MC Einstein and Queen of RnB KYLA Releases "LAMBALAK" Single

MC Einstein and Queen of RnB KYLA

Looks like RnB songs are making a huge comeback as top hits list them all again in the Philippines. Recently, we had the chance to chat with MC Einstein (artist-songwriter, Ex-Batallion) and the Queen of RnB songs, KYLA at the Cornerstone Studios in Quezon City. They were both excited about this new single they did a duet of called "LAMBALAK", which MC Einstein also wrote and released today.

The actual story of this was quite interesting. They had an out of town event where Yeng Constantino, MC Einstein and a couple of Cornerstone artists were supposed to go. On the day of the flight, Yeng got sick and was rushed to the hospital. They had to have another artist to sing at the event and got KYLA. At the plane, they were seated beside each other and at first, MC Einstein was a little nervous. When all was settled, he mustered up the courage to tell Kyla that he wanted to do a collaboration with her. He's a big fan of that genre and grew up listening to Kyla's songs, so he was just pushing his luck. Little did he know Kyla knew him too because she listened to his songs, and just said "Let's go, when will we record?". 

MC Einstein was surprised at how receptive Kyla was. A few calls, going back and forth, he sent Kyla the chorus part of "LAMBALAK" where she only said "Okay so when will we record?!". He was again excited because Kyla didn't even ask for any change in the melody or lyrics, she was just happy to sing it the way MC Einstein wanted it to because Kyla said "It felt like I was listening to the RnB songs I used to sing, it felt like HOME!".

Here's the rest of our interview with them on video, please enjoy!

They will be releasing the song "LAMBALAK" today at 12am and will be doing a live stream on their platforms. Make sure you follow the individual artists pages and Cornerstone Entertainment for more updates about the single's release. We listened to it and loved how sexy it sounded, seriously, you should give it a stream today!

Congratulations MC Einstein and Kyla! Hope this hits the charts today!

BELA PADILLA Launches Own Beauty Brand BELA

Bela Padilla launches her own brand BELA (Photo by Aaron Nomo of NumuTV)

Bela Padilla has made waves being a very versatile actress, a noted writer, and a very talented director. Since last year, she's been living in the UK and have been enjoying and found refuge in the cold weather, while still being able to work in PH based projects when needed. She goes back to the Philippines when needed and this time, she's wearing a new hat other than endorsing beauty brands. She made one of her own, and called it properly, BELA.

BELA Dot Perfection and BELA Color Changing Lip Balm

 

Two products were introduced during the launch namely BELA Dot Perfection and BELA Color Changing Lip Balm. We got to ask her a few questions during the event and she says "I've been using this cheek and lip balm for a few months since I had prototypes. I really use it, and when I put my name on it I truly believe it. I have been on hiatus, but today I believe you guys can use it too. I know it works, and I leave the house with nothing but tint. The video earlier showcased different people of different ages. It is safe for everyone, and can say I'm the biggest fan of it. The first collection is just 2 things, but you can use it every day."

She adds "We are now available in three malls in Bacolod where we did a pre launch. Apply only one dot on each cheek because it is very potent (hence a tube will last you a few months). We found manufacturers in the Philippines and tested it with a lot of people. It was the best way we could see if the products work or not. This is color adaptive so it can be used for different skin types. It looks natural and will look like skin blush as an end product. We want to do this first and maybe have other artists or people to do other products under the Bela brand. It's very moisturizing, and I'm even very sensitive and I use this constantly. I get breakouts with other brands but this one had no reaction on me."

As for the brand, she mentioned "I wanna veer away from empowerment angle because I believe it's not because of looks that we become confident. I don't have a full face of makeup, but I want people to feel good even without putting much on our skin."

Here's our interview with her a few days ago, listen in!

Bela is quite happy how this all seem to turn out. From countless hours of conceptualizing a product that she loves, to using it countless times even without anything on in public, just these two. She also packaged it in her lucky color, made it for the tropical climate and want every mary, joe, rupaul or brando to use it if they feel like it. No matter what shape or form you are, you can use BELA. She found her brand, you can too.

Congratulations Bela! You deserve all the success because you're a kind soul.

More Space for MEN in Entertainment: Meet MAGIC VOYZ

With the recent popularity of PPOP, singing groups, and all, there certainly a place for more. Recently, the folks from VIVA Records and LDG Productions launched an all male sing and dance group called MAGIC VOYZ. Meet Jhon Mark Marcia, Juan Paulo Calma, Mhack Morales, Rave Obado, Jace Ramos, Ian Briones and Johan Shane. 

