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| Kim and Stephanie Dan |
One
of my memorable music moments of 2012 has been my involvement with the
Philippine Popular Music Festival (PhilPOP) as one of the adjudicators during
the earlier rounds. There were almost 70 jurors during the four rounds of
screening that eventually chose the top 14 finalists from almost 3,000 entries.
And out of the almost 70 jurors, one eventually became my constant companion
during the screening, the top 14 announcement and the finals. And that co-adjudicator
was Stephanie Dan.
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| Steph, Patricia Hizon and RAd at the PhilPOP finals |
Stephanie
and I shared the same table during the banquet after the finals. And with her
that night was her sister Kim. We caught up with what’s been happening and
Stephanie told me that she and her sister have landed a record deal and that
they would be working on an album shortly thereafter. I told them that I would
await the release of their upcoming album. And now, it finally arrived:
Stephanie and Kim, now known as the duo The Dans has come out with an album called An Acoustic Journey released by Galaxy Records and distributed
by Polyeast Records.
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| RAd and Steph at the PhilPOP screening |
Polyeast Records hosted a bloggers’ conference recently and I tried to keep my
attendance a secret from Stephanie. Alas, she had a hunch that I would be among
those present. While my planned surprise was spoiled a bit, it was still very
nice to see her and Kim once again after three months or so. During the bloggers’ conference, I did learn a lot more about them. I found
out that Kim once had a Christian album called Blessed back in 2006 under music producer Jungee Marcelo. I also learned
that she also has a background in theater and that she had to change her singing style
now that she’s part of an acoustic duo. Since she’s been out of the scene for
quite some time, she admitted that she feels the nerves prior to performing. But
once she’s out there on stage, the jitters melt away. And there was no sign of
nerves when the sister act performed a few songs from the album during
the conference. Stephanie, who also released an acoustic album Love to Love Acoustic last year,
performed like she never left the scene at all. And it’s amazing to recall that
she went through the whole recording process while still undergoing
rehabilitation after having an operation to repair her torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). I admired her
dedication as she was still wearing her leg brace when I last saw her during
the PhilPOP finals. I do like to believe that her passion for music helped her heal and recover very quickly.
The
sisters’ album An Acoustic Journey
features a mix of recent hits in a stripped down, acoustic arrangement led by
the single Love You Like a Love Song
originally done by Selena Gomez. While the album is littered with covers,
Stephanie and Kim are nonetheless very proud of the only original song in there
which is The Way I Remember You which
Stephanie co-wrote with David DiMuzio. They are optimistic that this will be
released as their second single. The sisters are also hopeful that their cover
of the Rannie Raymundo hit Why Can’t It
Be will be used as a theme song for a television series also. When asked if
they considered having more original material in their album, they were both
quick to point out that they already have some originals in store if they are given
the chance to record a second album. But for now, Stephanie and Kim are concentrating on their debut album and gearing up for mall tours which they hope would bring them to various parts of the
country.
Stephanie
and Kim may have started their singing careers individually, but the release of
their album under a new label and as am acoustic duo feels like a new start for them.
As for me, I am happy for them and wish them much success. I am also very intrigued
as to what their originals that they have in store will sound like. But that’s
a thing to look out for in the future. For now, I just have to enjoy listening
to their soothing voices as I put their album for another spin.
The
Dans An Acoustic Journey is already
available on record stores. The lead single Love
You Like a Love Song and the rest of the tracks are also available for
download online at MyMusicStore Philippines . Stephanie and Kim, also known as The Dans are being managed by the Polyeast Entertainment Group (PEG) which is a newly organized talent management outfit under the umbrella of Polyeast Records, Inc.
An Acoustic Journey
Tracks:
1. I
Won’t Give Up
2.
Never Seen Nothing Like You
3.
God Gave Me You
4.
Call Me Maybe
5.
The One that Got Away
6.
Love You Like a Love Song
7.
We Found Love
8.
What Makes You Beautiful
9.
Set Fire to the Rain
10.
Stronger
11.
Without You
12.
Why Can’t it Be
13.
The Way I Remember You
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