ISHA PONTI and ANDREA GUTIERREZ Takes First Step with THE NEXT ONES Concert

The Philippines has certainly gotten the nod of the world when it comes to singing, and what Ms. Lea Salonga wished for recently made so much sense when she said "I hope I won't be the last!" to achieve something that could mirror her career, rightfully so, I agree with her 100%!

There ought to be "THE NEXT ONES", a new generation of artists that not only could replicate her success but hopefully surpass it. Ponti Entertainment Production is staging a concert of the same name showcasing Isha Ponti and Andrea Gutierrez at the Music Museum on December 13th, 8pm. They will also be performing with OPM icon Rey Valera.

Asia's Pop Sweetheart Isha Ponti says "The concert is collaborative and they didn't force us in a certain genre, they wanted us to shine with what is comfortable for us. We base it also with what people want, I'm into Nina and Kyla. I'll be performing Walang Kapalit which wasn't revived yet by anyone. We also did a music video for it. It's also a tribute for Sir Rey Valera, also add our advocacy for the youth to hopefully pave the way for the next generation. This concert was a request from our producers, when they told us this was happening I felt unsure. We're not in the mainstream yet as we don't have hit songs, but the reason why we agreed is to break out of our cage. We wanted to go there, our start, our beginning."

She added "We picked artists that are current, but fits our genre. We will have older artists too but that's going to be a surprise! Recently, we watched the Filipino Music Awards and I was so impressed with Maki. I'm trying to write songs and sing it, if I get to be like him that's amazing! This is a major show, so as early as now we're already memorizing and practicing on top of school work. I prioritize it on Sundays and also try to dance a bit. I love it and I hope to integrate it on the show."

Bossa Nova Princess Andrea Gutierrez "I ventured into Bossa Nova because people who heard me sing compare me with Sitti and other Bossa artists. Maybe we can announce, Sir Rey Valera gave us songs to perform and we're excited to do that in this concert. Yes, we get pressured because we're headlining. We're practicing practically everyday and we hope the audience would appreciate that. I hope I get to have hit songs after this step. Ms. Lani Misalucha is my idol, I hope I get to sing songs like what she's done in the past years."

Other guests include Graciel Hizon, Raymond Gorospe, Aquila Paquing, Nathan Randal, including their front acts PPOP acts DIV9, AZTER, wonder kid Maurice, The Boxers, and the Roshe Performing Group. Tickets are available via TICKETWORLD and at the Music Museum Box Office.

It's time to support the next generation of artists, take a chance on seeing and hearing them live!

ICE SEGUERRA Set To Do Repeat of Videoke Hits OPM Edition (Isa Pa) at the Music Museum

With the success of the previous one, it just needs repeat. Ice Seguerra will be doing his Videoke Hits OPM Edition (Isa Pa) this coming November 8th at the Music Museum in Greenhills San Juan City. This is under FIRE and ICE Live, the concert production arm of Fire and Ice Productions owned by Ice and Liza Dino Seguerra.

As you may already know, Ice has lots of hits being played on Videoke playlists all over the country, aside from that, she's planning to give life to the best hits the medium has, and this will surely be something to look forward to on that date.

Karaoke is such a huge part of Filipino culture, and with the advent of us winning competitions left and right around the world, Filipinos are being feared when holding microphones. Ice is such a force to reckon with, even if she sings soft and emotional, it just sounds so beautiful even if she sings a phone book.

Ice says "This is quite difficult to make a lineup because even at the end of the week, I couldn't choose singles because there are so much OPM songs I could choose from. Now I'm stuck with medleys so I could sing everything. It's a smorgasbord of all the things I want to sing and hear, rearranged in a different way. As much as possible we want to have different genres because it's not just one thing, but it's fun. The first part are the things I really sing in the Videoke world, my personal list. The second part is the requests of people at the venue, then third are the re arranged ones. You know I've been thinking of releasing a few that came out quite nice because my band was crazy good. That's when I saw how the ones we arranged had different flavors."

He adds "I really didn't want to work on a date near my birthday because I want to give my 10,000 percent all the time. It's just the pressure I didn't want to experience, but I'm so happy that one sold out. The energy was also different and we were three hours running. My wife gave me a motorbike, and I couldn't believe it. I even fell the first night I drove it. I even was sweating because of the outfit. I fell in front of her, but I'm training now." 

"This show will also include "Salamin Salamin" and "Gento", but I felt the dance numbers. It was tiring, and couldn't breathe after, I really have to pace myself."

