Gian tracks down love

MANILA, Philippines - The boy who first got a taste of the performing stage while still in school (he was part of De La Salle Greenhills’ Kundirana) makes surefire hits aimed at the big league via his debut album under Sony Music.

Gian Magdangal recently launched the debut outing titled Love Tracks (which he describes as “lifelong dream come true”) on GMA 7’s S.O.P. Gian joined the show shortly after ABC 5’s Philippine Idol in 2006.

Gian easily emerged as the “face and the voice” to make a difference in that batch. His manager, Sandra Chavez of Artist House, knows this well.

Gian’s gift also comes with the ability to win his audience. His stage presence and charm are strong. No doubt the stage is home to this artist.

The album is a collaboration between him, album producer Jimmy Antiporda and Sony Music’s A&R director Vic Valenciano. Gian expresses how proud he is of the outcome of this team effort. He said, “Love Tracks was made for all those people who believe in me. The songs you’ll find here are those that have been much-requested from me, collectively, from all the performances I had.”

Gian said that doing the album made him figure that songs from the ‘70s and ‘80s are the ones that his fans love.

Tracks in the album were carefully selected, and the artist’s voice never disappoints. Each song was given unpretentious and unique arrangements. The complete track listing: Lovely Day, the carrier single Everything I Own, Love Will Keep Us Alive, Fallen, Turn Back The Clock, Babe, Sharing The Night Together, Harvest for the World, She’s Always a Woman To Me, The Best of Me, I Can Dream About You, It Ain’t Over (Til It’s Over), and How Do I Make You Love Me?, the only original composition in the album.

Gian says that those who know him will easily find out that traces of his musical influences will be gleaned from the cuts in the recording. “All my interpretations will reveal those influences — Robbie Williams, John Mayer, John Legend, Eraserheads, Beatles, U2, Rivermaya, etc.”

The one thing that makes Gian grateful about the album is that he was given free rein by the Sony execs and producer to record his vocals the way he wants to. “It was at first because my schedule wouldn’t jibe with that of Jimmy’s. So Jimmy thought of giving me the special microphone to bring home so I can experiment on recording my tracks at my pace. And I did,” he said.

Gian is also elated over the fact that his creative inputs were taken seriously. “I am proud how the album turned out. It originally had a complete revivals list but after recording everything, I suggested if we could include at least one original song and they were very receptive. Timing that I had this song, which Jimmy helped me put together, and they said yes to it.”

Asked how How Do I Make You Love Me? came about, Gian answers, “Sheree and I had a fight one time. It was that kind of emotion that propelled me to write this song. It basically asks a person how he makes a loved one feel loved and cherished?”

Gian is a proud father to a little boy, Gian Haley who is 10 months old, by Sheree.

“I am more conscious of my responsibilities. Aside from this new family I have with Sheree, I am the breadwinner to my own family. I am sending my younger sibling to school because my parents have both retired already. Sometimes the pressure is just too much but they help me focus on the more important things now,” he says.