Gina Respall
Singer-actress Gina Respall has endeared herself to OPM lovers long before she pursued a lucrative musical-theater career in London and elsewhere.
If you remember Gina for her roles in “Miss Saigon,” “The King and I” and “Jerry Springer, The Opera,” there’s a whole other bunch of fans who adores Gina for her songs with the popular band Artstart (who could forget “Misty Glass Window”?), for which she recorded the tracks “Only You” and “Where I Belong,” as well as her enduring duet with Pido Lalimarmo “Together.”
For people who have been missing Gina’s voice, she has one shimmering musical package for you. Yes, Gina’s back—this time, by way of “Flight,” a sultry, self-penned track we couldn’t get enough of the first time we heard it. The single is now on Bandcamp and will be officially released on Spotify today.
“I wrote the song during the pandemic,” said Gina when we asked her what it’s about. “It could have been brought about by losing people in our lives and the thought that no one was sure if we were safe [from the COVID-19 virus], not even after getting vaccinated.
“The song is about letting go of people you love. For me, it was also a way to accept the fact that we, mere mortals, are only here to transition to the afterlife in God’s kingdom. However, as I was writing it, I realized that it was also my way of letting go of my two brothers, who died of cancer—one of them in 2019.”
From music to theater
Knowing her transition from pop music and OPM to theater, we asked Gina how her rich experiences as a performer have informed her singing style. She mused, “I suppose Artstart’s style never left me. It was through the band that I was introduced to the types of music I enjoy listening to to this day.
“My previous single ‘Butterflies’ has a lot of Artstart in it, mainly because I chose one of my colleagues (Ronald Tomas) to arrange it. He also played sax solo, which was an Artstart trademark.
“As far as my singing style is concerned, my pop-meets-R&B vocal style was honed by picking up bits and pieces from artists I listened to—from jazz to pop—like Pauline Wilson, Patti Austin, Brand New Heavies, Incognito, Oleta Adams, Kevyn Lettau, Vanessa Williams, SWV, Astrud Gilberto, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder … the list is so endless!
“But having said that, I just love music in general. I do listen to all genres. Back to my new single ‘Flight,’ it is experimental—it’s my first attempt at incorporating EDM into my music, which Curtis (Jonjon) Castañeda arranged brilliantly!
“I like writing inspiring words in most of my songs, and I hope people will be inspired by its message.”