They're not new to acting since some of them appear in Viva's platform and indie movies. They had promise, so LDG productions and Viva Records are putting a risk with these guys. We sat at few meters from them at the Viva Cafe stage last night. From the looks of it, the audience was captivated by their magic.They've been influenced heavily by Magic Mike, hence the name of their group. The ladies love them, the singing was lovely, the dancing was insatiable.

MAGIC VOYZ then introduced themselves and performed a couple of their original songs (a Filipino song called “Wag Mo Akong Titigan”, and the other is called “Bintana”). They wanted to showcase their versatility, which is why they're doing this in front of a packed shop. A few of them did a cover of Bruno Mars' 24K Magic and the romantic song "Mahal na Mahal". Their manager Lito De Guzman successfully launched similar groups in the past, and he missed doing this a lot. I could liken their songs to a more novelty pop genre, but it's the whole package that patrons will be getting because at the end of the day, they are "entertainers".

They are pretty nice too. When we had the chance to chat with them after the show, they were very eager to talk about their music, their new group, and the excitement of performing on stage. They are also planning to perform regularly at Viva Cafe and out of town shows, so if you hear of them in your side of the woods, you should definitely go and get to know them.

With talks about them competing with other artists, the boys immediately dispelled the rumors because the only thing they want to bring on the table is a different kind of entertainment. Surely, there's going to be a niche market they could cater to because yes, there's MORE space for men in entertainment.

If you want them in your events, you can contact their management via their FB page (just search Magic Voyz on Facebook) or call Viva Artists Agency at 0917-840-35-22. Just go ahead and give them a call.

SINAG MAYNILA Features TALAHIB with Kristof Garcia and Gillian Vicencio

Watched one of the featured films in Sinag Maynila called TALAHIB, a film directed by critically acclaimed director Alvin Yapan and produced by FEAST foundation. It's English title Legend of the Tall Grass tells a lot about where most of the incidents happen since this is a slasher film. 

The elements are there, but since this is an Alvin Yapan film, the story telling felt a lot different from usual. If it were heavily commercial, it could have taken a route of violence all throughout but since it delves more into lore, detective work and their past wrongdoings, you would need to understand more of the conversations in order to decipher it. It did not depend on violence alone, it had elements of mental anguish, ghosts and indestructible beings as villains in the story. 

Alvin Yapan says "I am so nervous about what we will see this afternoon, and at the same time excited that after a long while, we will be finally seeing this with the producers and the audience, and I hope they get to like what they could see in our film. We are planning to have this be shown in other platforms, that's also our goal." 

He adds "This is the first time that the actors will be seeing the film (except playbacks). This is now complete with editing and sound, I hope those who would see this film appreciate the work we put in to hopefully spread the word about TALAHIB. We plan to put this in cinemas too on October for Halloween. This is R13, which we were gunning for. Hopefully we could get everyone to watch it, we didn't want it to be plainly a gorefest. I'd want Gillian to get a Best Actress nomination for her work here. I also gave Kristoff his time to shine in this project, and I've seen how he excellently is making drama executed too. (Spoiler) You'll see a long scene with Gillian showcasing her command on screen. This is an ensemble piece, but they have their own moments, their own spotlights that movie goers should watch out for."  

Kristoff says "Gillian and I are really okay even after the shoot. It's been a year but we still stay in touch. We go out in groups sometimes, to bond over karaoke at times. Even before this project, I've already been able to watch Gillian in films. I know how great she is as an actress. I was really excited to work with her. When I saw her, I didn't know she was going to be that warm in person. She's also very kind, very pretty."

Gillian tells us "Of course I'm so happy to hear that from our director. The chance to work with him was already an honor, getting complements is just extra. I'm excited because this is also my first time to watch it on screen. We can't expect to win awards, so we don't get hurt in the end. I got recommended by Ms. Irma Adlawan and I'd like to thank her for that. We made this last year and we can't wait to see how it pans out on screen. I'm excited about TALAHIB even more because I'm not the one who's scaring people. I'm the one who's getting scared. It was also hard to shoot on location because you'll get to experience the sharp tall grass, it's real and you will experience getting nicked by its sharp blades every now and then."

Here's our video coverage of the premiere:

Congratulations to the Filipino Excellence in the Arts, Sciences and Technologies Foundation and other producers. This film certainly has that Alvin Yapan print on it. This will be shown in Gateway Mall, Robinsons Malls, SM Cinemas, and Market Market. Just check cinema schedules if you're raring to watch it on SINAG MAYNILA.