The marvels of Misalucha

Not too long ago, Lani Misalucha humbly admitted she never really had a big hit. "I recall Diana Ross in a movie where she said that no matter how good a singer you are, it’s all for nothing if you don’t have a hit song," she told me.

It doesn’t bother me that until now, a hit song has eluded Lani. I know she’s an outstanding vocalist. I adore her simplicity and straight-forwardness. For me and many others, a hit does not a true singer make, even if this almost-jaded, piracy-burdened music industry thinks so.

In a business where everyone seems to be sprinting towards the pedestal of fame and fortune, Lani is one who has benefited from taking it slow but sure. "I don’t see why people have to rush things," she says. "Especially the aspiring singers na parang hindi makapaghintay, o di kaya naman yung lumalaki kaagad ang ulo sa konting kasikatan pa lang."

Lani surely knows what she’s talking about. For many years, she was content with just mimicking the voices of Braxton, Houston and Dion, recording their songs into multiplex cassette tapes, and being paid measly sums for doing so. In short, she used to be the country’s most sought-after ghost singer.

She lets me in on her success story. A former actress and singer with the Andres Bonifacio Concert Chorus of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Lani has performed in almost all the first-rate lounge bars in the country. Name it and she must have been there: the Manila Hotel’s Tap Room, Intercon’s Boulevardier, Mandarin’s Captain’s Bar, and Shangri-La’s Conway’s Bar. "Mahirap kasing kumita noon, habang may opportunities, sige lang ng sige," was her work ethic when offers came one after the other.

"To be very honest, I never really dreamed of making it big," she continues. "I was already content with being on the sidelines, singing with bands, doing jingles for commercials, and lending my voice to the popular songs in the multiplex tapes."

In 1990, she made her first mark when she went solo for the first time in a five-star hotel lounge. "I was jittery, hotel crowd yon at dapat magaling ka talaga kundi tatayuan ka at lalayasan. I’m glad I was able to pull through," she recalls.

From then on Lani became a favorite of the lounge crowd. People would troop to her performances and would request her to sing like their favorite singers. "Ako naman, kanta lang ng kanta, basta maaliw ang audience ko," she explains. When the band scene was so in vogue, she went with the flow and performed as lead singer with Prelude Band, the Silk Band and Bodgie Dasig’s Law of Gravity before returning to solo performances at Regine’s Café in Makati and Shangri-La Makati’s Conway’s Bar in 1994 and 1995.

Then when she thought she was ready, Lani mustered enough courage to interpret an entry at the 1996 Metropop Song Festival, singing Ang Iibigin Ay Ikaw. She lost.

After that loss, she came out with a "seemingly winnable" album, More Than I Should which included her cover of Anthony Gordon’s Somebody Warm Like Me. Still no certified hit. She made a big move to Viva, and released songs like You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me and Tunay na Mahal with so-so results.

Then as if the world really roots for underdogs, Lani bravely tried, for the second time, at the Metropop, interpreting Dodjie Simon’s Can’t Stop Loving You. The song capped the grand prize, and many were one in saying that she was the main reason the song won.

Lani’s very first two-night solo concert in September of 2001 (I’m Gonna Make You Love Me) became a sell-out and this established her in the music scene. But despite the huge success of the concerts that followed, the elusive hit song remained a dream.

Then came the millennium and she released a 14-track album called All Heart. It didn’t create as much waves as it was expected to. Still, Lani didn’t lose heart. She worked harder and improved her performance in each concert that followed, whether it be in the Philippines or offshore, carefully choosing her repertoire which would fit her marvelous range and style.

And because patience is a virtue for Lani, here’s the good news: after three years in the oven, her new CD titled Loving You is out. The better news is that it was purposely recorded without the usual belting, acrobatics and unnecessary modulation which many of our female singers who are so eager to hold on to their "diva" thrones follow as their standard of excellence.

The carrier single is a composition of Lisa Dy titled Tila. Included in the album are the melodies of Jun Lacanienta, Lisa del Valle, Janno Gibbs, Trina Belamide, Moy Ortiz and Ben Escasa. She did wonderful covers of Truefaith’s Muntik Nang Maabot ang Langit and Hajji Alejandro’s Tag-araw, Tag-Ulan. Of course, the Burt Bacharach-Hal David song Loving You is finally in a Misalucha album.

Lani has never been comfortable with labels and titles, specially the "D"word. "I’ve never had those grand illusions of being one, " she says, almost whispering, without a hint of pretentious modesty. Didn’t you notice that she can’t even mention the word? She adds, "I simply want to sing. I am simply Lani Misalucha, the singer, period."

Music is obviously Lani’s passion. "It’s a God-given gift, and it’s meant to be shared, to move, to inspire, to entertain, and to make people happy," she tells me. But she has other sources of happiness, too, like her family–husband Noli and daughters Li-an, and Louven.

For those who genuinely understand music appreciation, Lani has remained on top of their list of favorite singers. She doesn’t have to belt like a bird being strangled just to impress, nor does she have to possess the stance of an aging songstress to look in control on stage.

As my reliable maid asked me once while watching TV, "Kuya, bakit hindi na lang sila kumanta nang maayos tulad ni Lani, bakit kailangan iba-ibahin ang tono o kaya’y tumili nang tumili?"

For someone who used to make a living recording uncanny multiplex covers of the world’s most popular foreign female singers, Lani Misalucha has surely come a long, long way. Perhaps with this newly-released CD, she will have her first big hit. It’s long overdue, if you ask me.