Acel continues to inspire through words & music

MANILA, Philippines - “Torete, torete, torete sa ‘yo” might just be the feelings of fans towards Acel, the former lead vocalist of Moonstar88, one of the bands that had a massive following in the year 2000.

Her soothing, yet edgy voice was distinct and her fans followed her career with the band until 2004. Acel’s career didn’t end there as she continued to produce music that tugged at heartstrings as they were featured on primetime television shows like My Girl (Gulo, Hilo, Lito) and Rounin (Sa Ngalan ng Pag-ibig). She gained more fans with her English version of One Love, the theme song of the hit Koreanovela Spring Waltz. In 2007, she went solo as she launched her first album titled Silver Lining.

Now that she’s been in the music industry for 20 years, Acel has come full circle with Torete becoming the theme song for a Judy Ann Santos movie and one of the most successful shows in the local TV industry. Real talent indeed stands the test of time. She celebrated this career milestone last year with a concert at the Teatrino in Greenhills titled Acel@20.

Aside from being an artist, Acel has a master’s degree in Business Administration. She also authored her first book titled, Who Would Have Thought: Mga Pambihirang Pagkakataon. Focused on the themes of identity, love and purpose, the book talks about how Acel found the answer to her heart’s deepest longings. In her quest for identity, Acel shared her journey ­— how from a shy and timid little girl, she ended up becoming the band vocalist, explaining why she left the band at the peak of her career. In the book’s second part, Acel recounted her love story with Dutch-Nepalese web programmer Danny Van Ommen. The third part of the book is about purpose, telling the story of how Acel and her friends started Right Start ­— a non profit organization that helps underprivileged children that aims to inspire young people to live better lives. The book aims to communicate a message of hope during down times, and seeks to challenge the reader to go on an adventure by taking that leap of faith to a life beyond the ordinary. 

Her success in the music industry has given her the status of “Ate” in the industry by the younger generation. She was recently featured on the GMA 7 show Wagas and came up with some newer compositions like Liliwanag, which was nominated for Best Inspirational Song at the Awit Awards.

On a personal note, Acel is a happily married mom who homeschools her two sons, Tashi and Yashi.

Acel will continue to expand her music career this 2016 as she prepares for collaborations and a tour with fellow artists Julianne Tarroja and Abby Asistio in 2016 under Manila Genesis Entertainment and Management, Inc.

Who Would Have Thought: Mga Pambihirang Pagkakataon is available in CSM Publishing, Fully Booked, House of Praise outlets, PCBS and selected National Bookstores, or directly through [email protected] and www.acelmusic.com.