Sparkle artists Liana and Crystal tackle young, mature love in sophomore songs

Two of the Sparkle GMA artists have carried on their passion for music by releasing new singles.

Liana Castillo, 18, and Crystal Paras, 26, followed up their debut songs, Bebegurl and Hintay, with Umaambisyon and You, Me, and Us, respectively.

Liana tried her hand at the entertainment industry via the reality competition “The Clash” Season 5, while Crystal had her shot at it through the artista reality search, “Starstruck Season 7.”

These platforms have jumpstarted their promising careers.

Fast-forward to now, and Liana and Crystal are using their voices to tell stories about choosing career and studies over love and never giving up on a relationship without a good fight.

“Ito pong kantang ito is parang continuation siya ng Bebegurl, (the song seems like a continuation of) my very first single,” said Liana about her sophomore tune, Umaambisyon, released under GMA Music, in a recent press conference, which was also attended by Crystal.

“The meaning of the song is (or its story revolves around) a guy (who) is making advances on me, but I’m ignoring it,” added Liana, “because my focus is on my career and studies. Yun po yung meaning nung song.” Yes, Liana talks about the characters being represented in the song narrative.

As for how You, Me, and Us, released under GMA Playlist, came to be, Crystal shared, “When they first sent me the song, (that was) four years ago actually, I was a very different person back then. It (the meaning of the song) meant something very different to me.”

“But most of the time, or 100 percent of the time, kapag naglalatag ng song ang Playlist (when GMA Playlist presents a song to me), I don’t ask them to change the lyrics or anything, it’s more of me asking them kung paano ko pa mabibigyan ng flavor or ng tweaks yung nalatag na nila (how I can give more flavor or tweaks to what has already been given) for me. There’s not much to change most of the time.”

And what one could gather from Crystal’s answers is that listeners, especially those who are introverts, can help them articulate what or how they feel through the song.

“I will not give up just because we’re going through a rough patch,” said she of the theme.

In an exclusive interview on the GMA Music page, Crystal furthered, “I want mga Kapuso to know na it’s not just (about) the romantic relationships, it’s people going through some hardships with their loved one at home — puwedeng kapatid, nanay, kahit sino pa ‘yan na may pinagdadaanan.”

Speaking of resonating with a song, Liana finds a connection to her Umaambisyon.

“Medyo nakaka-relate po ako kasi ganun po talaga ang buhay ko po (I can relate to it a bit because my life is somehow similar to it), ganun po yung focus ko po ngayon (that speaks of what I’m focusing on now: my showbiz career and my studies).”

So far, Liana has managed to strike a balance between the two and is grateful to her support system.

“Gusto ko lang pong pasalamatan ang aking mga teachers and classmates (I want to thank my teachers and classmates) kasi sila po talaga ang natulong sa akin (because they’re the ones who help me) when it comes to (accomplishing) activities na hindi ko po magawa (that I can’t attend to) at the moment. They are giving me modules and somehow nalalaban ko naman po (I’m able to catch up),” said she.

Both GMA talents have also been given the opportunity to give acting a try. Crystal, for instance, has appeared in “Voltes 5” and “Asawa Ng Asawa Ko.” All this makes her five years and counting in showbiz engaging and interesting.

“I’m thankful that they’re giving us newbies a chance to sing and just like Kim, I love singing,” shared Crystal, who was referring to Kim De Leon, her fellow batchmate in “Starstruck Season 7” and GMA Sparkle artist. Kim has also recently released his single, Window, also under GMA Playlist.

“I started in theater and my mom is also an actress in theater, pangarap rin niya dati na mag-TV (it was also her dream to do TV) and it’s nice and I’m proud that, ‘My god, I got my foot in the door,’ and I worked so hard for this,” said she, who is thankful with the way things are going in her career.

With Liana, she also aspires for one thing: “Hopefully soon, maging one of the established singers po ako ng GMA (I will become one of the GMA established singers),” said she.

That is possible for Liana as well as for Crystal, who have made the important first few steps to it.

(Give Umaambisyon and You, Me, and Us, now available on digital platforms, a listen.)