For the sake of Danita

She’s not her mommy’s little girl, neither is she her sister’s protégé.

For Danita Paner, talent just runs in her blood and family connections only serve as an attendant bonus. Daughter of Daisy Romualdez and sister of ‘80s singing sensation and young star, Tina Paner, 16-year-old Danita Paner is about to test her mettle in show business and prove to the world that she is her own person. "I don’t want to be known as the sister of this and daughter of that… I want to be known through my music."

Don’t mistake her as another sweet, pop sensation to hit the airwaves anytime soon. Danita wants to be known not as another balladeer but as a "hot musician" with her own personal style.

Like one of her musical idols, Ashley Simpson, Danita wants to don an image of a not-so-sweet-version of her sister or other talents her age. "People would offer me pop-ballad compositions," mused Danita, "But I am not really a balladeer."

According to her, if she were given a choice, she’d rather sing alternative rock and have her own band, which, of course, is named after her. She stresses that alternative rock is more suited with the image she wants to project and most especially with her voice (which sounds a lot like Jennifer Paige).

She looks up to Mojofly, Sponge Cola, Gwen Stefani, Dishwalla, Jennifer Paige, and a host of other alternative talents as her musical influences.

In fact, Danita has an all-girl band, "Vhase," in her former school, OB Montessori. Along with Alyssa Gibbs, daughter of Bing Loyzaga and Janno Gibbs, Danita would perform alternative/pop rock music during school events.

Singing is not only one of the things that Danita can do. She also composes her own songs (yes, she can write her own lyrics!). "I couldn’t find a composer that fits my style," recalls Danita, "So I composed my own. And I don’t want people thinking that I have it all easy, that I just depend on my parents."

According to Danita, she discovered her love for the craft when she was 12 years old.

That time, she was asked to perform with her sister, Tina, "I realized I love to perform for an audience and I loved the applause."

From then on, she would be requested to perform in concerts her mom would produce. Of course, she readily complied. "I really wanted to sing."

Although, she is now embarking on a serious musical career, Danita is still your regular teen who goes to school (she’s in the honor class), goes out with friends once in a while, logs in to Friendster, and has crushes (she admits to have a crush on Sponge Cola vocalist, Yael Yuzon).

Next year, she plans to go to college and take up AB Communication and Psychology in Ateneo or University of Asia and the Pacific. Hopefully, she would be able to balance her schedule between attending class and making a name in the music scene.

Young, talented and definitely promising, Danita says she has prepared herself for everything.

Growing up with celebrities in the family, she has had her experiences of people she thought were in it for her or for her connections, "I find it difficult to hang out with some people because you don’t know which of them are for real."

Also, she has her share of people comparing her with her older sister, which she confesses adds pressure on her. To get the load off, she just holds on to the thought that people will eventually get fed up and then focus on something else, like her music.

Besides, her sister would always be there to lend advice or support if she needs it. And if things won’t go according to her dreams, she wishes to be a restaurateur, if not a concert producer.

But that’s way off her target. "I want to sing," she firmly declares. And guess what? She sings well.