You must be one in a million and truly a great artist, if three US mayors and the Governor of Nevada have honored you with a certificate, recognizing your impressive talent.
Such is the star that is Lani Misalucha, who has been dubbed as Asia’s Nightingale by MTV Asia. in 2004; Siren of the Strip by Show Biz Magazine in their cover; The New Diva of Las Vegas by What’s On Magazine; and Las Vegas’ Best Singer in the 2008 27th Annual Best of Las Vegas by the Las Vegas Review Journal (staff pick).
In 2002, San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown declared August 17 as Lani Misalucha Day. In Las Vegas, her talent is being celebrated every year on December 4 since Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman declared that day as Lani Misalucha Day.
In his proclamation, the mayor asked all citizens of the city to recognize her astounding five-octave vocal range, dead-on impression and incredible dancing talent. What’s more, Lani was given a Certificate of Recognition on Aug 7, 2004 by Governor Kenny C. Guinn of Nevada. In 2005, she also got a Los Angeles Citation from the Office of the Mayor James K. Hahn for being the first Asian to headline a main showroom on the Las Vegas Strip.
Impressive credentials indeed, especially for someone who has never planned to become a professional singer. Lani once admitted that she wanted to be an astronaut when she was growing up. But, she simply loves to sing and boy, can she sing!
With the voice that can sing a full five octaves—full-throated, full-chested and fully-seasoned—Lani can sing in a way that only a few others can.
Lani Bayot Misalucha was born August 3, 1969 in Manila, Philippines, to a musical family. Her father Benjamin Bayot had been an operatic tenor, her mother Esperanza Dimalanta was a coloratura soprano, sister May is a band vocalist, sister Karlyn is an actress who also plays violin and flute, while brothers Novi and Osi play guitar and piano. She was tutored in classical vocals by her parents.
“I’ve been trying to focus myself in doing something else,”Lani revealed in an article in Midweek Magazine. “It seems my feet keep on leading me to a singing path. I can actually see myself walking away from singing. But it’s the singing that keeps on chasing me. That’s how I feel, honestly.”
Lani admitted that her parents didn’t want her nor her siblings to pursue a path in the entertainment industry.
“It was like having these parents who didn’t want their children to be involved in music. I felt that both of our parents want us to have a stable career, you know they want us to have a professional career, just to keep us out of show business,” said Lani.
After Lani obtained her degree in Business Management from the Philippine Christian University, she married Noli Misalucha. They have two children, Lian and Louven.
Lani can easily shift from ballad, to pop rock and even jazz. She may even surprise you with a sudden burst of operatic aria in a seasoned soprano voice. Recording multiplex tapes of the songs of great singers, she can, with alacrity, imitate the voice and style of among others: Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, and even Barbra Streisand.
In 1996, she recorded an album with the carrier single, Somebody Warm Like Me, which became an instant hit.
Moving to Viva Records in 1999, she did the album, Tunay na Mahal with the carrier single of the same title and the hit song, You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me. Playing the lead in S.K. Productions mega-musical play, Rama at Sita, she received accolades for her singing and acting prowess.
She kick-started the year 2000 with a new album, entitled, All Heart—a collection of love songs led by its carrier single, One More Time by Dodjie Simon. The album also includes songs written by some of today’s most acclaimed contemporary composers, like Vehnee Saturno, Jimmy Borja and Trina Belamide.
In 2001, Lani became a semi-regular host in the Sunday noontime show SOP, along with other top artists, Ogie Alcasid, Regine Velasquez, Janno Gibbs and Jaya. In September 2001, she had her first major concert at the Araneta Coliseum called, Lani Misalucha, the Crossover Live Tour. It was a highly successful concert, the venue of which Lani filled to the rafter and earned her more praises from fans and critics alike.
In 2002, Lani continued to wow audiences with her breathtaking performances in her US Concert Tour and series of concerts at the Onstage in Greenbelt. She released her fourth studio album entitled Loving You in June 2004 with the singles, Tila and Malaya Ka Na. In November of that same year, she began hosting her own television show with actor and comedian Michael V., called Celebrity Turns.
Lani became the preferred choice of foreign artists who come to Manila to perform. She was the special guests of music industry icons Kenny Logins, Brian McKnight, Sergio Mendes and Stephen Bishop.
In 2004, Lani and her family relocated to the United States. She then became the first Asian to headline in a Main Showroom of the Las Vegas Strip, performing with Hawaii’s Society of Seven at the Jubilee Theatre of Bally’s.
Her stint at Bally’s ran for 15 months (from August 7, 2004 to February 5, 2006) after which she and the Society of Seven moved to the Main Showroom of the Flamingo from August 2006 to April 13, 2008.
