Unlike some of her contemporaries who have long wilted and crinkled over time, Ivy Violan continues to blossom and climb to the top. And to top it off, she has time and again set her roots in foreign soil, always leaving behind the indelible stamp of musical genius that is unmistakeably Filipino.
Sure she’s had a headstart. As early as the late 80s, Ivy was a sought-after lounge, concert performer and recording artist. But unknown to most of us, she also made headlines in foreign shores via her series of awards, including the Grand Prize in the 4th International Midnight Sun Song Festival in Lahti, Finland in 1991, for the song Easy to Love You and Chilly Winds. Two years earlier, she was the Best Performer and Grand Prize Winner in the 1st ABU Golden Kite World Song Festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Because of her stature in the local music industry, Ivy has earned the respect of her peers and over the years, has established a network of tried-and-tested musical giants.
This year, Ivy reaps the rewards of those fruitful relationships in her latest album from Viva Records entitled Ivy at the Movies.
If you happen to hear any of your favorite movie theme songs given a jazzy spin by some of our awfully-familiar voices in the local music scene, chances are, that‘s Ivy getting by – with a little help from her friends.
Who else could have been so fortunate as to be given the privilege of working with such stellar talents? On the immortal Love Story theme Where Do I Begin?, Ivy soars through South Border keyboardist Jay Durias’" thematic, R&B-infused arrangement.
The Gershwin classic Someone To Watch Over Me takes on a new life when top pop/jazz/fusion super group Side A sprinkles its magic dust and gives ample room for Ivy to weave her own enchanting spells.
Rannie Raymudo, perhaps one of the country’s underrated percussionists, reasserts his rhythmic prowess No More Lonely Nights. The architects of radio-friendly pop, Jeremiah, swap vocal chores in I Could Fall In Love.
Not to be outdone, Asia’s fabled songbird, Regine Velasquez, renders a lilting performance in I Believe I Can Fly.
True to her nature, Ivy credits the album‘s flawless sound to the able stewardship of producer/guitarist Mon Espia, vocal producer Zebedee Zuñiga, and her good friend Wyngard Tracy.
"The idea for the album was hatched last year," Ivy explains. "When we were throwing around ideas, Viva suggested that we can’t go wrong with the classics. We started recording in June and wrapped everything up by December."
The fun part about working on the album was her initial stab at the making of a music video. "Imagine, just for one song, we had to shoot for three long days in Davao!," she exclaims. "It was a very taxing experience."
If you happen to see the clip, don’t be surprised to see Ivy, clad in a two-piece bathing suit and a gown, liding gracefully underwater, with the camera zooming and panning through Davao‘s majestic underwater world. "The video is already being aired on MTV," she beams proudly. "Thanks to our cinematographer, Marissa Florendo, and Unitel’s in-house director Martin Arnaldo as our overall director, I was able to muster enough courage to go through all that. It‘s not an easy feat, ha."
But then again, for someone with her experience, what other challenges lie ahead for her to hurdle? She‘s had her fill of the platitudinous citations normally hurdled at singers of her stature.
Who knows, may be now is a good time for this Ivy to fully blossom – in a romantic context, that is.