Star Music’s newest ballad artist

Composer-album producer Joel Mendoza, who has produced hit songs for Star Music’s high-caliber artists like Sharon Cuneta, Angeline Quinto, Erik Santos and Klarisse de Guzman, is excited about Ianna dela Torre, who is bringing a fresh set of songs in various genres.

Less than a year since she signed up with Star Music, the 18-year-old artist recently launched her 11-track debut album which features ditties that were carefully selected to tell the story of a young girl transitioning into a woman. Ianna, produced by Joel who composed three songs off the album, carries original and revival songs, which are collaborations of some of the best composers and producers in the OPM industry such as Ryan Cayabyab for Kailan; David Foster, Tom Kenne, Mirko Von Schlieffen, Gruenwald Stefan and Cynthia Weil for Through the Fire; Chito Ilacad for Together, Forever; and Jonathan Manalo for Always You, among others.

“You know… magaling si Ianna. At 13, meron na talagang boses since I had seen her performance at WCOPA,” said Joel. “And it took us almost two years to produce this album, this is a labor of love.”

Unknown to many, Ianna, who also loves acting, has been in the entertainment circuit for awhile now, TV guestings here and there after winning at the World Championship of Performing Arts (WCOPA) in 2013 where she took home the Junior Grand Champion and Champion Vocalist of the World awards. She is from Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija. She discovered that she could sing when she was eight years old and won third place on her first try. She is an incoming senior high school student and dreams to become a doctor like her mom.

“After that, nagtuloy-tuloy na after realizing that I can sing pala. So I attended voice lessons,” shared Ianna, who has a striking resemblance to Sarah Geronimo and Morissette Amon. No wonder, she looks up to them and hopes to collaborate with both of the Kapamilya artists, among others.

When asked why did it take long for her to release her debut album, Ianna explained she was not ready that time.

“After winning at WCOPA, tuloy-tuloy pa rin naman po yung mga guestings ko. Then I asked myself about what to do with my music career, and I was not 100 percent ready na ito yung talagang gusto ko since I was also busy with my studies. And when Tito Joel and I met again, we started planning about the album and that’s when I felt and realized that this is it. It really took me a long time to finally decide.”

Wala Kang Kapalit, one of the songs composed by Joel, is a modern classic ballad about one’s unending love for someone and the regret that comes after the relationship’s inevitable end. Its music video, which features former Pinoy Big Brother teen housemates Karina Bautista and Aljon Mendoza, has been receiving positive feedback and thousands of views on YouTube.

(Ianna, which includes other tracks such as Pinapa, Love is Spelled as Y-O-U, Kahit sa Panaginip Lang, Alam Kong Nandyan Ka and Ang Sabi Mo, is now available in various digital streaming platforms. For updates, check out Star Music’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @StarMusicPH.)