A snapshot of Marie Digby

Curtain-raisers:

• Could it be true that the MTRCB will issue a preventive suspension order against UP to prevent the premiere of Kinatay tomorrow night? What!?! Is this a case of us Filipinos being deprived of a chance to see the movie that won for our very own Dante Mendoza the Best Director award at the recent Cannes Filmfest? “We are showing Kinatay as scheduled, no matter what happens,” said Dante. Oops! Is a “war” brewing? 

• Could it be true that Manny Pacquiao has just bought a P180-M house located at Palm Avenue in Dasmariñas Village, Makati City, for his mother, Mommy Dionisia? No wonder Mommy Dionisia is dancing with glee.

• From reader Alberto Manalon Madrilejos, Bacoor, Cavite: Following Freddie Aguilar’s logic, to be nationalistic one should sing in Filipino (Tagalog) here or abroad. Applying the same logic in writing, one should likewise write in Filipino to be considered nationalistic. That being so, Dr. Jose Rizal was not nationalistic because his Noli and Fili were written in Spanish.

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And it came to pass that 20 minutes after she learned Umbrella, Rihanna’s hit single, Marie Digby sat before her MacBook at home, filmed herself performing the song and uploaded it on the web. In a jiffy, Marie’s performance scored over 500,000 views on YouTube, earning her a national TV appearance on the TV show Last Call with Carson Daly and a slot on the season premiere of The Hills.

“One impatient girl” is how Marie (pronounced Mar-ee-AY), 26, is described by those close to her. As a toddler, she started taking piano and guitar lessons and, inspired by her favorite artists (Martin Sexton, Beth Orton and Poe among them), started writing songs. She didn’t stop there.

The daughter of a Japanese mother and an Irish-American father, Marie entered a national songwriting contest sponsored by Pantene. Her winning piece, Miss Invisible, won the top prize. It wouldn’t be long before she signed up with Hollywood Records in 2002. It was five years later, in May 2007, that she did Umbrella which became such a huge hit on YouTube that her home company made Marie record that song along with the cover of Linkin Park’s What I’ve Done and two of Marie’s original songs (Stupid For You and Unfold which is the title track of her debut CD). Her second album, Breathing Underwater, was recently released locally by MCA Music.

This Saturday, Aug. 1, Fearless Productions, in cooperation with MCA Music, Music Management Inc. 89.9, GMA 7 and MTV Philippines, is presenting Marie Digby Live in Manila at the NBC Tent at The Fort, Taguig City. Marie arrived this morning from L.A. where she is based.

Here are excerpts from an e-mail interview Funfare did with Marie over the weekend:

How and when did you decide to cover Umbrella?

“I was driving in my car two summers ago when the song Umbrella came on the radio. I loved the song immediately, went home and recorded my cover about 20 minutes later. I spent 15 minutes arranging my acoustic version of it and then recorded the video. I did it so quickly that I mispronounced, not ‘um-buh-rella’ as Rihanna pronounced it.”

Have you actually met Rihanna? If you did, what was her comment on your cover version?

“I have never met Rihanna and have never heard from her as to whether or not she likes the cover. But I sincerely hope that she likes it.”

Tell us about your new album Breathing Underwater (released in the Philippines last week).

“Breathing Underwater is a snapshot of my life recently. I’ve gone through quite the emotional rollercoaster...getting off worldwide touring for Unfold, starting new relationships, and having a generally different perspective on life. I think those changes were captured in the songs that make up the album.”

Do you remember the first song that you performed live?

“It was called Cold Coffee and I sang it to my high school classmates when I was 18.”

Who are some of your musical influences?

“I love Portishead, Smashing Pumpkins, Imogen Heap, Chopin and Jimi Hendrix.”

Is there any one else in your family that sings?

“My sisters are incredibly talented singers but they wouldn’t dare sing in front of people! I have a feeling if they did, they’d be a lot better than me.”

What have been the changes in your life since you became a performer?

“My life is a lot more chaotic in the best way. I feel so grateful that I do what I love everyday of my life and have made it a career.

I get stopped by my fans here and there when I’m out and I’m always appreciative to hear how my music has affected their life.”

What have you heard about the Philippines?

“I’ve heard that the Filipinos are incredibly welcoming and warm. Also that they are huge music fans. If both of those things are true, I think I am sure to have an amazing trip.”

What can we expect from your concert in Manila on Aug. 1?

“I will be playing a mix of old songs and new songs. I tried to find the perfect mix of favorites from Unfold as well as the most important tracks from Breathing Underwater.”

Mutya pageant goes to Aurora

This year’s Mutya ng Pilipinas search’s pre-pageant and grand finals (on Aug. 9) will be held in Aurora Province with its scenic spots as backdrop. The theme is Aurora: The Beauty Adventure in the Pacific.

Aside from being a rich source of showbiz potentials, the Mutya has also become a fertile breeding ground for international beauty queens. Kirby Ann Basken, 2006 Mutya ng Pilipinas-Asia Pacific International, is a good example. Born to a Norwegian father and a Filipino mother, Kirby represented the Filipino community in Scandinavia in the Mutya 2006 search, winning the title and three special awards: Best in Long Gown, Calayan Best Skin and Miss Philippine International Hairdressers Association (PIHA). She competed in that year’s Miss Intercontinental Beauty Pageant in the Bahamas and emerged one of the Top 12.

Then, she represented Norway in the 2007 Miss Universe contest in Mexico City, competing with two other candidates of Filipino lineage, Bb. Pilipinas-Universe Anna Theresa Licaros and Miss Germany Angelina Glass. 

The growing roster of delegates from Filipino communities around the world further enhances the tourism initiative of Aurora Gov. Bella Angara-Castillo. Four of those representing Overseas Filipino communities in this year’s search are Rene McHugh, Mutya-East Coast USA; Samantha East, Mutya-Eastern Canada; Nadine Grace Halvorsen, Mutya-Norway; and Rashel Piazza, Mutya-North California.

According to Funfare’s “beauty expert” Felix Manuel (currently working as a nurse in New York), he is part of the team that groomed Rene (full name: Rene Rosario Aquino McHugh) who is a recent graduate from Woodbridge High School. The 5’7”/34-24-34 stunner is into track-and-field and was the captain of her school’s cheering squad. She was last year’s runner-up in the Miss Teen Philippines-USA contest, one of USA’s Top Five Prettiest 2008, Most Promising Model 2008 and is the reigning Miss Philippines-USA Tourism.

(Felix said that Rene would like to thank the following for making her dream a reality: Engineer Danilo Pagsambugan, Manny Agbanlog of Filipino Times and Global Pinoy magazine, photographer Dominique James and Garden State Travel & Tours president Vid Figuerras.)

Incidentally, one of the judges in this year’s search is Malgorzata Rozniecka who was Miss Model of the World 2000 (crowned in Istanbul) and Miss International 2001 (in Tokyo).

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