She is tall – 5’ 7” – with exotic dark olive skin, hair freely hanging beyond her shoulders. She is a Portuguese mestiza with a Filipina mother. She was born in Toronto, Canada, but she learned fast to speak Tagalog though she had only visited the Philippines twice only. She signed a recording contract with Viva Records, and she launched last Feb. 18 her first album simply entitled “Martha Joy.” The album features 15 songs: “The Right Moment,” “Only My Heart,” “Dumating Ka,” “Broken,” “Holding On To A Dream” also featuring Jimmy Marquez, “I Love the Sunshine,” “That’s How It Has To Be,” “All of A Sudden,” “Pagkat Mahal Din Kita,” “This Special Night,” “Just Exactly As We Planned,” “Maybe,” “Nothing More To Say,” “Do You Think Of Me,” and “Laging Ikaw.”

Does Martha Joy have all the necessary backings for her first album?

Definitely. Because Martha is not new as a singer. She has been singing since she was nine! She has years of proper training in voice since she learned to speak.

Music aficionados say that “her wonderful musical sense, intonation and range have been explored in songs that have a classical feel, yet a pop resonance. Like a young Barbra Streisand, she is able to hit high operatic notes without them sounding operatic. Although she enjoys singing traditional R&B/pop music, her heart is truly drawn to the clarity of singing classical material with soaring melodies.”

Her first solo concert was held November 2007 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts where she sang 22 powerhouse songs.

While in her childhood, she won six First Place awards in a Kiwanis music festival. Among her more significant performances were at the United Nations Global Peace Initiative in Geneva, Switzerland, the Mike Bullard Show on CTV, and she also sang the Canadian National Anthem for games of the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre.

When she was 11, she won the Best Contemporary Pop singer and Best Child Broadway Performer during the September 2003 Best Talent Awards held at the Century Plaza hotel in Los Angeles. She easily won the twin awards among more than a hundred contestants.

How did she learn how to speak Tagalog? “I watched a number of Filipino movies,” she said. She hardly has any Canadian accent when she sings Tagalog songs. She sang for the press when she launched her album.

She met Pilita Corrales in Toronto when the “Asia’s Queen of Songs” performed in that city. It was also Pilita who prodded Martha to visit the Philippines. When Martha visited the country early last year, Pilita introduced her to Boss Vic of Viva Records who immediately signed her to an exclusive recording contract.

Martha said that she plays the piano which she learned while she was still nine. “I also tried to play the guitar but after two years, I abandoned it. I really could not put my fingers at the right places.”

Martha is enjoying her stay in the Philippines. If things turn for the better for her singing career here, she might stay for good – like what other balikbayan artists have done.

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Encore, Jed Madela!

Due to his superb performance in Dagupan City on Valentine’s Day, a group of northeners from Baguio City, San Fernando City, Alaminos City and Urdaneta City is thinking of booking new singing superstar Jed Madela, 2005 World Champion of the Performing Arts (WCOPA), to do an encore on April 30, “bisperas” of the world-famous Pistay Dayat, the city’s famous summer event, in Dagupan.

Jigs Seen, a top officer of the Metro Dagupan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and former Dagupan Jaycees president says, Jed Madela’s Valentine’s Night performance at the Jimmy Fernandez Stadia in Dagupan last Feb. 14, was a success and has remained the talk of the town.

Madela, says Jigs “was given a long standing ovation by an appreciative audience that included the city’s cream of the crop, teenagers and “lovers from all walks of life.”

The Madela concert titled “Let Me Love You,” was the world champion singer’s first appearance in Dagupan, but due to non-stop inquiries about his singing engagements, several “encores” are being planned. The concert was sponsored by Ms. Josephine Fernandez-Seen, wife of Jigs and sister of CSI Group manager and Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez.

“Jed Madela sings like Josh Groban and in due time will give Martin Nievera a run for his money,” Lyceum Northwestern University executive Ramon Gutierrez said.

It will be recalled that Jed Madela single-handedly won all major industry awards – 6 gold medals in all 6 categories in the WCOPA competition in Hollywood in 2006. That is why he was given the title “Grand Champion Performer of the World.”

In 2006, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the World Champions for the many awards won by a single country and for being the 1st Asian to win in this Talent Olympics.

At one time, he was given the longest standing ovation at the Hollywood Palladium when the audience sharply rose to their feet for an 8-minute standing ovation, as he sang “The Impossible Dream.” Every year he was asked to open and close the World Talent Olympics.

He is today a mainstay of ABS-CBN’s Sunday noontime show “ASAP ’09” and enjoys sell-out concerts here and around the world. Encore, Jed Madela!

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Saigoners help in colleague’s fund-raiser

Irene Alano-Rhodes of the musicals “Miss Saigon,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and “The King and I” in London is very grateful to the performers called upon to appear in the show “imagine” to help raise funds for the medical expenses of her father Jun Alano who has stage-4 cancer. The concert at the Teatrino was made possible through the efforts of Dong Alegre, best known as West End producer Cameron Mackintosh’s representative in the Philippines.

The show that ran for three days had many performers from “Miss Saigon” along with others known in the musical theater world. They are Isay Alvarez (Gigi) and Robert Seña (Thuy) from Miss Saigon London; Melissa Reyes and Miriam Valmores who played Kim in various shows of Miss Saigon; Jinky Llamanzares (Gigi) of Miss Saigon, and (Acid Queen) of Tommy both in Toronto.

From the ensemble are Roden Araneta, Nathalie Everett, Nikki Guevarra, Jake Macapagal, Raul Mitra, Raul Montessa, Jun Ofracio, Stefanie Reese, Lissa Romero who at one time or another performed in Miss Saigon from London to Stuttgart to Manila; Menchu Lauchengco Yulo (Ellen) in Miss Saigon Manila; the Streetboys who were acrobats of Miss Saigon Manila, London and Asian Tour.

From other musicals came Shiela Francisco (“Bloody Mary”) of South Pacific in London; Sheila Valderama (“Nala”) in Hong Kong Disneyland; Raki Vega (“Ti Moune”) in Once on this Island Manila; and Dulce and Bituin Escalante who just wanted to share their magnificent voices; Denise Laurel, niece of Cocoy Laurel who was Engineer in Miss Saigon; Cheryline Alano, younger sister of Irene Alano; and pianists Inday Echevarria, ManMan Ansico and Raul Mitra who accompanied the singers.
Irene is overwhelmed by the generosity of all these artists, many of whom she had not even personally met.

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Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings today, March 3, go to Michael Agassi, Ms. Linda E. Panlilio, Atty. Lulu T. Castañeda, Bambi Mendoza, Connie Papas, Benita Galang vda. de Gallardo, Nena del Rosario, Macrina Moreno, Marmalea N. Guinto, Zenaida Luna, Marina Escano, Luz Cruz, Edith D. Caligacion of Toronto, Canada, and Baby Gil of Viva Entertainment…