Karylle: The year that was

They say life is too short for regrets. But Karylle will have none of those when she looks back on 2005, considered by many to be her breakout year, both in her personal and professional life.

Everyone knows that Karylle has been in a relationship with Dingdong Dantes. The two first met while doing the series Twin Hearts, although at the time, Dingdong was paired with Tanya Garcia. The Dingdong-Tanya loveteam – which was introduced in the soap opera Sana Ay Ikaw Na Nga – was big news then, and no one counted on Dingdong and Karylle ending up together onscreen, much less in real life. But like the song goes, love moves in mysterious ways, and before long, Dingdong and Karylle found themselves becoming a real-life couple. Eventually, the press got wind of the romance, and after four TV shows together and a guessing game that took several months (were they or weren’t they?), the two finally came out into the open and admitted to their budding romance.

Surprisingly, no one let out a howl of protests. Everyone, including Karylle’s own parents, seemed to approve. Karylle’s mother was even quoted as saying in one of her interviews that she was all for the match. In an interview, she said: "They look so good together – pati ako, kinikilig sa kanila."

During the Pinoy TV launch in the US this year where they joined other GMA 7 artists, Dingdong was introduced to Karylle’s relatives, and it’s said he won their approval as well. The funny thing is that, according to Karylle, she and Dingdong don’t really have much in common. For one thing, she’s a singer and he’s a dancer. "He likes to watch movies more than I do," laughs Karylle. "He’s also very active. I’m not as active, although I did try kickboxing once."

At the same time, Karylle has nothing but good words for Dingdong. Even when working together onscreen, he always looks out for her. "He’s been guiding me from the beginning. As a partner, he’s the best, because hindi niya hahayaang mapahiya ka. As a person, he’s very responsible and respectful. Walang maipipintas sa kanya ang kahit na sino."

As if to prove his support for her, Dingdong even agreed to take up singing lessons just so he could do a duet with Karylle on her latest album. The song, entitled Hiling (which Karylle wrote herself) is about a girl wishing for love. The Dingdong-Karylle duet is part of the repackaged album You Make Me Sing, released recently by Universal Records. The song even has a music video starring them. It was shot in Canyon Woods, near the Batangas and Tagaytay border. Very soon, you should see that music video being aired on TV. Hiling is also nominated in Ifm as Best Duet.

Her album, single and video are just the latest in a string of career successes that Karylle has had last year. Career-wise, 2005 really does seem to be Karylle’s breakout year, because aside from releasing a new album, she was also given the opportunity to star in Encantadia, which is a new experience for her. Not only has it made her more popular; it has also made her appreciate how difficult it is to be an actress. It’s something she never really got the chance to do until last year, since she’d always prioritized her singing.

Karylle also has a QTV special entitled Fans Kita, for which she did an hour special for the pilot episode. Adding up to her busy schedule are the shows lined up by Unilever for the Rexona "Holy Heat" promo campaign. Karylle has a Rexona "Holy Heat" commercial now being shown on TV.