Lani Misalucha

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Lani Misalucha
Background information
Origin	Manila, Philippines
Genre(s)	Pop, rock, jazz, classical
Years active	1996-present
Label(s)	Alpha (1997) Viva (1999 – 2005) Universal Records (2006-present)

Lani Misalucha (born August 03, 1969 in Manila, Philippines) is a singer from the Philippines currently performing in the United States where she also resides. She holds shows at the Flamingo Las Vegas with the veteran Hawaiian variety troupe Society of Seven - SOS. Dubbed Asia's Nightingale,^{[1] [2]} she performs pop, rock, jazz, soul, rhythm and blues, and operatic arias.

Her voice type is dramatic coloratura soprano. Misalucha's vocal range of more than 4 octaves (lowest note at C3 and highest notes at A6-F6) compares well with Mariah Carey's 5 octaves (lowest note at G2-A2 and highest note at G7).^{[citation needed]} Misalucha has, however, sung a chromatic scale up to C#7 in live performances of Minnie Riperton's 1975 song entitled "Loving You". As per Guinness Book of World Records, the highest musical notes ever reached by a singer in "whistle register" technically called "flageolet register" are G10 by Georgia Brown of Brazil and C#7 by Adam Lopez of Australia.

Misalucha's full-throated, full-chested style and wide range have been frequently compared to those of popular divas such as Whitney Houston and Celine Dion.^{[3] [4][unreliable source?]} However, her powerful but agile voice characterized by "runs and leaps" with high upper extension is closer to the artistry of multi-media superstar Barbra Streisand. Misalucha's voice usually starts soft and thin, then gradually thickens as it approaches the peaks of a song.^[5] Although technically labelled as 'lyric coloratura', Misalucha has many times ventured into the territory of 'dramatic coloratura' with her rendition of Giacomo Puccini's "Nessun Dorma," a feat that has earned her much praise as well as unwanted comparisons to Italian operatic tenors and sopranos.^[6] Misalucha possesses a comedic flair and can effectively impersonate the super-divas as well as Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Gladys Knight, Toni Braxton, Gloria Gaynor, Donna Summer, Minnie Riperton, Beyonce Knowles, Shania Twain, and Britney Spears.^[7]

Since arriving in Las Vegas in 2004, Misalucha has been called "New Siren of the Strip." ^{[8] [9] [10] [11]} In March 2008, Misalucha was voted "Best Singer" (staff pick) in the "27th Annual Best of Las Vegas" poll conducted on 8,000 respondents by the Las Vegas Review Journal. This put her in the same sentence as super-diva Celine Dion, the readers' pick for "Best Singer". ^[12][13]

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Health 2 Career 3 Discography 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Biography

Lani Misalucha was born into a musical family.^[14] Her father Benjamin Bayot had been an operatic tenor, her mother Esperanza Dimalanta was a coloratura soprano, sister May is a band vocalist, sister Karlyn is an actress (Munting Paraiso) who also plays violin and flute, while brothers Novi and Osi play guitar and piano. Tutored in classical vocals by her own parents, Misalucha and her sisters expanded their musical horizons to various genres and styles, and developed dynamic versatility.^{[15] [16]}

Misalucha acquired her basic education from Rafael Palma Elementary School and PCU Union High School. At age 16, Misalucha won the top prize in a Gospel music competition. At age 20, she sang with the Andres Bonifacio Choir of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. She eventually joined various bands as a vocalist or back-up singer, beginning with the group "Prelude" and later the group "Law of Gravity" whose bandleader Bodjie Dasig gave Misalucha her first single, entitled "More than I Should" (1993).^[17] She also recorded "Sakayan ng Jeep," Bodjie Dasig's swoony ballad in R&B style. Misalucha would later do the lounge circuits as a soloist and lend her voice to numerous commercial jingles and karaoke tapes, thus earning her the epithet, "Multiplex Queen." ^{[18] [19] [20]}

After Misalucha obtained her degree in Business Management from the Philippine Christian University, music took a backseat in the early 1990s as she prioritized her role as wife to Noli Misalucha (an IT expert, former PLDT employee and Mormon pastor) and mother to two kids, Lian and Louven.

Misalucha is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and actively supports church-related humanitarian programs in the Philippines and in the United States. ^[21] She and singer Martin Nievera held charity concerts for the benefit of Hurricane Katrina victims in New Orleans.

