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MANILA, Philippines — There are new hitmakers in town as Esang, Diego Gutierrez, James Philippe, and Jarlo Base all inked contracts with Star Magic, ABS-CBN’s talent management agency!
During their contract signing event on March 11 at Noctos Bar in Quezon City, the budding artists gave glimpses of their creative processes and shared what they have to offer the ever-growing Filipino music scene. Each act comes from a different musical background, and hopes to bring something new to the table.
Meet them here:
Esang
Scoring her first major break as a child star in The Voice Kids Philippines back in 2015, Esang de Torres has now blossomed into a professional musician. When she was younger, she headlined major concerts and starred in the Philippine stagings of two big Broadway shows: Les Misérables as Little Cosette, and Matilda the Musical as Matilda.
As Esang embarks on a new journey in her career at 18, she shared that the mentorship she received from theater legend and The Voice Kids Philippines coach Lea Salonga is one of the things she’ll always carry with her.
“One thing that I really remember most from her is for you to sing with your whole heart. I know it’s something that I keep on mentioning [but] I just think I was able to apply it na rin when it comes to writing songs. So it’s not about singing with my whole heart as well, it’s [also] about writing with my whole heart,” Esang mused.
This wisdom is reflected in her original pieces. In her process of creating the song “Dalumat” (meaning deep thinking or reflection), she highlighted the importance of finding a concept, or sometimes a word, that resonates within and can be shared to other people.
“Usually there are songwriters who write the melody. With me, mas nauuna [ang] song title. Kapag may nakikita akong word na pwedeng gawan ng song tapos gagawin ko siyang song title…doon po siya nanggaling, the concept, the lyrics, and then the melody,” she explained.
(Usually there are songwriters who write the melody. With me, the song title comes first. Whenever I see a word that I can write a song about, I will use it as a title…that is where it starts, the concept, the lyrics, and then the melody.)
Esang seeks to be known for this kind of music — eager to write songs whose lyrics you can immediately tell are hers.
James Philippe
Alongside his sister Esang, James Philippe puts on a new hat as a Star Magic music artist, bringing with him his rich musical background, skills as a conductor, and knack for music production.
You’d quickly notice that James’ baritone vocals sound reminiscent of the past, and it’s all thanks to his and Esang’s father’s own taste for music, with his favorite songs coming from the ’70s to the ’90s. James eventually found himself at the UST Conservatory of Music, where he would study the craft of classical musicians like Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart, equipping himself with a rather wide range of influences for his own music in the process.
For James, writing songs can come in at any given time. After all, good ideas come when you least expect them.
“Kapag nagko-compose po ako ng kanta, very random. Sometimes, maglalakad lang ako, may maiisip akong melody, and minsan, kapag maganda yung melody na naiisip ko, nire-record ko siya sa voice sa phone, babalikan ko siya pag-uwi ko sa bahay tsaka ko siya lalagyan ng lyrics,” James shared.
(Whenever I compose a song, it’s very random. While I’m walking, a melody will pop up in my head, and sometimes, if the melody I’m thinking sounds good, I’ll be recording it via voice on the phone, I’ll go back to it once home and then I’ll add lyrics.)
Just like the other newly signed artist, James wishes to reach a wider audience who can find inspiration from the songs he writes. He hopes to one day take his songs beyond the four walls of his own bedroom, and into the playlists of listeners across the country, and one day, the world.
Diego Gutierrez
Diego Gutierrez bears a familiar surname. He comes from a family of entertainers — he’s the son of showbiz veterans Lotlot de Leon and Ramon Christopher, the grandson of music icon Pilita Corrales, and the brother of actress Janine Gutierrez.
Despite this, Diego is determined to make a name for himself through his singing and songwriting chops.
“I think my family has proven a lot in this industry, na lahat sila magagaling talaga sa ginagawa nila (that they all excel in what they do). So the biggest challenge for me is to do my best also, make a name for myself also in music and showbiz in general. So instead of pressure ‘yung nafe-feel, mas motivated [ako] to make my family proud also. I want to be great in my own way as well,” the young artist said.
Drawing his inspiration from life experiences, Diego wants his music to be something people can simply connect with — just like how he feels when he listens to Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, and The Weeknd.
Aside from his musical career, Diego is also open for acting roles, expressing his enthusiasm to work with his sister Janine Gutierrez in the future.
Jarlo Bâse
Jarlo Bâse is by no means a newcomer. You may have first heard his groovy 2021 single “Honey Mae,” and the feel-good “Kalapati” from 2022. This time, he’s marking a new chapter in his career as one of Star Magic’s newest musicians.
Winning the Awit Award for Best Performance by a Male Recording Artist in 2023, multifaceted Jarlo is known for his R&B sound — which he hopes to take to bigger stages in the future.
“I really want to rediscover and redefine Manila sound of today para at least kung ma-establish natin siya, kapag pinush natin siya overseas mayroon tayong tatak Pinoy, tatak Star Magic, and proud tayo na ito yung tunog natin ngayon sa Manila,” he said.
(I really want to rediscover and redefine the Manila sound of today so if we can establish it, once we share it overseas, we’ll can have something distinctly Filipino, distinctly Star Magic, and it’s something we can be proud to call the sound of Manila.)
Interestingly, Jarlo shared that having his music reach more audiences isn’t his only goal, as he also wants to use his craft to invite fellow artists to continue the art of storytelling through music.
Esang, James, Diego, and Jarlo all embark on the newest journey of their respective careers with hope that they can share their craft with the rest of country, and later, the world. – with reports by Kevin Ian Lampayan/Rappler.com
Kevin Ian Lampayan is a Rappler intern studying Bachelor of Arts in Literary and Cultural Studies at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
