Presenting Alessandra de Rossi, singer/lyricist

Moviegoers gave Alessandra de Rossi a huge box-office hit with the movie Kita Kita. Already considered one of the country’s finest actresses since her teen-aged days, this recent success has given the Italian beauty the encouragement to show off what else she can do. And how nice it is to find out that Alessandra sings and she also writes, not just songs but also stories. 

Alessandra put on both those hats in her latest movie outing 12. Her follow-up to Kita Kita is another love story and one that she wrote herself. She stars as Erika, a band singer who gave up her career to be with her commercial director boyfriend Anton, played by newcomer Ivan Padilla. 

The 12 comes from the length of their relationship.  They were friends for five years and then lovers for seven more. Now Anton wants to make things permanent and has proposed marriage. But Erika is having second thoughts.  What has happened to her life during the past 12 years with Anton? What will happen to her life in the future?

The premise is interesting and very real. The role of Erika with all those conflicting ideas going on inside her is one that Alessandra can sink her teeth into. And she has a song to go with it. The title is Twelve, which is now available on various streaming and downloading platforms. It is a wistful ballad with lyrics by Alessandra who also produced, and music, arrangement and all instrumentation by Mark Abaya of the band Kjwan. 

Should Alessandra one day decide to give up acting, I am sure she will not want for singing gigs. Her style, soft and on the husky side is just what lonely souls enjoy nursing their heartbreaks to.

Pinoys love it when their movies and TV shows come with memorable songs in the hugot scenes. This is because after watching they can listen to the songs and relive their favorite portions over and over again. Take a look at this list of current hits. These songs all come from either a movie or a TV series and they have been in the hit lists for months now. 

Malaya by Moira de la Torre from Camp Sawi; Torete, the oldie by Orange & Lemons revived for Love You to the Stars and Back also by Moira; Two Less Lonely People in the World, a cover of the Air Supply classic by KZ Tandingan from Kita Kita; Sa ‘yo by Ebe Dancel from Last Night; Tag-ulan by Thyro Alfaro and Yumi Lacsamana from Luck at First Sight; Balisong, the Rico Blanco biggie recorded anew by The Juans for 100 Tula Para Kay Stella; and 241 by Janine Tenoso from the same film.

I’ll Never Love This Way Again by Jona from Barcelona; Your Love, originally by the rock band Alamid sung by Juris for the soap series Dulce Amore; A Love To Last A Lifetime, a classic love song by Jose Mari Chan from the teleserye of the same title also performed by Juris; Sundo, again by Moira for The Good Son; Till I Met You by James Reid and Nadine Lustre from the series of the same title that they also starred in; Stay by Daryl Ong from On The Wings of Love; and Someday from The Unmarried Wife also sung by Juris.

Incidentally, this symbiotic relationship between motion pictures and hit songs is all the more evident in the success of the song Tadhana by UP Dharma Down.  Composed by lead singer Armi Millare, the song was initially the theme song of the TV series Illumina and later of the movie This Thing Called Tadhana. Tadhana has been a consistent top seller these past four years.

Still on the hot film and song partnership. Regine Velasquez when tasked to do a music video for her new original Hugot, decided on putting alternate endings to the love story of Fidel and Stella in Isang Daang Tula Para Kay Stella and having the leads, Bela Padilla and JC Santos of the movie, reprise their roles in the video. The result is an engaging hugot fest indeed.

So songwriters and publishers out there. Take note.  The best way to create a hit out here these days is to get those songs into motion picture soundtracks.