4 female acts shining through

MANILA, Philippines - Four female showbiz acts are currently on the radar of entertainment aficionados in the country for both their talent and charm. One thing common to them, they’re all dealing with the fruits or bitter taste of being publicly exposed. Here they are and the latest about them.

Die-hard fans of Pretty Little Liars star Troian Bellisario found themselves starstruck in the presence of their idol during the recent gathering that allowed local media to chat with the celebrity portraying the role of Spencer Hastings in the hit series which just aired its Season 3 finale on etc last March 23.

Members of Bellisarians, as the fans club is called, were given the privilege to meet Troian right after the presscon proper held at Newport City near NAIA. One of the fans, holding back tears of joy as she read a letter of adulation for the star, stated, “You are an amazing person who doesn’t resort to fear. You’re a very wise and classy person; one of the best models we can have. We will  always support you gorgeous angel.”

Bellisario, who plays a straight-A student in the one-hour Saturday drama, was handed the Choice Summer’s Teen Choice Award last year. She’s based in Los Angeles and graduated from the University of Southern California’s School of Theatre.

“People here are warm and kind and you have beautiful beaches,” she said of the Filipino people and the archipelago’s reputation for having fine shorelines.

As for how her famed character and herself in real life mirror each other, she mused, “I will dress up as much as Spencer does. I love her style.”

Pretty Little Liars, based on the successful book series by Sara Shepard, will again be seen in season four. Other stars in the series are Shay Mitchell who previously took the spotlight upon arriving in Manila, Ashley Benson and Lucy Hale. The story revolves around the puzzling disappearance of their best friend named Alison and how they’re dealing with a tormentor who apparently knows their personal secrets.

To her fans, she advised, “Don’t stop but run hard and fast to follow your dreams. Focus on being you and don’t let anybody get in the way.”

Singing group Mocha Girls, led by the one-time controversial figure Mocha Unson, is reportedly getting the break of a lifetime as the possibility of putting together an album on American soil seems nearing realization.

According to the group’s publicist, the girls “was offered to record an album in the US, with the “negotiation still on process.”

The management group handling the affairs of the all-female act are “fixing schedules and commitments” to seal the deal and begin the recording which should help boost their career even more.

Sometime this year, the group, which welcomed the acquisition of a 21-year-old half-Puerto Rican Pinay named Georgina Knight, is headed to Australia and parts of Europe to do shows.

Recently, they did some sold-out dates in the US and Canada, performing with the popular band Kamikazee. They are said to have flown back to the US to up the ante and do concerts with Parokya Ni Edgar and Gloc 9.

“2013 is bound to be a very blessed year for them,” added the publicist who took note of Mocha Girls’ 2013 Calendar available in Nathaniel’s Restaurants all over the country.

Meanwhile, newbie singer Jayke Reyes, a talent of Backroom Entertainment, is not only blessed with a good voice tailor-made for pop Tagalog. She also delivers the proper mindset in facing the music that usually befalls a new act. 

“I’m just starting out and I don’t want to expect too much. I’m thankful for what I have,” she told The STAR in a chat promoting her debut self-titled album featuring the single Kay Palad Mo which was originally sung by Lilet.

Jayke, who grew up in the States and went to Los Angeles Art School, was spotted by Backroom at her debut party. She finds Tagalog songs easier to sing because her “accent is not there” when she handles one.

Expected to be her next single off her five-song introductory CD is another Tagalog piece called Sana’y Pakaingatan Mo.

Talking about online bashers bullying her because she’s new, she assessed, “Filipinos are very honest and feel what they say. Ganun talaga. I have to stay in the game and if I see some constructive criticism then I work on them.”

Jayke loves theater so much that it is not surprising if one day the public will see her excelling in the field. It’s a plus that she has very supportive parents who back her up in her aim to really make it in the industry.

Good thing the press people seem to find her having enough singing talent after seeing her perform in past press conferences. And it helps that she only has positive things to say, like commending recording personnel here in the Philippines for having sharper ears than their American counterparts who prefer letting artists do whatever they want without really guiding them. She already did some demo recordings back in the US.

Isabella de Leon, on the other hand, is best known as young girl Duday in the now-defunct Vic Sotto-starred sitcom Daddy Di Do Du which ran for six years on GMA 7. Now, she finds another journey to tread on as she has gotten out her debut album Lovezone released by Polyeast Records which signed her.

The six-track album features her compositions led by the radio single 1Week To Move On which is a sonic adventure on grounded pop rock.

“For me, hindi magkaiba ang acting and music because they complement each other,” she explained after performing a small set in front of entertainment reporters gathered at Polyeast office along Quezon Ave.

She played acoustic guitar while pulling off her number Pag-ibig Ko’y Sayo — a moment where she displayed her depth and aura as a musician and in a  very delightful way instantly washed out the facade of being an actress-turned-singer.

Polyeast A&R director Chito Ilagan has more to say about signing her up minus her showbiz credentials, “She has a lot of good material and we could have done two albums. However, we wanted to show her talent first to the market so we chose the finest six.”

Other songs in Lovezone are Feelingero, Alice Wonders, Sa Yakap Mo and Friend Zone.

To put more teeth as to how she’s able to penetrate the taste of veteran music biz heads, she has for top influences the likes of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Carpenters, Led Zeppelin, and U2. “Mas marami po akong gustong acts from the past,” she revealed.