Envious of: Selena

What's enviable: Selena has a unique singing voice (mine is unique as well but not as pleasant hahaha) and she's a rockstar!!! She's a vocalist for Ang Bandang Shirley (buy their album!!!)

How did you discover you could sing?
It was a gradual process, actually. When I was 8, my Mom enrolled me in singing lessons for the summer, which implied to me that i needed to learn how to sing, meaning I didn't know how to in the first place. My teacher did not rave particularly about my voice, though she was happy enough that I could carry a tune. Add to that the fact that my kuya used to tease me about my singing (he once played a recording of my lessons during a family Christmas reunion without my consent) and you can see why I was a bit insecure about my voice.

What I did know was that I loved music. In high school, we were taught how to play the guitar, and I saw it as an opportunity to hear all the songs I loved whenever I felt like hearing them. Of course, this meant that I had to sing to the music, and that's when friends told me I had a nice singing voice. But even after that, it took years before I realized it had a unique quality, because I'd always felt that I was only copying how my idols (Sarah McLachlan etc.) sounded.

Which side of the family did you get the talent from?
My mother's side has amazing musical talents: my cousin Joey Valenciano is a well-known jazz drummer and the only sitarist in the Philippines, while my Lolo was supposedly a fantastic jazz pianist as well. But I suspect that my vocal powers are from my father's side, since my voice is similar in timbre to those of my titas (they sing beautifully, though rarely) and the only other sibling of mine who looks like my father has a good voice, too.

What was the first song you sang?
I don't remember. But for a performance, I think it was "Bahay Kubo", which my Mom made me learn for coronation night of Prinsipe and Prinsesita of Moonville '87. Hahaha.

Who are your musical influences?
Allan Siegfried Montero of Soft Pillow Kisses and Candyaudioline is my biggest musical influence because he introduced me to my favorite umbrella genre of indie. He's really helped me shape my musical tastes and opened my mind about how to achieve beauty in sound.

I also love The Beatles in terms of their musical scope and their awesome awesomeness! My favorite Beatle is Paul McCartney, and ever since "No More Lonely Nights" I've been a fan, even before I knew he was a Beatle. I think I've always tried to sing like him.

Favorite singers/bands of all time?
Eraserheads, The Beatles, Wilco, Sarah McLachlan, Radiohead, +/-, The Radio Dept., Versus, Soft Pillow Kisses, Candyaudioline, Bagetsafonik, Twin Lobster, Ciudad, Third Eye Blind, New Order

Which decade's music do you love most? Why?
I think the '80s. I LOVE New Wave, I loved the dancing, I loved the musical possibilities of synthesizers. But I think the 2000's fusion of rock and '80s pop is fantastic, too. There's a lot of redundant stuff out there, but when there's something brilliant, it's REALLY brilliant.

Do/did you ever have stage fright?
All the time haha. But not as much now as I used to, I guess. The smaller and more unfamiliar the setting, the more nervous I get.

What does it take to write a song?
Oh my, I think this is different for everybody. For the longest time (I've been in bands since 2002), songwriting has been my waterloo. I just didn't have the inspiration (or courage?) to write before this year. But, I don't know, something clicked in me this February 2008 so that I was able to write something for the first time in my life. I think it helped that I was surrounded by bandmates who were musically imaginative and supportive of any kind of creative effort. Their genius was so inspiring that I was finally able to find my groove. Since February, I've now written 4 songs.

Usually, I start with a concept that interests me: a situation or a person, maybe. Then I think of the approach (happy, sad, rock, indie pop?). Then I play around with chords on my guitar and try to hum a melody. When something feels right, that's when I start penning lyrics. Then revise, revise, tweak here and there.

If you were a musical instrument, what would you be? Why?
I'll always be the guitar, I think, because it's so accessible, so basic. You can learn it just by reading a chord chart and practicing diligently. You don't have to sound fantastic when you play it, but it's ALWAYs fun.