Isabella out of Kuh's shadow

You can now stop calling Isabella Gonzales as Kuh Ledesma’s daughter, but not because she’s stopped being that. Rather, it’s because as a singer and concert performer, Isabella has finally come into her own.

In Isabella’s recent Valentine show Love in Bloom at the Shangri-La Makati Lobby Lounge, the 26-year-old singer channeled her mother’s influence, but more importantly, she showed the audience she was ready to be taken seriously on her own merits as she worked her way through a repertoire of classic and popular love songs. Isabella has clearly learned a trick or two from her mom and mentor Cecile Azarcon-Innocentes, and influences like Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald and Billy Holiday because while most of the songs in her repertoire were from the time before she was born, she knew the songs well and was totally at home with the freestyling and vocal interpretation that is characteristic to jazz and standards. This kind of training, she could only have learned growing up with a mother like Kuh and with all the exposure she has received from the industry.

Isabella opened the evening with a rendition of At Last by Etta James. Dressed in a stunning red gown by Oliver Tolentino, Isabella proved that aside from her mom’s vocals, she also inherited her fashion sense. But the evening was all about singing, and on that score, she didn’t disappoint. It takes a certain kind of vocal and emotional maturity to perform jazz, and Isabella has it.

One of her best moments was her rendition of Misty, a jazz standard written in the ’50s. She launched into it with a little bit of vocal impersonation by Sarah Vaughn — “for those who might not be familiar with her,” she quipped, then went on to do her own rendition of the song, accompanied by musical director Rey Cristobal on the piano and Roger Herrera on the drums. The pared-down arrangements with just two instruments actually worked because they left room enough to show off Isabella’s vocals to full advantage.

Isabella has grown into quite a performer. She radiated confidence onstage as she interacted with her audience. Her little stories about the origins of Valentine’s Day and Shangri-La were very vivid, and peppered with the signature humor of the young. Her spiels were funny without being corny. One bright spot was Isabella’s rendition of Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love (she performed the version by the late Ella Fitzgerald, one of the world’s best jazz singers, who passed away in 1996) and the number had just the right amount of spirit to get things going.

Gradually, the repertoire gave way to songs that were a bit more modern, like Natural Woman and Alicia Keys’ If I Ain’t Got You. But the song that made both Isabella and the audience fly was her version of Don’t Rain On My Parade from the Broadway musical Funny Girl. In the segment of the show, Isabella showed what she is made of as a singer, performer and actress. It left the audience breathless and asking for more.

Clearly, Isabella is a performer who is meant to go places. That night, it became obvious that Kuh has found a truly worthy heiress, musically speaking. Gifted with a stunning personality and character, it is easy to conclude that this budding entertainer has the makings of a superstar.