Lani Misalucha, Asia's Singing Sensation - She never planned to be a professional singer, she simply loves to sing, and boy, can she sing! With the voice of an angel cascading up and down the scales like a roller coaster, a full five octaves of heavenly music, full throated, full chested and fully seasoned, she can sing a song as few others can.Most people seek the dream of being great singers. But for Lani Misalucha, it is the dream itself that seeks her. Born into a musical family, with parents who are operatic singers, Lani grew up immersed in song, with siblings similarly endowed with wonderful vocies. Through the years, Lani has expanded her musical horizons to various genres and styles, and developed a dynamic versatility. She can easily shift from ballad to pop rock and even jazz. She may even surprise you with a sudden burst of operatic aria in a seasoned soprano voice.
Named Philippines Entertainer of the Year 2002, Lani has attracted a huge following all over Asia, Europe and Amercia. She is one of the few artiste in Manila who has shared the stage with international singing stars, Kenny Loggins and popular R & B artiste, Brian McKnight. For many, Lani Misalucha is a tender and soothing voice that caresses your soul, a dynamic voice in inspiring crescendo to uplift your spirit, a lovely voice that sings of moonlight and roses and love eternal - you can find all these and more in Lani Misalucha. - Rose Cheeks Entertainment Group, Inc.
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(From my April, 2005 journal entry):
This is especially for those fans of Lani Misalucha who have never had the opportunity of meeting Lani face to face...,
Want to hear about our encounter with Lani in Las Vegas?
My wife Jane and I had seen Society Of Seven twice previously, so our main goal that Friday evening of April 8th, 2005 was to see Lani Misalucha. Since we did not win any giant jackpots at any of the casinos, you might say that meeting Lani was easily the most memorable highlight of our stay in Las Vegas.
We purposely stayed at the very back of the long queue of fans who were very eager to meet the Society Of Seven and Lani and to get their autographs. By being the last ones, we figured we would have more time to linger and chat with these amazing performers.
There were plenty of flash cameras going off as many of the wellwishers got their photographs taken with the performers. (Pssssst, I noticed that most people wanted to have their photos taken with Lani, hee, hee, hee. Those seven SOS men were very good sports, though. After all, they are all seasoned pros and I think they know Lani is the main attraction of their show right now, the one bringing in the crowds.)
The first thing you noticed about Lani when she emerged from backstage to join the SOS men behind the long table was how petite she is. Dressed in a nice white top and black slacks, she still had her hair tied up behind her from wearing all those different wigs and costumes during the show. How can someone so petite have such a dynamite voice? Surely, a gift from God.
It took a while before the end of the queue reached the long table. Tony Ruivivar waved to me in recognition for we had met outside the theatre two hours before their show began and had chatted for a little bit. The line started to thin out. "We already got your autographs back in Seattle three weeks ago," I waved to the SOS men and they nodded and smiled. "Are you following us from city to city?" Bert Sagum asked jovially. "Naaaah, we're here on a business trip and we knew we just had to come here to see you guys again and also see Lani Misalucha this time."
Right away Gary Bautista steered us towards Lani. "Here she is," Gary said, "You can take pictures with her, too."
"Hello," Lani said with a smile that could melt your heart. Yes, she still had her stage makeup on. Such beautiful eyes, very pretty face, a real Filipina beauty. We shook hands. "Thank you for coming to our show," this lovely lady spoke with a most charming Filipino accent. Wow, I thought, I just touched Lani Misalucha's hand!!
"Lani," I told her, "You people really put on a great show. Very impressive. We enjoyed it very much!"
"Thank you," the goddess replied with another wide smile, "Glad you enjoyed the show."
"We have seen Society Of Seven twice already, first time in Hawaii in 1992, and then again in Seattle three weeks ago. This time we came here to see you. You have a very fabulous voice, Lani. We are so happy that we came."
"Thank you very much," Lani smiled in response.
She proceeded to sign a few autographs for Jane, who had purchased a couple of Lani's CD's and some poster cards. I had also got an SOS CD for a very good friend and brother-in-spirit in Singapore.
Jane told Lani, "You sang very well, Lani. We really love this show and also your CD's," and the two ladies chatted for a little bit. I was thinking, this diva is so nice and humble and friendly. She has just stolen the show and got several standing ovations throughout the show and, here she is, so genuinely thrilled that people actually came to see her.
"Lani," I continued, "I have a very good friend in Singapore who is a very big fan of yours. I told Vernon I would get him your autograph."
"Of course," she said as she signed the 8-1/2" x 11" mini-poster of herself with the Society Of Seven. She signed, "Hello Vernon, Hope to see you soon, Take Care, Lani Misalucha."
Then I asked, "So, Lani, how come your website is not being updated? I was checking your website before we came to Las Vegas and I noticed the site had not been updated since April, 2003."
She offered, "Oh, my fans probably have not been updating the site since I left the Philippines."
