MANILA, Philippines — Actor, singer and TV host Marlo Mortel has been through so much in life in the past couple of years, and the hardest was when his mother Merlie Pamintuan recently passed away.
But instead of letting pain strike him at his very core and make him vulnerable, he used it to fuel his dream.
Last October 26, the 25-year old musician held his major concert at the Music Museum. In his other concerts, Marlo performed with Bryan Santos, Joseph Marco and Michael Pangilinan as part of the boy band Harana, but now the singer felt he is ready to take his music career to greater heights as a solo artist.
“Of course, I'm happy dahil patuloy ang mga blessings na dumadating sa’kin when it comes to my career. Pero sobrang laki ‘yung kulang dahil wala na ‘yung mommy ko na inspirasyon ko at inaalayan ko ng lahat ng ito. Pero alam ko na araw-araw ginagabayan niya ako kaya sana soon, makamtan ko na rin ‘yung fulfillment sa lahat ng na a-achieve ko kahit wala na siya. It just takes time,” said Mortel when asked about how he feels to perform as a solo artist for the first time.
With his group, Mortel had hit singles and sold-out concerts. Now that he is finally striking out on his own, he hopes to be able to draw as big a crowd as Harana’s past shows did.
According to Mortel, this is his chance to show the full range of his talent as a performer. It is also the perfect time now that he is slowly healing from his tragic loss, saying that this is his way of showing how much he loved his mother; hoping that he will make her proud by becoming the person his mother always wanted him to be—someone who always strives to be the best version of himself.
“Napakaimportante nitong first major concert ko dahil big turning point ito ng career ko as a musician na unang dahilan naman talaga bakit ako pumasok sa showbiz. At sobrang pinahahalagahan ko ito dahil dream namin ito ng family ko, lalo na ng mommy ko na buhay pa nung cino-conceptualize namin ito at alam ko excited sana siya na maabutan ito,” Mortel added.
Apart from releasing his single “I Pray” earlier this year, Mortel has been working hard as a mainstay host in “Umagang Kay Ganda” with his own segment in the show, and he has also been working on several movie projects.
With his multi-faceted life and being able to cope with any hardship being thrown at him, there is no denying that the young artist is set to achieve success.
Mortel’s concert was directed by Marvin Caldito, with musical direction by Adonis Tabanda.