April was signed up by Maristel a few months before the latter and Kyla severed professional ties.
Aside from manager, April will be releasing her debut CD of R&B/hip hop tunes in a couple of weeks under EMI Philippines, the same label where Kyla is signed. April, too, is a regular in "S.O.P." and endorses "No Curfew" as with the R&B Princess, creating louder buzz that she is quietly encroaching on the latter’s ‘turfs.’
"No matter what people think, the truth is, Kyla and I are friends," says April. "We talk a lot, though not about business—an unwritten rule between us—but of personal stuffs. Kyla is a very quiet person and I like that. It kind of balances my being talkative and what-you-see-is-what-you-get personality."
Musically, April sees no reason why she and Kyla should be compared. "Her sound is the Mariah Carey-type with lots of high notes. I am more like Ciara, Janet Jackson or Aaliyah; that is, a singer who can dance. Dancing is such an integral part of my artistry that EMI Philippines has decided to field a danceable single as my first single versus the usual ballad."
Only eight months in the business, April has been effortlessly winning the nods of key people left and right. Even before she came to Manila last February, a battle royale among local record companies was being raged to get her name on the dotted line. April also got Maristel’s commitment to build her career up the moment the latter saw and heard the artist.
"I’m lucky to be managed by Maristel." April says. "She is a nice person and very honest. She doesn’t give you false hopes nor make empty promises."
Then again, it’s not as if April is undeserving of these and more. Back in Seattle, Washington where she grew up, the teenager had already been making waves. Aside from being voted one of the top young artists of 2001 by Seattle’s number one radio station, KUBE 93.3, April has opened for big international stars as 98 Degrees, Pink, Mya, Ashanti, Brian McKnight, JaRule, Snoop Dogg, and Daniel Bedingfield.
Half of the cuts in her locally released album dubbed "My Music, My Soul, My Time," in fact, were produced by Grammy-nominated Gen Rubin (Aretha Franlin, Mary J Blige, etc.). The first single off the album is "Stay Real."
Given the chance, April wants to do a duet with Christian Bautista. "I first saw Christian on TFC and was impressed with his soothing, Josh Groban-style of singing. He also seems like a nice guy," says April.
When asked about her impeding stardom, April just shrugs it off. "I don’t think about it and still live life the way I used to in the States. I still do household chores as before, save for cleaning the bathroom and washing the dishes—those I hate. (smiles) But like any girl my age, I enjoy regular things like shopping when I have money or window shopping when I’m broke!"
Other tracks in "My Music, My Soul, My Time" are "Can’t Help Myself," "Sing" "Hey Boy," "Shake It," "The Sun Don’t Shine On Me" (penned by April), "Never Gonna Give You Up" (as per Cynthia Rhodes) and "Girl Like Me."
"My Music, My Soul, My Time" is sponsored in part by Skechers and Manila Bulletin.
