Philippine theater’s new “Princess Jasmine” launches her own album
8:51 PM
It's my first time to be invited to a blogger's event by ABS-CBN's music label Star Records. Operating for 19 years and with over 900 songs in it's catalogue, Star Records is one of the major record labels in the country which has survived the challenges of piracy and digital song sharings. Competing well in the market, Star Records produces albums for the most reputable musicians in the industry today including Gary Valenciano, Yeng Constantino, Vina Morales, Lito Camo, Gloc 9, and Angeline Quinto.
Speaking of Angeline Quinto, who is the grand champion of ABS-CBN's latest reality singing competition, one of her then rivals also signed a music deal with the same record label. She is 21-year old K-La Rivera. A theater actress, and a video jock among many things, the beautiful K-LA talked about her first album with a group of bloggers at the Kitchen of Cakes and Coffee at Tomas Morato in Quezon City last June 8, 2012.
Get the fresh information about this upcoming diva from an article this blogger wrote originally for Philippine Paradise Pages (philippineparadisepages.com).
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Not all leading men and women of Philippine Theater
are given the chance to release their own record. But for K-La Rivera, she is getting her big break as a recording artist
just right after being awarded her second theater lead role as Princess Jasmine
in Atlantis Productions’ “Aladdin”. K-La
announced this during her meet up with bloggers in a coffee shop in Tomas
Morato Avenue, Quezon City last June 8.
Beaming with excitement, K-La let the online writers
hear a portion of her song “Say That You Love Me”. The song was originally
composed by Louie Ocampo and is the second track of her first and self-titled album.
When asked if she was hesitant to do a cover of the song performed previously
by veteran singers Martin Nievera and Regine Velasquez, K-La said that she was
just thankful to be given a chance to do her own version of the song. “It will
be an honor to be compared even if I know na
talo ako (that I will lose). It will be amazing to be compared to Miss Regine
Velasquez”, says the 20-year old singer.
A lover of R&B songs, K-La has recorded 5 covers
for her new album with Himig Handog Love Songs’s finalist entry “Love Has Come
My Way” as the carrier single. Other songs included in her album are
“Inseparable”, “Someone Always Saying Goodbye” and “You’re All That I Need”. Prior
to the release of her album, K-La recorded the soundtrack of Melai Cantiveros’s
launching movie “The Adventures of Pureza, Queen of the Riles” titled “I’m
Feeling Sexy Tonight”.
After a stint in ABS-CBN’s now defunct noon time show “Wowowee”, K-La was formally introduced to the public via the reality television show “Star Power: Sharon’s Search for the Next Female Pop Superstar” where she is named as one of the 5 grand finalists with eventual champion Angeline Quinto. After the show, K-La or Kayla Meagan Iovan in real life, appeared as one of the VJs on MYX, a cable music channel.
K-La’s theater credits, meanwhile, started when she
acted as Nina Rosario in the critically-acclaimed musical “In The Heights”. She
received positive reviews from critics as soon as the show opened September of last
year. This is why it’s not a surprise for her to be chosen for the Princess
Jasmine role. “I really hope I can do justice to the role knowing that our very
own Lea Salonga’s voice was used for the Disney movie”, K-La shared. Doing the
title role as “Aladdin” is another reality show star Tom Rodriguez (Pinoy Big
Brother) while the musical will open this November.
Described by judges in Star Power as a belter, K-La shared
that she gets inspiration from soul artists, detailing that her favorite
performance during her stint on the reality show is when she sang Beyonce’s
“Listen”. “I am really enjoying R&B now because it gives me the liberty to
sing with riffs as we are limited by singing straight in musicals”, she said.
Aside from being a singer and a stage actress, K-La wants to also venture into
song writing. “I just hope that the day comes when my songs are ready to be
heard my people”, she said further.
K-La Rivera’s self-titled album is digitally-produced
and is already out in major record stores.

This blogger with Star Records's newest darling K-La Rivera.
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