Mikee Quintos
While Mikee Quintos has always been into music and singing, it wasn’t until recently that she mustered the guts to pursue it.
“I have been singing since I was young, but I was scared to make that jump … I couldn’t help but feel shy and insecure. I didn’t think I was ready for that side of me to other people,” Mikee said in a recent virtual conference of her debut single, “Just Enough,” under GMA Playlist.
It was her fans, the Kapuso artist said, who encouraged her to show off her talent. “They pushed me and inspired me to release songs. I had insecurities, but now I’m feeling much braver,” Mikee, who had recorded songs before, but only as the characters she played in her past teleseryes.
“It’s my first time introducing this side of me to them, so I hope they welcome it with their hearts,” she added.
All about timing
Written by Roxy Fabian, “Just Enough” is a breezy, bubble gum pop track that encapsulates her idea of love. “It talks about my definition of what I think love is—very calm and comforting,” she said. “And it makes sense because I always want to give love and comfort to people who are close to me. I want to touch lives with my music.”
The 23-year-old actress, who got her first big break in 2016 as Lira in “Encantadia” and recently headlined the romantic fantasy series “The Lost Recipe,” found herself focusing on acting more. But she has no regrets about not taking up music sooner.
“When I entered show biz, acting felt so new to me, so I wanted to channel my energy there. I thought it was a good opportunity to grow. I believe that God has a plan for me, and maybe His is better than what you initially had … Kung ibibigay sa ’yo, ibibigay sa ’yo. That’s my mindset toward life and career in general,” she pointed out. “Maybe it’s all about timing.”
The more serious and engrossed she got with music, the more Mikee realized that acting and singing share some similarities.
Fine-tuning skills
“Recording and acting require you to be in the moment and in tune with your emotions. If you feel the song, the listeners will feel it, too, in your delivery,” she said. “Maybe it’s also good that I started out with acting, because I can apply the things I have learned to interpreting songs.”
The next step for her, Mikee said, is to undergo workshops to expand and fine-tune her skills. “I want to get into songwriting, which is something I’m really interested in. I have written some songs, but I haven’t really developed them yet,” said the actress, whose guitar playing was inspired by Taylor Swift.
Single cover
“When I was 10 or 11, I asked my parents to buy me a guitar, because of her. I was also a Justin Bieber fan girl,” she related. “On the local scene, I love the acoustic vibe of Sitti and MYMP.”
While Mikee is happy and excited with her first release, she thinks that there’s still more to explore, style-wise. “I feel like pop is a good choice for my first outing, something chill and happy. But I also want to try other genres that could work for me. It may be a long process, but what’s important is that I’m enjoying it.” INQ