Spicy mix of sass, sweetness and sheer confidence

BAIHANA. Winning combination.

When the end of your performance is greeted by enthusiastic applause, you know you’ve done a good show – but, when you get that, plus an audience clamoring for more, then you’ve done a great one. And, it sure sounded like that was what the crowd thought at Baihana’s recent concert at Music Museum when they called the group back onstage not just once, but twice.

“Baihana: The First Time (The Repeat)” was the female trio’s second concert this year (the first was in March at Teatrino) and, judging by the warm reception they got from a mixed audience of college kids, golden agers and everyone in between, it definitely won’t be the last. If you’re looking for something a little different, a little old school and a lot more fun, catch a Baihana show!

The trio, composed of Krina Cayabyab, Anna Achacoso and Mel Torre (a little disclaimer here: Mel is this writer’s cousin), will knock your socks off with their strong vocals, exceptional harmonizing, and an inspired lineup of jazzed-up songs that includes everything from jazz, standards, OPM classics, show tunes, contemporary pop, and even a few of their own compositions.

Witty repartee

Mind you, they don’t “just” sing, they perform. They seamlessly segue from one number to the next with a lot of witty repartee, and their choreography is restrained yet polished, enhancing and not distracting-because you don’t want to be distracted when these ladies are showing you what harmony really is.

They arrange their songs themselves, too, with Krina taking the lead, and their original compositions show promise. Krina’s “Isaw,” in fact, was a Novelty category winner at the 2010 Filscap (Filipino Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) songwriting competition.

Krina, Anna and Mel don’t only blend well vocally; they also have a winning chemistry as a group, with their spicy mix of sass, sweetness, and the sheer confidence that comes from knowing that you love what you do and that you’ve worked hard and are good at it.

Rough spots

Watching them onstage, it’s hard to believe that they’ve only been singing together for three years – they look and sound like they’ve been doing it for much longer than that.

They had a few rough spots in “The Repeat” – ironically enough, in a Beyoncé song, a more contemporary number – but, they soldiered on and saved it by laughing at themselves in the end (“Hindi bagay!”).

One of the concert’s highlights was the guest appearance of Bituin Escalante, who had fun belting out “Balut” (from the musical, “Katy”). Bituin and Baihana are both managed by Thirdline, the outfit that also takes care of the Apo Hiking Society.

Do yourself a favor and see why Bituin calls Baihana “the future of OPM.” Check out their Facebook page for updates, and contact Thirdline at 436-4325 or 0917 509-9912.