[edit] Health

In an interview with Star Talk TV show on GMA Network on January 5, 2008, Misalucha revealed that she was set to undergo surgery on an ovarian cyst (2.5 cm. now enlarged to 7.1 cm.) scheduled for February 2008.^[22]

[edit] Career

Misalucha reckoned in her 2000 album notes that she started singing professionally as early as 1983 but it was only in 1996 that she made a breakthrough with the song "Ang Iibigin ay Ikaw" (written by Jimmy Borja) which was a finalist at the MetroPop Song Festival and later conferred the Awit Award for Record of the Year. In the same year, Misalucha recorded an album "More than I Should" (Alpha Records) with carrier single of the same title written by Bodjie Dasig in 1993. The album included Misalucha's cover of Fifth Dimension's "Somebody Warm Like Me" which became a hit. The entire album earned 12 Katha Award nominations in 1997.

In 1998, Misalucha won acclaim outside the country when she copped the Minuro Endo Best Interpreter/Singer Award at the 3rd Asian Song Festival. Her piece entitled "Handle with Care" (written by Gideon Jungee Marcelo) won silver in the Best Original Song category.

In 1999, Misalucha moved to Viva Records and her album, with carrier single "Tunay na Mahal" (written by Freddie Saturno), made the charts and turned gold, later receiving the Awit Award for Best Ballad Recording, Awit Award for Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist, and Katha Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Her cover of the 1952 hit, "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" topped the Philippine charts in the same year.

Misalucha's interpretation of "Can't Stop Loving You" (written by Dodjie Simon) finally won for her the Grand Prize at the 1999 Metropop Song Festival. She was tapped to play the lead role of Sita in the S.K. Productions musical play entitled Rama at Sita, where she was praised for her singing and acting.^{[citation needed]} In 1999, Misalucha also received Artist of the Year Award, Aliw Award for Best Lounge Act, Awit Award for Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist, and Awit Award Nomination for Best Stage Actress.

In 2000, Misalucha released the album All Heart, a collection of love songs with the carrier single "One More Time" (written by Dodjie Simon). The album also included songs written by some of the Philippines' contemporary composers such as Vehnee Saturno ("Ang Lahat Ng Ito Ay Para Sa Iyo"), Jimmy Borja ("Bukas Na Lang Kita Mamahalin") and Trina Belamide ("Save This Heart").

She became a semi-regular host in the Sunday noontime show SOP (Sobrang Okey Pare) in 2001, along with other top artists. Her first major solo concert in September 2001 at the Araneta Coliseum entitled, "Lani Misalucha, The Crossover Live Tour" was packed to the rafters by over 18,000 fans. A two-night repeat of the same concert at the Cultural Center of Philippines was deemed a huge success by media, critics, and Manila's cultural elite.^[23]. For this achievement, Misalucha received the Aliw Award for Best Major Concert by a Female Artist and the Tinig Award for Best Solo Performer. Her Crossover Live Concert album received the Platinum Award.

In 2002, Misalucha continued to hold concerts in Cebu, Bacolod, Baguio, Clark (Angeles), and Davao, as well as at OnStage Greenbelt, Makati City. Misalucha then held a US Concert Tour, performing in Reno, San Diego, Washington, Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, Atlantic City, Pasadena, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr. of San Francisco declared August 17 "Lani Misalucha Day" to give due recognition to her talent as an artist.^[24]

Misalucha was hailed as Aliw Awardee for Best Female Performance in Music Lounges, Bars, Clubs & Restaurants for consecutive years, 1999-2002. In 2002, she finally received Aliw "Entertainer of the Year." In addition, she won two Katha awards -- Best Folk Song Vocal Performance and Best Traditional Song Vocal Performance for "Kasal Sa Kaluluwa" (2002).

Misalucha released her fourth studio album entitled, Loving You in June 2003 with the singles "Tila" (written by Liza Diy) and "Malaya Ka Na" (written by Jimmy Antiporda). In November of the same year, she began a TV show entitled Celebrity Turns with actor-comedian Michael V. also known by his character Junie Lee.

