A Blogger’s Evening with Sabrina

Sabrina

Sabrina was just a young girl from a middle class family who only wanted to sing. And now, she sings her way into the hearts of listeners not just in the Philippines but also in neighboring South East Asian countries like Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. Having three albums professing her love of the acoustic (I Love Acoustic, I Love Acoustic Too and I Love Acoustic 3), she is enjoying continued success with her latest acoustic offering I Love Acoustic 4 released by MCA Music.

I’ve got the chance to meet Sabrina, dubbed as Asia’s acoustic sweetheart during the recent Blogger’s Evening with Sabrina event at Red Box: Rock, Dine, Roll at Eastwood. Things started quietly with everybody trying to get a feel of how things were going to roll. And it was Sabrina herself who made everyone feel at ease and she gamely answered questions about her humble beginnings, her music and ultimately her hopes for the future.

Sabrina recalled that she initially thought that it would be hard for her to make it into the music industry considering that she’s not a belter. Her former record label paved the way for her when she was launched as a bossa nova singer. Eventually, she got signed by MCA Music and then her music shifted towards acoustic versions of current hits starting with her I Love Acoustic album. This was when she started to make waves not only in the Philippines but also in other territories.

I was able to ask Sabrina how different is the Indonesian market (where she has her biggest commercial success) compared to the Philippines. She said that the audiences are basically the same but the biggest difference is that Indonesians really do buy the records and download the tracks through legal means. And this is basically the reason why her I Love Acoustic 4 has been recently certified platinum in Indonesia. I do think that it’s odd that it’s the Philippine market that needs to catch up in sales considering that tracks from her current album do enjoy regular airplay in local radio stations.

While the voice that I hear in her records suggests that Sabrina is a soft spoken and reserved young lady, the one that I saw and interacted with during the event was someone who is bubbly, energetic and funny instead. I wouldn’t be surprised if most girls would want her to be her best friend. And it is definitely a big plus that she could sing and play the guitar as well. Too bad that even though we wanted to do a duet since the event was held at Red Box after all, we weren’t able to do so. Now, that is a good motivation to see her again in the near future!

I’ve had the time to listen to her album since the event ended and it is a pleasant mix of current hits given the acoustic treatment. Indonesian Calvin Jeremy is a guest artist in their rendition of Just the Way You Are while our very own Richard Poon is featured in the track Lucky. I am glad that Richard Poon was given an opportunity to be heard in other countries just as Calvin Jeremy had his chance to be heard here in the Philippines. For me, the standout track in the whole album is Saranghae which is originally a part of the Perfect Match OST. This song, the only one in Filipino but is originally in Korean, perfectly encapsulates how playful, cheerful and sweet Sabrina actually is in person. I have nothing against acoustic covers but Saranghae made me wish that Sabrina would go in this direction in her future music endeavors.

Speaking of the future, Sabrina did mention that she sees herself being a housewife and a stay at home mom about five years from now. But I guess that that has to wait since MCA Music has more great things in store for her especially now that the record label is taking her under its management wing. With all her success so far and her future looking brighter, it’s no longer surprising why Sabrina loves acoustic.

A Blogger’s Evening with Sabrina was made possible by MCA Music in cooperation with Pinoy Magazine, Orange Magazine TV and Red Box: Rock, Dine, Roll.

I Love Acoustic 4

Tracks: 

1. Price Tag

2. Who Says

3. Edge of Glory

4. On the Floor

5. Moves Like Jagger

6. Last Friday Night (TGIF)

7. California King Bed

8. Hold It Against Me

9. Rolling in the Deep

10. The Lazy Song

11. Back to December

12. That Should Be Me

13. Marry Me

14. Just the Way You Are feat. Calvin Jeremy

15. Rocketeer

16. The Man Who Can’t Be Moved

17. Lucky feat. Richard Poon

Bonus:

18. Saranghae (from Perfect Match OST)