Sitti marks 10th year with a show

Ten years ago, the local music scene embraced a young lady showcasing a sound that counterpointed to the rock and pop offerings of the time. Her name is Sitti and her music is bossa nova. 

She is a breakthrough act for having taken her genre into mainstream acceptance largely with her cool and soothing voice and on-stage charm. Others followed suit but were quickly forgotten; perhaps the public so identifies bossa nova to Sitti it couldn’t take anyone else on board. 

Fast-forward to present scenario when the music landscape has changed. Some critics may expect to see Sitti still doing her bit day in and out, not needing to change style since she’s the top act in her game. 

But nope, Sitti just actually made a big leap this year by announcing she’s going to do a concert wherein her love for electronic dance music (EDM) will be put on display with all the lights and sounds that go with it. The groundbreaking act of 2006 is once more making a move to make heads turn. 

“I’m having fun with EDM and I listen to it when I’m running and driving. I hope people will be receptive to me performing in this form,” Sitti stated. 

To emphasize how serious she is, the high school valedictorian and UP economics grad already wrote a couple of songs, Tangled and Bid You Love. And she’s actually working on an album of EDM music — the extent of her collaboration with EDM artist DJ Silverfilter. 

The concert is dubbed ElectroSITTI, scheduled to happen on Nov. 25 and 26 at the Music Museum, with rapper Looney and balladeer Jason Dy as special guests. The UST Percussion Ensemble is, likewise, on the bill.

In other words, the country’s premier bossa nova singing act will celebrate her 10th anniversary in the music scene in electrifying fashion. 

The out-of-the-box two-night offering is her official party in thanking fans and believers who have helped her in her journey to become who she is now. On the flipside of the coin, she wants to take her talent to a new level and hopes to please more younger generation music fans.

Sitti pointed out, “It’s both exciting and challenging to do something you’re not known for. Ganun naman tayong mga artists, we experiment but we don’t forget our roots. One more thing, EDM is vocally-driven that it attracts me to it.” 

Truly enough, she thought of embracing the EDM genre and tied it up with the 10th anniversary of the release of her first album Café Bossa which spawned hit singles including Para Sa Akin and her versions of I Didn’t Know I Was Looking For Love and Tattooed On My Mind. The album was certified Double Platinum, with more than 60,000 units sold.

The concert will also serve as Sitti’s birthday party, an intimate spectacle both paying homage to her bossa nova roots, which means her singing the hits that made her and other bossa nova-rendered numbers, and then her experimentation on EDM. The first half of the show is expected to be laidback and groovy, the second half loud and danceable.  

Now happily married, Sitti appears visually glowing and more mature in her outlook as artist. She’s more excited to go home after a gig and spend time with the love of her life, businessman Joey Ramirez.  

After her wedding last year, Sitti came down from Baguio an even more confident and contented woman, “Being married makes me more courageous in trying new things and mas masarap umuwi at matulog after the gigs,” she noted.

Sitti, a familiar face on TV especially after becoming a Sessionista on ABS-CBN’s ASAP, is managed by Asian Artists Agency and is signed with internationally backed-MCA Music which by coincidence asked her to employ electronic music for her new album.

She has inspiring thoughts for other artists wanting to follow her naturally out-of-step, yet well-acknowledged run in the country’s competitive music industry. She said, “You got to pay your dues to make it. There will be ups and downs in anybody’s career but the important thing is you are enjoying the gig and you always welcome change.”

She added, “There’s much traffic these days. While in traffic, make music. It’s not a bad way to keep yourself with something to do.”

Coming from Sitti, there’s both electricity and calm in the message.

(For ElectroSITTI tickets, log on at ticketworld.com or call (02) 926-0556 / (02) 920-2643. Prices are as follows: P3,576, Orchestra Center; P2,384, Orchestra Side; and P1,192, Balcony) —With reports from Almed Garcia and Julian Mauricio