Singing her way to the top

For someone who never planned to become a professional singer, Julia Duncan is living her dream — in a big way. The 26-year-old Filipino-American born in Manila and raised in the US recently came out with her debut album, The Love Lounge, which gives birth to a new musical trend, Latin chill.

“It was an unplanned career move,” says Julia about the release of her solo album under SonyBMG Music. “I had a modeling assignment in Manila and was visiting my sister when I met a talent manager who convinced me to try singing as an option. One thing led to another and before I knew it, I got a deal as a recording artist.”

Prior to her big break in the local music scene, Julia was the face of several leading brands in pages of fashion magazines and commercials back in Hawaii, where she grew up. She also strutted the runways in Hawaii, where she earned her keep as a fashion model since she was 16. Her face and her figure became more recognizable than her name until she returned to the Philippines, where she was led to another passion.

It is not really surprising that Julia will shift her focus to singing. After all, music is in her genes. She started flexing her vocal pipes when she was only eight —  thanks to the influence of her dad, the late Fil-Am  Theodore Duncan, a folk singer who was a regular performer at The Hobbit House in Manila. She even performed with her father’s band and joined a company choir.

Though growing up as a shy, quiet and soft-spoken person, Julia had always made music a part of her life. However, she never imagined pursuing a professional singing career.

“Singing now is totally different than when I was only eight years old,” Julia offers. “Today, singing to me is like a vehicle to express my moods and my feelings. It’s like my kind of meditation. It also helps me relate to other people.”

Her taste in music is diverse. She grew up listening to different types of music from the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and even the current hits. Her musical influences also include Sade, Jane Monheit, Laura Fygi, Lisa Ono, Shakira, The Carpenters, Astrud Gilberto and even local artists Verni Varga, Lani Misalucha and Jacqui Magno. No wonder, Julia’s album is a fusion of different music genres — bossa nova, samba and even Filipino, French, Portuguese and Spanish tunes.

“I had the concept of fusing the singing styles of Shakira and Sade and compiled songs that represented them,” Julia grants. “My kind of music is a marriage between sexy Latin and the sensual, soothing sound of chill out rhythm. It’s a kind of music that will provide an ambiance of calmness, yet provocative. It’s music that relaxes you and entices you to dance. This kind of music embodies my whole being.”

The release of The Love Lounge made Julia “extremely delighted, flattered, thankful and surprised.” Overall, she describes the album as “soothing, happy, sweet, sexy and inspiring.” She creates a new vibe in the 13 cuts, featuring 12 cover versions, including Swing Out Sister’s hit dance ditty, Breakout. Her songwriting skill has likewise been put to good use with Love Is…

“Love Is... is a song that was inspired by my feelings for the person I have come to love,” says Julia of the track she penned. “Initially, SonyBMG asked me to submit a list of songs that I would like to record. Likewise, they also came up with their own list. Together, we listed about 60 songs then trimmed it down to 12. I felt that I should write a song and I’m so grateful SonyBMG allowed me to record my own song for the album.”

To prepare for her debut recording, Julia further honed her vocal skills with Entertainment Arts Center in Makati and vocal coach Annie Quintos. She worked with the country’s top producers and arrangers like John Ong, Ricci Chan, Brian Cua and Ferdie Marquez. The album took six months to complete.

“Recording the album was such a joy for all of us,” Julia offers. “We were very excited and had a great time working with such professional and talented arrangers and producers.”

The public had a peak into Julia’s kind of performance, singing style and Latin chill music at the recent launch of The Love Lounge at Fully Booked, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. Julia maintains that after years of modeling — she even won first runner-up in the 2003 Mossimo Bikini Summit — she’s confident and ready for live performing.

“I know I’m ready,” maintains Julia. “I’m prepared for this. Whenever I jam, they are like bits of experiences and I put them together. Whenever I perform, I make use of these experiences. That’s how I build up the motivation and the confidence whenever I sing in front of an audience. I want to share my talent and at the same time, have fun. If you are having fun, people can also see that.”

Her philosophy in life is applied in everything that she does. “I focus on my goals and remain happy with whatever I do,” Julia says. “If I fail, it’s okay because I learn something from the experience and that will allow me to do better next time.”

Other tracks in The Love Lounge are One Hello (a Randy Crawford original), Claire Marlow’s Till They Take My Heart Away, Happy Ever After (originally by Julia Fordham), Everything But The Girl’s Cross My Heart, Kevyn Lettau’s Sunlight, Des’ree’s Life, Sailing by Christopher Cross, Anita Baker’s Sweet Love, The Love Dance and Here’s To Love.