Lea gives in to fans' requests

MANILA, Philippines - Lea Salonga delivered on her promise to make the Lea Salonga....Your Songs concert as one for and entirely by her fans.

Held at PICC Plenary Hall on Dec. 11 and 12, the show’s repertoire was a mix of staples and experiments all determined by a survey Lea and concert producer AmbientMedia conducted months prior. 

As Lea herself put it, “All of tonight’s songs are your songs, but tonight they’re my songs.“

Lea’s tutored vocal placement and the clarity of her intonation; musical director Gerard Salonga’s genius in rearranging even the left-of-center songs to play up Lea’s strengths; and the show’s intention of presenting something unprecedented unified the two hour-long concert that featured everything from R&B (e.g. Beyoncé’s Halo), power ballads (Journey’s Open Arms, Air Supply’s Now And Forever), dance music (Lady Gaga’s Poker Face), Broadway music (On My Own  from Les Miserables) and neo soul (Rehab by Amy Winehouse).

The show went beyond eclectic musical genres in that it also showed off her terpsichorean skills in one number, had an interactive portion in which she answered questions on minute details about her life (she’s a techie, has had five boyfriends, etc.) and a dream-come-true moment for a fan who got to perform a duet (A Whole New World) with her.

Your Songs reminded the audience how much of a multi-faceted vocalist Lea is. The singer’s vocal techniques and range allowed her to hit both high and low notes without compromising tonal quality (e.g. Making Love Out Of Nothing At All and to essay, say, the melissimas of an R&B song without sounding like a clone (Halo).

Her wide vocal expression can channel a gamut of feelings: Determination (No Boundaries), defeat (I Don’t Love You Anymore), defiance (Everbody Says Don’t) and even denouement (I Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore). Lea not only understands but she brings her listeners into that understanding.

It’s no wonder then that Lea is regarded an artist of the highest level. Not only does she entertain but she provokes thoughts and feelings that make people smile, cry, reflect, renew their faith in life and love, etc. within the confines of a song.

That is, when Lea sings your songs, you are not merely moved — you are transformed.

And although the repertoire may have been better off without some of the songs there, Lea still took the risk of including them. The words to her last encore song, Everybody Says Don’t, which Lea said was her choice, hold the key to understanding the braveness:

Everybody says don’t, it isn’t right...well I say do...and if you fail, you fail...

Inadvertently, the concert indicated who listens to Lea and what other songs her fans listen to. It’s a give and take situation: Lea benefitted from the knowledge of what her audience wants.