Cebu’s Power Trio

CEBU, Philippines - Three female singers sharing the same passion for performing have banded forces to form the singing triumvirate now known as the Power Trio.

Leading the pack is Masumay “Sam” Booc, a 22-year-old from Lapu-Lapu City who has a diploma in Performing Arts–Acting at the International Academy of Film and Television. A Miss Lapu-Lapu 2013 title-holder, Sam is currently working at Oomph Radio 105.1 as DJ Sumi. She loves scuba diving, boxing and enjoys travelling. Sam, the eldest of the three, describes herself as friendly, bubbly, quirky, optimistic, outspoken and talkative.

Stephanie “Steph” Mananquil, a 19-year-old from Mandaue City who is taking up Bachelor of Science in Tourism at the University of San Carlos. She used to perform as front act in Manila mall shows. At a young age, Steph is already business-minded. She helps her mom in selling wines and other products such as cleaning chemicals, and at times, does the merchandise delivery herself. She is deeply in love with music, photography, and enjoys motorcross. Following her mom’s footsteps, Steph envisions having a business of her own someday.

Power Trio’s baby is May Ann “May” Mananquil, 17, the younger sister of Steph. May studies at ACLC College of Mandaue. This former “Little Big Star Cebu” finalist has tried her hand in modeling and pageantry. Just like her elder sister, she helps her mom with the family business.

It was in January 2014 when the group was formed. Sam was first discovered by Aida Patana (Steph and May’s mom) of MTalents Events and Promotions. Prior to that, Sam and Steph already met and became friends during a local teleserye shoot.

Their teleserye’s resident make-up artist Leo Sanchez was then looking for girls to perform for an event. The three haphazardly gathered to perform in said event, and their chemistry on stage gave Aida the idea that they had potential as a girl group.

Sam, who selected their name Power Trio, said that it symbolizes their trademark of rendering energetic numbers that showcase their individual vocal prowess.

Sam, Steph and May shared the same sentiment: their motivation in building up the group is their desire for Cebuano talent to be heard not just in the local and national scene, but in an international avenue, hopefully.

“We want to inspire young talented individuals to be confident to show the world whatever they are capable of. We realized that there are a lot of talented Cebuanos that are not yet heard and seen that we believe possess world-class talent. If given the right opportunity and break, we know that Cebuanos will shine and our place will become known to other places,” Sam quipped.

What sets them apart

“Every group is different with their own styles in performing. Just like us, we know that Cebuano groups are talented and have their differences. Maybe what sets us apart from them is that, we are young and we know that we still have plenty of room for improvement. We sing the songs of our generation and perform the most classic songs of all time. And we are here to perform and inspire people. We are humble that we became part of the music industry,” Sam said.

All three also know their way with the guitar and a little bit of piano. Genre-wise, Power Trio is fond of pop. But trust them to also capably belt out classic medleys and songs that will lure a crowd to sing and dance.

The girls – who all admire the formerly Beyonce-led Destiny’s Child – know constant practice goes a long way, and so they fill up their calendar with a variety of lessons and exercises.

Shared Sam, “We have voice lessons and dance rehearsals. We also go to the gym together to keep ourselves fit and increase our stamina. We usually have two-three hours every rehearsal, two-three sessions every week and four hours session a day before a show because during our performance, each of us will sing a solo song first before we perform together.”

In over a year as an official group, the Power Trio has had two TV guestings thus far: one at GMA7’s “Walang Tulugan” last October and November 2014. They also graced at the Philippine Councilors’ League held in Davao in December 2013 and in the same event held in SM Mall of Asia December of last year. They also rocked the Knowles Glamrock Party at the Waterfront Concert Hall last December 2014.

The group’s biggest moment so far was winning Best Girl Group of the Year at the 27th Global Excellence Awards 2014 held in Meralco Theater, Manila last November.

In times of mistakes during a performance, the group said they usually talk about what happened. “Every performance is different from the other. There’s always a good and bad performance and we made sure to correct our mistakes and assess ourselves if there’s something we need to change and improve.”

Passion for acting

Call them a triple treat, for the Power Trio can act, too. Sam has appeared in over 80 films since 2010. She performed in both Cebu and Manila theaters, and had won Best Actress award at the Short10 Cinema Film Festival held in New York City. This Viva Artist Agency contract artist also starred in the international indie film “Hello Forever” along with America’s Next Top Model Cycle 11 participant, Isis King.

Steph, for her part, had a cameo in the local movie “Gangster Lolo” which was shown in SM Cinemas December 2014. She also acted in several student short films and music videos.

Asked how the audience response has been towards their performances, Sam said, “Every audience is different. We know that we can’t please everyone to appreciate our performance but so far, they have been very responsive. All the experiences from our shows have been worth it.”

Whether they will stay long in the music industry or not, the girls of Power Trio vow to never stop singing. “We never thought that the group could get this far. We are just doing what we love and that is to perform. We are so blessed to be given this opportunity by MTalents and we are doing our best to make the most out of it. We believe that if it’s something you love to do, go on and do everything you can to make your dreams happen. Your talents are just waiting to be discovered. Take a leap!” said Sam.

The Power Trio is set to release an album this year, made up of their own compositions. A concert is likewise in the drawing board. Sinulog season has the girls on their toes with various events, one of whoch is hosting an OLX event at the Fuente Osmeña Circle from January 16-18.

For those who aspire to be singers like them, Sam had this to say: “Sing if you want your voice to be heard. Sing not for fame but because it is something you love to do. Do it with all your heart and you will never fail.” (FREEMAN)