He doesn't want to lost the magic of being intimate because Music Museum is closer. Through you cannot do it in the balcony, you can go around. The last time he did this, people were involved in most of the numbers. It was wild and they would participate. He says "From seniors to 7/8 year old, they were singing, they were game whoever had the mic in front of them. I want to make them feel it's okay to do it. There's something about this that is therapeutic. It's fun, and we started this in 2016, I think that is why there's magic in the show."

Here's our interview with Ice this afternoon:

Aside from that, they're planning to do a repeat of their previous project called CHOOSING which was staged last July, the difference is that it's going to be done in Quezon City at an even bigger venue. Ice says 'We're planning to do it again soon, this was done previously for pride month, but feel it brought to the next step as it's a mix of comedy, drama and stories of different people from the same community. It's going to be a great way to bridge gaps, to put more people in their shoes in hopes to give them a deeper understanding of what and how we go through things."

Again, if you feel that it's time to enjoy a concert with friends and family, tickets are now available at Ticketnet or at the Music Museum box office. Ice promises that it will be even more fun than the previous one!

DESSA, TROY LAURETA, DK TIJAM and DK Talents Set to Perform "By Request: Your Playlist Live on Stage" at the Music Museum

 

August 16 is a special day for OPM artists Dessa, Troy Laureta and DK Tijam as they do "By Request: Your Playlist Live on Stage" at the Music Museum. They will be performing with Toronto based DK Talents Kayleigh Cerezo, Keeana Cerezo, Antoinette Targa, Chelsea Star and Bella Magbag. This is produced by DK Talents, Orange Magazine (who's celebrating their 14th Anniversary btw) and Backstage Entertainment. They will be singing your favorite pop songs, OPM greats in one venue, taking your online streaming dreams into life, live on stage... so you get to enjoy it even better!

 

Kayleigh Cerezo

Keeana Cerezo

We got to talk to DK Tijam, sisters Kayleigh and Keana Cerezo during a press conference last August 8, 2024 at Orange Magazine's 14th Anniversary Thanksgiving event held at Joy Nostalg Hotel and Suites in Ortigas.  The last time I got to talk to him was a few years ago during a homecoming meet with his fans in Quezon City. He also did a concert back in 2017 called RESTART at the Teatrino in Greenhills, so this new one is going to be in a bigger venue.

Keeana has been trained by DK and has been winning several competitions in Canada. It was obvious when she sang a few songs at the event, especially with RnB songs, her rifts were crazy. Kayleigh on the other hand is part of Mini Pop Kids, a performing group with several equally talented kids performing in Toronto and nearby cities, she also has a Netflix show, very successful in her own rate. It was so nice to see them perform, this time in Manila.

Keeana says "I've trained with him since I was 15 and helped develop my sound, specializing in more R&B. This also developed my artistry, how I perform and develop my voice."

Kayleigh adds "I've known DK Tijam half of my life. He literally watched me grow, albeit being a very busy person, he really taught us the technicalities of singing. This is what we appreciate the most about him."

DK says "This coming Friday, we will be having a concert at the Music Museum. We will be performing with DK Talents and a few more from Canada. We also have Ms. Dessa, a very powerful belter, when you say high notes, she's it. Her stage performance is also monstrous, and we've become friends on the KUMU platform. She also invited Troy Laureta to perform with us on this concert, a David Foster prodigy. He's worked with Arianna Grande, Jordin Sparks, Regine Velasquez, Martin Nievera and a whole lot more. We would be so happy to see you there! Being able to perform at the Music Museum is a dream of mine, and we were just joking around in doing this first but now it's all coming true!" 

Here's our chat together with the crowd at the event. Hearing them sing, I'm quite excited about what's going to happen at the actual concert! This is just the tip of the iceberg!

The concert is also supported by PLDT Home, Air Asia, AGENTS International Inc., Joy Nostalg Hotels and Suites Manila, and our love, beauty brand Beautederm.  They also send their thanks to AirAsia Move app, Grab, Tai Chi, Morninga Vita, Pascual Laboratories Inc., Mang Inasal, Red Apron and ALPAS Consultancy.

Tickets are available on Ticketworld.com.ph or at the Music Museum box office. You can also order via Dianne Edosma 09352057132 or Owlan Alvar 09275939673. If this doesn't convince you to see them live, I don't know what will. They're absolutely world class!