Bituin lives up to her name

Life has changed dramatically for Bituin Escalante four years after she first made ripples in the mainstream entertainment business.

It’s certainly been one big blessing after another from the time this writer first brought a virtually unknown to jam at his friend’s thanksgiving party at the Suburbia. That friend turned out to be acclaimed singer-songwriter Martin Nievera who was floored by what he saw and heard that night, immediately extending his personal invitation to Bituin to guest in his next concert.

Bituin’s versatility has given her an edge among the country’s long list of singing celebrities. She can cater to the masses, as seen in her regular weekend outings. Never mind if the girl of immense vocal gifts is, time and again, reduced to singing mostly lousy pieces in a show which sadly gives more exposure to mediocre talents than genuine gems.

She can also delight the sosyal crowd, as her performances with the likes of Michel Legrand and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra have proven. Her well-chosen roles and much-raved about performances in theater have also put her several notches above her contemporaries.

But this Bituin has more. She has character, and her voice has this indescribable texture and magnificent range that could easily topple any of the American Idol finalists. Bituin is one rare musical artist who can shift from ballads to rhythm and blues to jazz and even to dance without so much effort, unlike many of our more popular singers who think that being brilliant means being able to sustain the highest notes to goad their audience to go wild with explosive applause during concert performances.

From her glorious winning moment at the prestigious 2000 Metropop Song Festival to her gallant sweep of the Himig Handog Love Songs competition in 2002 (where her now signature mega-hit Kung Ako Na Lang Sana garnered for her the Best Interpreter plum and the Grand Prix for composer Soc Villanueva), Bituin has certainly won the respect and admiration of people who truly understand and appreciate the art of music. Which makes us wonder why the country keeps on sending less gifted singers to international singing competitions.

Very soon, Bituin will try to achieve a feat no other local singer has accomplished – win the first-ever Mang Levi Celerio Songwriting Contest which will give her the honor of being the only musical artist to win all three esteemed music festivals.

For this competition organized by the Del Rosarios of Viva Entertainment as a tribute to the late great national artist, Bituin will interpret another soul-stirring composition of Soc Villanueva titled I’m Sorry. It is a hauntingly painful yet powerful love song about a woman’s determination to rise above her heartbreak brought about by her lover’s continuous insensitivity and disloyalty.

The organizers have postponed the date of the finals for this much-anticipated event a couple of times without any clear reason. Many, including this writer, think that the promotions group in charge has to rethink its strategies and work double time to properly market the wonderful entries that made it to the finals, including Bituin’s beautiful song, lest their grand intentions turn futile and are laid to rest.

Meanwhile, her management team at The Talent Factory makes sure that Bituin gets only the most worthwhile projects. Take for instance the opportunity to sing the theme song of the current Nora Aunor movie Naglalayag, an entry to the ongoing Manila Film Festival. "It’s my first time to sing the theme of a Nora Aunor film and it’s such a wonderful feeling to do so. Besides, it’s a beautiful song composed by no less than ‘the’ Rey Valera," Bituin exclaims.

Recently, Bituin was in Dubai, where she hosted and sang at the Pop Star Search Finals. She is also very excited about lending her speaking and singing voice to the character of Mrs. Noah in the first full-length puppet musical Mr. Noah’s Big Boat, which will be staged at the Music Museum in July. "This is going to be fun. Gary Valenciano will do Noah’s voice and I will be his wife," she says. Written and directed by Jaime del Mundo for Trumpets Productions, the puppet musical is based on the Biblical story of Noah and his giant ark.

On the concert front, Bituin is preparing for Cecile Santiago-Rodger’s first attempt at big-time concert production billed as Simply WONDER-ful, a concept show which pays tribute to the musical genius of Stevie Wonder. Bituin will render immortal Wonder classics with Jay-R, Jimmy Bondoc and the AkaFellas at the Aliw Theater on Aug. 14, and it’s an event we would watch out for.

Bituin Escalante is as busy as ever. And her star will continue to shine for a long, long time.