Two months after her successful directorial debut for “My Amanda,” award-winning actress Alessandra de Rossi officially launched her own record label on Friday.
This, after making an under-the-radar announcement about AWOOO Records early this month.
AWOOO, which means “a world of our own,” is a sublabel of Lilystars Records, whose head honcho Clem Castro serves as partner and de facto adviser.
Hya and Alfa
Two talented artists joined De Rossi’s label, the Filipino-German San Carlos City chanteuse Hya, and the South California-based singer-songwriter Alfa.
The former was a talent-show champ who has previously made the rounds—”Rising Stars Philippines,” “Just Duet,” “The Will to Win”—before landing a spot on “Bangon Talentadong Pinoy,” where De Rossi was a judge who found herself fangirling instantly.
“She sounded like an angel, and my world just stopped. I knew in my heart that this girl, given a chance, could be someone new singers can look up to,” De Rossi said of Hya (or Lee’Anna Weber Layumas), whose impressive range and knack for soothing melodies the actress also singled out.
Her lilting debut single “Raindrops,” arranged and co-produced with Nick Lazaro for La Balls Studio, was also released Friday.
On the other hand, Alfa, whom Eric Gnezda of PBS’ Songs at the Center calls “everything you want in a singer-songwriter,” is a schooled multi-instrumentalist who gravitated towards songcraft very early on.
Alfa eventually released three albums, an EP, and snagging herself top honors in the world category of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in 2020.
De Rossi described the two women’s talent as “pure, peculiar, and distinct.”
She also explained why she signed the two artists..
“As long as you make me feel something, or if you make me feel like I’m not alone—when your music can be my best friend—it really becomes AWOOO,” she said.
The indie darling previously adopted the functional moniker ADR, reissuing her 2012 debut “Adrift” via Lilystars Records, even penning songs for her films.
As she delves into the music industry more with her new record label, De Rossi is optimistic that the local music can also get the same attention as other forms such as cinema are getting.
“I think [Filipinos] really stand a chance in changing how the world looks and sounds,” De Rossi said.
“All we need is to offer something pure, peculiar, and distinct. I think we can make it, too!” she added. —Rosette Adel
