The twin debuts of Mark and Rachelle Ann

MANILA, Philippines - These are exciting times for Rachelle Ann Go and Mark Bautista.

Both Viva Artists Agency talents have just released their latest albums, wherein they showcase more than just their vocals. They have also jumpstarted another career on the theater stage with separate headlining roles in highly-touted musical productions.

Rachelle Ann declares that she’s Unbreakable in her latest album. The 14-track set includes the singer’s very first composition, Whispered Fear, an inspirational song about holding on to God to remain strong in times of fear and loneliness. The song, written three years ago, is one of the things that gives special meaning to the album’s title. The others are the carrier single, Vehnee Saturno’s Masasabi Mo Ba, a song about love that lasts forever, and the revival of the OPM classics Kung Alam Mo Lang and Sa Aking Puso.

Unbreakable also contains her own version of the Disney classic Part of Your World from the stage adaptation of The Little Mermaid. The project marks Rachelle Ann’s debut in musical theater, a dream come true for her. She is currently in the midst of rehearsals, even as she juggles two other ongoing projects — as host and performer in GMA’s Sunday show Party Pilipinas and as mentor in the network’s soon-to-be-launched talent search called Protégé.

Mark Bautista shows his most romantic side in his fifth album Nagmamahal. Just how much of himself did he put into the making of the record? Aside from coming up with the title, he also wrote two songs — the lovelorn Bakit, which is about holding on to someone who has already fallen out of love, and the upbeat OK Lang, about a guy’s fondness for a girl without knowing that she is already involved with someone else. Bakit is the second single from the album and is currently the theme song of the GMA Asianovela Gourmet.

Mark has also debuted as a theater performer, essaying the lead role in the ongoing stage musical Noli Me Tangere. He also appears every week on Party Pilipinas.