Ice, may bagong partner, tumawag na sa vocal coach!

Malawak ang magiging repertoire ni Ice Seguerra sa two-night Ice Sings! show na kabibilangan ng acoustic covers ng OPM classics, mga sikat na movie soundtrack, international ballad at live production ng kinalakihan niyang Broadway at Disney hits.

At makakasama niya bilang bagong musical partner ang Fil-Am musical director na si Troy Laureta, na nakatrabaho na ang ilang foreign acts tulad nina Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber at Nicole Scherzinger. “So Ice Sings is a very different. It’s a very conceptual show. Hindi siya ‘yung typical na, you know, you see me in concerts, you see me sa gigs. ‘Cause ito talaga we’re staying true to the theme,” umpisang kuwento ni Ice nang makausap namin after the presscon para sa Ice Sings.

“So Ice Sings kasi, it’s a very intimate concert na parang it should feel like nasa bahay tayo, nasa living room and lahat tayo magkakasama’t nagkakantahan. So ganon siya kasimple, ganon siya ka-intimate, ganon siya ka-up close. And of course, for this one, I’ll be singing my favorite musical hits, also mga songs from my favorite animation movies,” dagdag niya.

Actually, first time niyang gagawin ang ganitong concert.

“Masasabi ko na this is the first time I’ll be doing such a thing. ‘Yun nga, parang this is me going out of the box, out of what… people’s expectations in terms of the songs I’ll be singing but of course the heart and the soul will always be there. So, I want them to hear this and to know this side of me as well.”

Anong challenge sa ganitong concert?

“Syempre alam naman natin, ‘pag sinabi nating musicals, medyo ‘di ba, ibang range nito, iba ‘yung istilo ng kantahan. While we will be, you know, Ice-fying some of the songs, of course, and some songs will remain true to the original also. Talagang, I think, it’s a challenge for me.”

Kailangan ba ng voice lesson dito?

“Oo, nag-message na ako kay Ate Sweet (vocal coach), sabi ko ‘Friend, kailangan ko ma-schedule sa ‘yo.’”

Kailangan mo talaga?

“Oo, eh. Kasi it’s very different from what I usually do. So syempre, ‘di ba, ang boses natin, kumbaga, parang muscle lang ‘yan. ‘Pag sanay kang laging nagbubuhat ng ganito, nasasanay siya so kayang-kaya niya. Pero ‘pag gumanito ka na tapos hindi mo siya ginagawa, bago, ‘di ba. So kailangan masanay. So I think ‘yun ‘yung matutulong ng lesson sa akin, different placement, proper breathing talaga.”

Samantala, nilinaw nila ni Liza Dino na hindi pagdadamot ang rason ng pagbira nila sa mga nag-a-upload ng buong concert production online.

Malayo raw sa ispekulasyon na ito ang dahilan ng pag-call out nila kamakailan sa ilang vloggers na nag-upload ng isang buong segment ng Sessionistas: The Playlist concert na idinaos sa The Theater at Solaire noong Agosto. “Malayo po siya… at the end of the day, it’s about the intention,” paglilinaw ni Ice.

Paliwanag naman ni Liza, hindi sa fans o ordinaryong concertgoers ang nasabing apela kundi sa content creators na malinaw namang nanonood lang para makapag-take ng videos na imo-monetize sa kanya-kanyang digital platforms.

“Pamimirata” na ang tawag doon ng dating chief ng Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).

“It wasn’t directed sa mga audiences at sa mga nanonood na nagte-take ng mga short clips, ‘di ba? ‘Yung they wanna document their experience, they wanna document the favorite song at that moment that they heard it. I know that medyo gray area siya, like ga’no kahaba ba ‘yon, what does that mean? Pero there are also those na nakita namin na very deliberate ‘yung kanilang posting. It’s not for the purpose of sharing their experience but to really monetize. And you’ll see it,” dagdag ni Liza.

Siyempre raw, bilang producers ng Fire and Ice Live, sila ang sumasalo ng bigat mag-mount ng performance.

Pahayag niya: “Siyempre mahal ang mag-produce ng concert, so we need to think of ways to be able to create more revenue streams not just from the concert alone. So ‘yun lang naman ‘yung naging concern namin.”