Pinoy Idol champ launches CD on S.O.P.

MANILA, Philippines – The Pinoy Idol grand champion Gretchen Espina will launch her debut album, Shining Through on GMA 7‘s S.O.P. today.

Released under Sony Music Entertainment, Shining Through contains 11 tracks written by Ogie Alcasid, Arnenio Mendaros, Totop Suzara, Hannah Romawac and Cecile Azarcon-Inocentes.

The album’s promotional single is Kasalanan Nga Ba?

Other tracks in the album that shows Gretchen‘s pop/R&B mettle are remakes of OPM hit songs One More Try (originally by Kuh Ledesma), So Slow (Freestyle), Suntok Sa Buwan (Session Road), and original songs Pangako Sa‘Yo, Di Man Sabihin and To You (Gretchen’s coronation song on Pinoy Idol).

Four songs in Shining Through were penned by international songwriters. These are the title track by Nina Ossoff and Tanya Leah; I Promise by Ossoff, Steve Skinner and Jimmy Santis; I Know You By Heart by Stephanie Salzman and Matt Senatore; and Never In My Life by Ossoff, Kathy Sommer and Porter Carroll Jr.

Rounding up the album track list are Pangako Sa’Yo by Mendaros and Di Man Sabihin by Jude Gitamondoc.

During the Pinoy Idol competition, Gretchen was never among the finalists with the lowest number of votes. Upon winning, she magnanimously gave a part of her cash prize to the contest’s runners-up.

Gretchen is a member of The University of the Philippines Singing Ambassadors. She was with the singing group when it won first prize in the Inter-Collegiate Singing Contest held in Shantou University, Guangdong, China.