She’s a newcomer in the recording scene but Lara Cuevas is definitely not a neophyte singer. She’s actually a professional performer, having been singing for more than a decade now, ever since she was in college. However, it was in China where Lara made a name as a singer.

Last Monday, Viva Records hosted a small press conference at Dulcinea to launch Lara’s self-titled and debut album. After singing her first song, she was almost in tears when she said that she never expected to get the chance to become a recording artist. “I could cry again,” before she sang her second song, “Unbreak My Heart.” She related that when she signed the contract with Viva Records, she couldn’t stop crying. “Because this is the biggest blessing I’ve ever received in my life.”

In 2009, when she came home for a vacation, she dropped by a small recording studio to have a demo CD done, remembering what a friend told her in the past to do. There were eight songs in the CD, two of which where “Get Here” and “Through the Fire.” She gave the demo CD to her friend who gave it to Viva Records. Producer Christian de Walden liked what he heard and Lara was summoned for a meeting with Boss Vic (del Rosario) who lost no time in signing her up.

In June 2010, Lara flew to Los Angeles, California to record her self-titled album which features 12 tracks, four originals (“Wala Nang Mahihiling Pa,” “Bakit Pinaglaruan,” “Running Into Love” and “This Moment” (with lyrics by Pamela Phillips-Oland and music by Jimmy Borja), the carrier single. The rest of the tracks are covers: “You Make Me Feel Brand New,” “Can’t Fight The Moonlight,” “Genie In A Bottle,” “Unbreak My Heart,” “The Trouble With Hello Is Goodbye.”

Lara said doing the album was very challenging. With the headphones, you become aware of all the sound elements unlike in live singing which she was used to. That is why she said she is forever grateful to De Walden and four-time Grammy Award-winner Kenny O’Brien (owner of the studio where she recorded the album in LA) for their guidance. She recorded “The Trouble with Hello is Goodbye” in 30 minutes. “It has a bossa nova feel.”

Lara, to say the least, is very impressive during her short performance for us. She exuded confidence and showcased a powerful voice and a style all her own, honed from her three-segment six nights a week stint in China where the audience were mostly expats.

“I still couldn’t believe it,” Lara gushed. Lara hails from San Jose, Batangas. She said she inherited her musical talent from her father’s side of the family. He and his brothers were musicians and they had a band.

Lara’s favorite singers, by the way, are Aretha Franklin, Lani Misalucha, Jaya, Sarah Geronimo and Jonalyn Viray.

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Nokia N8 a hit among directors

Three of our young and talented filmmakers – Paul Soriano, Treb Monteras II and Pepe Diokno – are in awe of the professional quality of Nokia N8, dubbed the world’s best entertainment smartphone.

Paul Soriano, who has helmed indie films such as “Chasing Manila” and the upcoming “Thelma” (starring Maja Salvador) and who directed the first Pier Roxas teaser commercial says he was initially shocked when asked to shoot the said commercial using the N8 smartphone.

“I was blown away by the quality, workflow, how easy it was to shoot with the phone, and how handy it was because you could put it in places where you don’t normally put a movie camera in,” says Soriano.

He adds that he was most impressed with the high-definition, 12-megapixel video camera that is built with a Carl Zeiss lens. After it was completed, the Pier Roxas TV commercial shot by Paul now holds the distinction of being the first TV ad in the Philippines to be shot entirely using a mobile phone.

Music video director Treb Monteras II also raves about Nokia N8. Treb, who has directed music videos for Gary V., Rico Blanco, Rivermaya, etc., says today’s advancements in mobile technology have made filmmaking accessible to everybody. “The Nokia N8 is so easy to use that my three-year-old son films short videos with it.”

Filmmaker Pepe Diokno, on the other hand, found the N8 perfect for capturing personal moments. The award-winning director whose debut film “Engkwentro” won the Venice Film Festival’s “Lion of the Future” award, remarks that the phone’s shoot-edit-share feature makes it convenient for people to capture scenes on-the-go.

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Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings for Jan. 13, go to producer Orly Ilacad, Roni Tapia-Merk, Elsa Payumo, Dingdong Eduque of Route 70, Odon Sabarre, Ulan Sarmiento III, Peachy Sacasas Alimurung, Baby Tamano, Cindy Santiago, Becky Priscilla, Prof. Veronica Caparas, Dean Vivencio Jose, Melinda Love Almazan, Nicolas Arnault-Teotico and MB’s Ramon I. Samson... Miguel Antonio “Migo” Cruz Gavino, youngest son of Roland V. Gavino and former IBC-13 newscaster Thea Carsi Cruz-Gavino, will be celebrating his 6th birthday today, Jan. 13, 2011. Migo is the grandnephew of former career diplomat Consul-General Erlinda Q. Gavino (daughter of the late Gen. Roman T. Gavino, former Armed Forces military attaché to Paris, France and founding president of the National Defense College of the Philippines)…