Loonie’s labor of love

Rapper Loonie’s eight-song album titled Ultrasound logically features an unborn child on its cover. More so, the artwork has a backstory that reflects how he sees his musical output as a continuing journey of labor and love. 

The Leyte-born, Pasig-raised rap act shared his thoughts about it during his recent album launch held at the Nation Bar and Restaurant, Quezon City. 

He said, “I chose a fan-submitted art and for me, like a sketch of Leonardo Da Vinci. Mini-mirror nito kung anong klaseng kabataan meron ngayon na mas aware sa mga nangyayari ngayon dahil sa Internet. Hindi tulad ng dati na lahat dapat ipaalam sa magulang.” 

The album cover, credited to John Messiah Peroramas, shows a baby inside a woman’s tummy. He revealed that his two-year-old kid named Emperor, who already tinkers with YouTube videos, partly inspired the idea behind it. 

The album contains the single Pilosopo and his previous hit Tao Lang. He also does collaborations with rapper Abra, lady singer Kat Agarrado and rock band Greyhoundz. He recalled recording the lyrics to the last track Ang Bagong Ako directly through the microphone, without jotting them down on paper. 

Ultrasound, according to the 28-year-old protégé of the late Master Rapper Francis Magalona, is the continuation of his first album — the 22-song collection called The Ones Who Never Made It whose album cover meaningfully shows a fetus in a jar. 

His next album effort, he told, will have a newborn baby for its cover and which he intends to call I Am Normal. The word normal is an anagram of Marlon, his given name. Classmates back in high school called him Marloonie, hence his stage name that resonates lunacy. 

“When I rap, I’m crazy,” he related. “I’m meticulous with the rhythm and I make sure there’s humor, that it’s not serious.” 

Meanwhile, another artist with a son as inspiration is Melba Paguia, a member of the Manila Cathedral Basilica Chorale who has released her dream-come-true debut CD distributed by Synergy and PGV Records. Her son Axel Stephen is shown with an electric guitar on the inside sleeve of her self-titled, 12-song album. 

She recently sang bossa nova-styled tracks at the Tektite Towers in Ortigas for the blessing of Pillars 5, Inc. office, a company promoting Life Enzyme (fruits and vegetable enzyme, plus probiotics). Those who attended the gathering included former Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, Bro. Eddie Villanueva and actor-musical scorer Jaime Fabregas who is the company’s director for special projects. 

“I hope somebody will really see and hear me,” said Melba who currently works as a financial consultant for Pru-Life UK. 

She was discovered by director-songwriter Pablo Vergara who wrote all the songs in the album, including her version of Bakit Ikaw Pa. 

Melba began singing at age three and has done some TV and radio guestings. She expressed, “I acknowledge that my singing is undoubtedly a God-given talent and that’s the reason why I continuously serve and glorify His name through singing.”