When two become one

MANILA, Philippines - Two of local rock’s eye candy vocalists, Kean Cipriano and Eunice Jorge, have joined forces and recorded an album separate from the discographies of their respective bands, Callalily and Gracenote.

No, they’re not leaving their groups. They are just collaborating and are in the current state of being “happy together” — appropriately the title of their album with the subhead: A Trip Down Memory Lane. It’s a gamble released by Universal Records.

Both possessing musical talents that arguably overshadow even their highly-attractive physical attributes, the two lead singers crafted an album loaded with covers vocally interpreted outside of their comfort zones, which means the pop rock timbre of their voices is replaced by the soft touch of laid-back, emotive singing.

“We sang songs from the past and did it in sync with the present time. Hindi po siya madali because we don’t usually cover these songs in our gigs, yet these songs are so good we won’t let go of the opportunity,” said Kean who epitomizes the image of a mainstream rock Filipino vocalist of today —one whose voice is mimicked by regular young men wanting to be like him and cheered on by teenage girls who shriek at mere sight of him.   

Kean and Eunice went through a pile of 10 classic love songs, four of them sung together, namely, Dave Clark Five’s Because, The Bee Gees-written Islands In The Stream, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Valli, and the title track made famous by The Turtles. The rest were  interpreted separately, including Kean’s version of Rod Stewart’s You’re In My Heart and Eunice’s lounge-y rendition of Paul McCartney’s My Love.

Darwin Hernandez, Soupstar Entertainment boss who manages the careers of Callalily and Gracenote, told The STAR that the idea for the album of classic covers is a tribute to his father who passed away months ago.

“Thanks to all who have always been there to inspire me,” noted Eunice in the album sleeve.

This girl armed with a smiling face and sweet demeanor has a growing reputation as a competent multi-instrumentalist. Thus, when a reporter asked her what instrument she plays, Kean quickly butted in, “What instrument she does not?”

The pair is staging a concert of the same title at the Music Museum tonight at 8. Special guest is Ramon Bautista dubbed as professor of Kilig University. That being pointed out, the tandem is clearly a package made to tickle the minds of fans breathing through the vibes of “love teams” and “showbiz items.”

Asked if the special album project could hinder the growth or affect the routines of both Callalily and Gracenote, Kean replied, “Because of this project, we get closer as bandmates and get to understand more what we are doing. The support of both my and Eunice’s bandmates is big for us. Isa kaming malaking pamilya.”

On him crooning for the first time on a series of recordings, Kean added, “As a singer this is a big opportunity. This album is for our folks whose generation embraced these set of songs.”