Tuesday, November 06, 2012

Stephanie & Kim The Dans An Acoustic Journey Bloggers’ Conference

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.

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.

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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