Classical crossover singer Gabri Panlilio happily announced the recent release of her latest single on Spotify.
Dubbed ‘Our Time,’ the romantic ditty marks Gabri’s sixth collaborative songwriting effort with Ben&Ben’s keyboardist, Patricia “Pat” Lasaten.
The song takes inspiration from the heartwarming love story of Gabri’s brother Xavi, his wife Dani Barretto and their lovely one-year-old daughter Millie.
Quick to dispel any personal allusions to the tune, Gabri teases, “Yes, I’m in love… with music and life!”
As an independent artist, the fair-skinned 21-year-old, who looks like a K-pop actress, prides herself in mapping out her singing career on her own. “No producer, no record label. I’m very much hands on with everything, and I’m enjoying all the hard work and freedom that goes with it,” Gabri beams proudly.
Taking five weeks from concept to finished product, ‘Our Time’ took around two to three rewrites, with Gabri penning most of the melody and Pat working her magic with the tune’s intricate arrangement.
Unlike her previous songs that reflect her strong classical technique, ‘Our Time’ finds Gabri treading more on pop territory, with a tamer vibrato and a wider range that makes her effortlessly reach her higher notes.
Acknowledging her fellow composer and sound engineer Boggie Manipon’s professionalism, Gabri also adds, “I am just so thankful that I’ve had the right vocal training from the start and I can do pop with my classical pop crossover sound. Since Pinoys are so used to the birit manner of singing, I just hope that this sound I’m introducing will be acceptable to the Pinoy ear.”
Last year, Gabri’s earlier collab hits made the numbers on Spotify, with ‘Panaginip Lang’ reaching 44,775 hits and ‘Let Me’ as her next highest at 18,810. She also did her own version of the K-pop superband BTS’ hit ‘Boy With Luv,’ arranged by her good friend Harmon Arceo.
Despite the encouraging stats, she hopes that more listeners will open their ears to classical music and its derivative genres.
She points outs, “I’m happy with the numbers. I’m thankful and humbled, but I just hope that more Pinoy listeners will appreciate my style.”
