IT’S some kind of bittersweet sight, your college classmate’s niece, now making waves in the local music industry. It makes you feel you’ve got to forget you’re as old as she is actually is.
There had been a similar instance before this. I was really taken aback to learn that the singer known as Christian Bautista was my college schoolmate’s son. And now, another rising young singer is my classmate’s niece.
Lara Maigue who appears as the sweet trendera on TV5 is about to trend on her own. She is the niece of Cecilia Maigue Cabrera, my classmate at then UP Institute of Mass Communication, and her brother Tony, a professor at the UP College of Music. She is daughter of Rayben, also a musician. With that pedigree, can A Team, the new music management established by singer-songwriter-conmedian, also an alumnus of the UP College of Mass Communication, with well-meaning and funded friends go wrong?
It seemed inevitable that Lara Marie Moscardon Maigue would find her life in the field of music. “My mom used to tell me that she would teach voice to her students while she was pregnant with me.” Mother is soprano Nanette Moscardon while her father is Rayben Maigue, the musical director of the UP Jazz Ensemble.
As kids, Lara and her siblings were required to take up piano lessons. Being exposed to classical and jazz music, it was easy for her to decide to eventually take up voice lessons under her mom. Lara is a voice major at the UP College of Music
As early as 12 years old, she knew she wanted to become a singer. By 16, she became part of the classical-pop group called Operabelles. “As one in a group for six years, it has taught me so much. It was the best practice and preparation for me as an artist.”
But aside form singing, she found satisfaction in songwriting as well. She then decided to give this talent a try. “When I wrote the song ‘Sa’yo Na Lang Ako,’ it was the time when I decided I also wanted to be a composer. This song, interpreted by Karylle, landed in the Top 5 of the 2013 Philippine Popular Music Festival (Philpop), and could be considered the breakthrough hit of that year’s roster of finalists. The song would eventually be tapped as the theme song of the TV5 soap For Love Or Money with Derek Ramsey.
TV5 took notice of her talent and beauty, and cast her as one of the lead stars in the musical-drama Trenderas.
Her original composition “Without You” will soon be available for download. “All of my previous compositions are in Tagalog, but my managers at A Team challenged me to do one in English. OK naman lumabas,” Lara says. In fact the song is Ogie Alcasid’s favorite so far.
“I can’t imagine anyone else managing me but this wonderful team strongly supports songwriters and true OPM. And who else can understand balancing acting, singing and songwriting but the team of Ogie Alcasid,” says Lara when asked why she signed with the team.
Her career as solo artist is just beginning as she admits, “I see myself writing more music not just for myself but for other people. And of course, I want to record as much as songs as I can.”
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