In 2004, after being granted a US visa as an "Alien of Extraordinary Ability," Misalucha subordinated her peaking career in the Philippines to the wishes of her husband to relocate their whole family to the United States.^[25] Said her husband Noli, an IT specialist: “I just got fed up doing business here. We had lost millions of pesos many times in business deals gone awry. We had wanted to migrate to give our family a better future, this was long before Lani hit it big in the Philippines. At first, we planned to go to Canada. Lani did not even want to sing. But a friend called and asked us to come to Las Vegas and look around. We went there as tourists. It was difficult to get working visas. Our immigration lawyer told us it would be easier for the family to obtain legal status if Lani were to work as a professional entertainer.”^[26] Lani said, "The move to Las Vegas came about quite unexpectedly. My husband and I had always talked about making the move, but never really planned it. Then in 2003, it suddenly happened in an unexpected time and place. We had met the guys from Society of Seven at an Asian Awards dinner and all of a sudden I find myself packing our things and not really giving much thought as to what was going to happen or what was ahead of me." ^[27]

Gary Bautista, lead singer of Hawaii's Society of Seven, narrated how his group caught Misalucha in 2003. "I was listening to Misalucha's CD in my car. I had goose bumps all over from her rendition of 'Nessun Dorma'. I played it over and over." Added SOS founder Tony Ruivivar: "There's a streak of craziness in her like there is in all of us. None of us in the group take anything seriously, in a sense." ^[28]

In no time Misalucha became the first Asian to headline in a Main Showroom of the Las Vegas Strip ^[29], performing with Hawaii's Society of Seven at the 1,160-seat Jubilee Theatre of Bally's. Her stint at Bally's ran for 15 months from August 7, 2004 to February 5, 2006, after which she and the Society of Seven moved to the 2,200-seat Main Showroom of the Flamingo from August 2006 to April 13, 2008.

Misalucha performed across the world, in Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and the Middle East, and singing for dignitaries such as the King of Malaysia, the Sultan of Brunei, President S.R. Nathan of Singapore and Presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines.

In late October 2006, Misalucha released a new self-titled album under Universal Records. This was her first cover album which includes her own version of Whitney Houston's "Hold Me," Michael Jackson's "Someone in the Dark," Luther Vandross' "Always and Forever," Stevie Wonder's "All is Fair in Love," Diana Ross' "Come in from the Rain," Astrud Gilberto's "A Certain Sadness," and Natalie Cole's "I Live For Your Love." The album reached gold record and platinum status in the Philippines within months.^[30]

Misalucha re-appeared a few times on Philippine television starting on February 17, 2007 in the Sunday afternoon show "ASAP" of ABS-CBN (The Filipino Channel). Here she promoted her one-night homecoming concert entitled "Missing You" scheduled for March 17, 2007.

In the latter part of May 2007, record label Viva re-released "Lani Misalucha Live Vol. 1 and 2". The two-volume recording contains previously released material mostly from her Crossover Live Tour albums with various live performances from different albums within the Viva catalogue where she had appeared.

Her new website, which includes fresh material from her "Missing You" homecoming concert and updates on her tours and performances, was launched on July 7, 2007.

Misalucha is the voice behind the new version of Gary Valenciano's "Natutulog Ba Ang Diyos?," theme song of the ABS-CBN television soap opera that goes by the same title.

In the recently concluded 20th Awit Awards, her rendition of "I Live For Your Love" from her newest album was acclaimed Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist. ^[31]

In Josh Groban's Awake Tour 2007, Lani was handpicked by Groban himself to be his front act in Manila on October 15-16, 2007 and also his partner in singing David Foster's "The Prayer"; the female part was previously sung by Celine Dion and Charlotte Church. ^[32]

Lani Misalucha was voted Best Singer in the recently concluded 27th Annual Best of Las Vegas poll. There were two picks for best singer, the Readers' Pick was Celine Dion and the Staff Pick was Lani Misalucha. The 27th Best of Las Vegas is conducted yearly by The Las Vegas Review-Journal. This year, almost 8,000 total votes were cast and tallied. (http://www.lvrj.com/bestoflv/hotels/16823401.html)

[edit] Discography

Albums

• More Than I Should (1997, Alpha)
• Tunay Na Mahal (True Love) (1999, Viva)
• All Heart (2001, Viva)
• Closer To Home 2 (2001)
• Love Concert - Vol. 1 and 2 (2001)
• Crossover Live Tour - Vol. 1 and 2 (2001)
• The Best of Crossover Presents (2003)
• Loving You (2003)
• Greatest Hits (2005)
• Silver Series (2006)
• Lani Misalucha (2006, Universal)
• Lani Misalucha Live Vol. 1 and 2 (2007, Viva)
• Palabas (Universal)
• Lani Misalucha - The Platinum Edition (2007, Universal)

Karaoke/Videoke

• Sing Along with Lani Misalucha (Viva)
• Lani Misalucha - Karaoke Video CD (Universal)

Split Tracks

• Lani Misalucha (Universal)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Lani Misalucha - Official Website
• Lani Misalucha - kuro.ph - Official Bulletin Board and Guest Book