In 2009, she enchanted audiences once again at the Shimmer Showroom inside the Ls Vegas Hilton alongside Earl Turner in their show entitled VOICES, a true vocal explosion of energy. Four months after the show started, the management decided to make VOICES her solo show.
In an exclusive interview with Asian Journal, Lani talked about the challenges in her career. “Starting a career in the entertainment industry is full of challenges. When I was new, I experienced a lot of rejections . I looked for venues to sing before when I was a choir singer but I had difficulty being branded as a stereotypical choir singer. However, after several tries, I showed my versatility in singing and it paid off. Rejection didn’t stop. My passion for singing was my only virtue to continue. In the US, I experienced the same. Breaking through the mainstream market was not very easy .You can feel the slight discrimination. One time in a very sophisticated residential lounge in Las Vegas, it was a very high-end audience. I was singing together with the legendary SOS group. Initially, they were not very hospitable with us but when it was our turn to sing, they changed their demeanor [towards] us. They suddenly became very friendly. So, it is really important to pursue your passion. Present your unique style. Prove your capabilities and they will notice you. You can always rise above people’s expectations when you present your extraordinary talent,” said Lani.
Giving her own formula for success, Lani shared. “There is really no shortcut or hard-line formula for success. In my experience, I think you just have to be really true to yourself. If you believe that you have what it takes to make it, go forward and show it to the world. In my case, I have always thanked God for the talent He has given me and I nurtured this talent and shared it to the audiences. I think my difference with other artists is that I am very versatile, I can switch from pop, to rock, to opera easily.”
Lani will soon have a new travel and lifestyle TV show featuring Las Vegas. It’s the first mainstream travel and lifestyle TV show featuring Las Vegas to be hosted by an Asian. It has completed the production of its first season consisting of 13 30-minute episodes.
Entitled It’s Vegas with Lani, the show will premiere in Las Vegas TV networks on Cable and satellite providers. It also aims to include other states in the US and some parts of the world such as the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, to name a few.
Exact dates and local TV channel assignments will be announced during the nationwide premiers event which will be held on October 1, 2011 in Las Vegas.
Commenting on the difference between Fil-Am and Pinoy audiences in the Philippines, Lani said, “The Filipino-American audience has already imbibed the American’s openness . As Americans are very demonstrative with their appreciation, in the same way, the Filipino-Americans are very vocal and demonstrative. So it’s really very engaging to perform. In the Philippines, the audience is a bit more reserved. I think since culturally we are a bit restricted, we behave the same for live performers. But I believe they have the same level of appreciation; they just have different styles in presenting their appreciation.”
Regarding her plans for the future, Lani shared with Asian Journal. “For my personal plans, my priority is always my children. I want them to finish their educational degrees.
For Louven, she is taking Fine Arts and for Liann, she is taking Video and Gaming. If I need to support them fully to finish, I will do so until the end. That is a Filipino culture that was ingrained in me and even if you have independence here in the US for young adults, I will continue to do my role as a Filipino parent—education first for all my children.”
“As for my professional plans—I want to do more albums. One in the Philippines for Sony and produce an independent album here of original songs. Probably, I can market this album to mainstream distributors. I will, of course, continue my live concerts in the US, in the Philippines, and other continents,” she added.
One of the most immediate plans of Lani is to give another great, unforgettable performance this coming October 2, 2011. Together with Grammy Award winner Jim Brickman, Lani will be performing for Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches’ (A3M’s) Annual Benefit Concert at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. The Benefit Concert is the 20th Anniversary celebration of A3M’s 20 years of saving lives—ensuring that patients find their matches and that they receive life-saving marrow/blood cell transplants to treat leukemias, aplastic anemia and other diseases.
When asked if she has any unfulfilled dreams, Lani said, “I have so much fascination with animals and how they co-habit among themselves and with people. I could have been a zoologist if I was not a singer. I also am interested in human behavior, how people think, what makes them think what they think. Probably if I am given a chance to have another career in this lifetime, I would love to be a psychologist-psychiatrist.”
Of the many songs she loves, Lani has her favorites. All My Life by America is my top favorite as this is the love theme song of my husband, Noli and I. Never My Love of the 5th Dimension with Marilyn McCoo is another favorite. I dedicate this song to my lovely kids-Louven and Liann.”
Asia’s Nightingale shared with Asian Journal her influences. “First in the list is the incomparable Barbra Streisand, the timeless Whitney Houston and reigning Aretha Franklin.They shaped my desire to be a good singer,” said Lani.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Midweek Sept 14-16, 2011 MDWK pg.2)
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