Gary Bautista had been watching us. "Take pictures, take pictures," he reminded us. So I took a couple of snapshots of Lani with my wife. Two incredibly lovely goddesses together!
Gary said, "Your turn. You can come around the table and stand behind Lani." So I went around the table and stood behind Lani.
Jane had the camera and took a couple of shots of us.
"Thank you very much, Lani. It was very nice to talk with you," I said as I touched her back to thank her for taking the time to chat with us and also to say goodbye to her. Oh my goodness, I didn't know she had a low cut at the back of her white top, so my fingertips unintentionally brushed against her bare back. Honestly, I didn't mean to be fresh, people. Really didn't mean to be touchy-touchy. But EAT YOUR HEARTS OUT, all you Lani Misalucha male fans out there!!!
We left Bally's Jubilee Theatre convinced that Lani Misalucha was having a good time in Las Vegas performing with her kuyas and friends, the Society Of Seven.
I hope that all you people who have never seen Lani Misalucha in concert or met her up close and personal will someday soon have the opportunity and pleasure of doing that. You will be very impressed by how well she carries herself. This girl is not only a legitimate diva, a superstar to her many fans, so talented in many ways, but on top of all that she just seems like a very nice human being, so easy to talk to. She is really cool.
I was fortunate enough to be among the 10,000 strong audience for the Missing You Concert held at the Araneta Coliseum, Manila on 17 March 2007.......
Lani After Vegas.
(A report by Philip Cu-Unjieng, The Philippine Star 03/24/2007, courtesy of Glynn Yap).
Over in Mexico, masked professional wrestlers compete in a circuit known as Lucha Libre, commonly referred to as Lucha-Lucha. It’s extremely popular, and this donning of masks is what compelled me to utilize the term in my play on Lani Misalucha’s surname. Years back, when based here in Manila, Lani was pretty much your highly competent, but one-dimensional pop songstress. Her live performances had much to offer in terms of voice quality and delivery, but at times, there seemed to be a bit of a performing spark missing. Gambling on making a career in the Las Vegas circuit, her recent Missing You (Live in Manila) concert at the Araneta Coliseum exemplified how the years spent abroad were probably the best thing she could have gambled on, and that Manila is in dire need of compleat performers like Lani. It’s like she puts on the masks of showgirl, songbird, impressionist, dancer, comedienne, quick wardrobe-change artist and hostess with equal comfort and ease, turning the audience to putty in her hands, while ultimately relying on those great set of pipes to "bring us home."
Produced by Crossover and to be shown on ABS-CBN, the concert was both a celebration, a homecoming and an unabashed outpouring of love between performer and audience. Directed by Rowell Santiago and with Louie Ocampo as musical director, the show was a superb blend of widescreen montages, high concept choreography/acrobatics, pyrotechnics and surprising musical arrangements — like when special guest Gary Valenciano came on stage and they did a medley of Hataw Na and Boogie Wonderland. Even while still abroad, her Universal Records CD sold like hotcakes, proving that there still is no substitute for quality.
Just to let us know that she’s now stamped Las Vegas attraction, the show opened with fast-paced production numbers, Lani doing her Beyoncé, Pussycat Dolls interpretation. Pure Las Vegas, this was establishing Lani as a polished song and dance performer. And at her age, it’s interesting to note that had she just stayed here in Manila, it would have been a cold day in hell before some concert promoter would have allowed Lani to indulge in these type of numbers. Conventional wisdom on these shores would have instructed her to stick to the ballads that she’s known for, and not branch out to other types of songs. When Frenchie Dy and Mau of Philippine Idol joined Lani for a Dreamgirls production number, Lani gamely and unselfishly surrendered the stage to the two champions for a duet that had us suitably impressed with the two’s raw talent.
Also repackaged in Las Vegas fashion were the impressions Lani was known for at the start of her career here. Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Celine Dion and of course, Whitney Huston; they were all given the Lani treatment and had the audience in stitches, rolling in the aisles. Caricatures of these well-known pop goddesses were rolled out in Lani’s inimitable kenkoy fashion, and we were entranced by the touch of comedy that had been applied over the genuine ability to mimic these singers.
When Lani sang a medley of her Tagalog hits (including my favorite, Tila), we were reminded of just how unique a talent Lani is. In these days of birit queens and monotonous one pitch/ two volume (loud and louder) interpretations, Lani brings nuance, shadow and complexity to her delivery, without losing out when she has to show she can hit those notes with volume. In the past, I’ve watched amazed as Lani would perform during Jazz festivals, doing scat and improv without missing a beat; and it’s the honing of her craft over different musical genres that really sets her apart from the other singers of today. A few days after the Araneta "lovefest," Lani left to return to Las Vegas, and there are noises being made that indicate she may be back in a couple of months. If you love music and if you appreciate genuine talent and polished performing, and missed her Missing You, make sure to get tickets for her next Manila concert. You’ll never regret it!
A very inspirational song for all ! Thanks for this wonderful blog, Mr. Vernon Cheong.
Christina
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