all the practice really paid off,” said Jonalyn.

Believe it or not, it took them not only days or weeks to rehearse for that gig, but actually months to perfect the rendition.

“Naku, hindi lang talaga hours at days at weeks kundi months! September pa lang, pinag-aralan na namin kung paano kakantahin yung kanta,” said Maricris.

After their performance, many doors of opportunities were opened to the amazing trio.

They finally got recognition as an up-and-coming singing group and just last December La Diva won Best Group Award at the recently concluded 22nd Awit Awards.

“We already have an album, it is a self-titled one. It is composed of songs that we have done on SOP. We gave it a different flavor, a different arrangement at pinaganda pa namin ng todo. It has 10 cuts,” said Maricris.

Their self-titled debut album is already out in major record bars in most of the locations in the Philippines. Their album has 10 tracks including their own version of the songs “Apologize”, “Angels Brought Me Here”, “I’m Yours”, “Best Of My Love”, “Stand Up For Love”, “Gaano Kadalas Ang Minsan” and their originals, “Kasping Ka (carrier single)”, “One Last Goodbye” and Rosalinda (Slow and Fast)”.

Their revival of the song, “Angels Brought Me Here” is the official soundtrack of the Korean Drama, “Queen Seon Duk” and their rendition of “Rosalinda” was used in the Filipino adaptation of the Mexicanovela.

Based on their album, it’s obvious that La Diva is composed of singers with different musical preferences, from RnB, ballads, standards to pop, but the main challenge here is that they have to sing as one voice—and so far, they have been successful in that aspect.

“We really don’t know. Nagugulat din kami kasi parang isa lang talaga ang boses namin when we perform,” Maricris said.

“Pakiramdaman lang talaga. We help one another out like nga nung last concert namin na napaus ako but they really helped. If a song is a strong suit of the other, then we ask help from one another,” said Aicelle.

They were very proud that in their first major concert, the venue Music Museum was really full, and that the concert lasted for three hours wherein they performed songs with different variations.

Interestingly, when it comes to their love lives, Jonalyn, Maricris and Aicelle also had a unified answer: “Kapag single yung isa, single din kami lahat. Pero, we see to it na career muna bago love life”.

The trio also leaves a message to aspiring singers.

“Just believe in your talent. Even if you’re turned down for how many times, don’t be discouraged. Instead, make it your motivation to move forward,” said Jonalyn.

“Dapat matuto kang makisama and learn to listen to each other because communication is important,” said Maricris.

“A give-and-take relationship is also what we possess and we believe that this would bring us to success,” said Aicelle.

La Diva will have a Valentine Concert tonight, February 13, at the Music Museum.