Fresh, fun

‘Rising Star’

Hannah Nolasco

Young independent recording artist Hannah Nolasco and praise songwriter Boy Christopher Ramos Jr. are a snug fit.

For the 16-year-old’s debut album, Ramos wrote 12 simple, unpretentious pieces, each one with a catchy hook and playful lyrics that spell the prize: easy recall.

“Peksman,” the carrier single, has a finger-snappy bounce and the good-humored plea, “Peksman, Batman, Superman, ang puso ko, sa iyo’y sumemplang.”

Talk about last song syndrome.

The songs invariably speak to the young. “My music will always reflect who I am,” the girl said in an interview. And so it does.

Teenspeak peppers the lyrics: “Ang magmahal pala’y sadyang nakakalerky. I’m waiting all the time sa call mo sa aking CP, sa Twitter, e-mail at sa FB.”

Or, “I-like mo naman ako diyan sa puso mo. I-click mo lamang ang pangalan ko.” Or, “Havey at waley—meron ba o wala kang pagtingin?”

Hannah struggles perceptibly (and understandably) with lyrics about love for the slightly older, say 20-year-olds, in “Paano Naman Ako.”

But her expressed goal is to emulate the young Sharon Cuneta. And there, she succeeds.

A knee-jerk reaction would be to suggest vocal coaching. From where we sit, though, it would be wise to avoid haste. This is how we want kids to sound, for as long as possible. Emmie G. Velarde