Niece of Gretchen and Claudine, daughter of Marjorie and sister of Julia, Claudia Barretto is the latest scion of that famed showbiz family to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.
But unlike Gretchen, Claudine, Marjorie and Julia who are all known primarily as actresses, the 17-year-old Claudia wants to be known mainly as a singer. During the recent press conference to officially launch her debut single, “Stay”, Claudia admitted that even though she was drawn to music at an early age, there was “no conscious effort” on her part to pursue singing.
“I was really shy when I was growing up and it took a while before I became comfortable with the idea of letting my voice be heard,” Claudia told InterAksyon and other media.
Citing Taylor Swift, Kehlani and KZ Tandingan as influences, Claudia right now is both comfortable with the pop and R&B genres. A high school senior who hopes to take up business management in college, Claudia hopes to continue her studies even as her star is now beginning to rise.
Less than a month after the music video for her bouncy mid-tempo hit was uploaded by her label, Universal Records, it has already garnered over 300,000 views while the song itself reached the Top 10 of Spotify Philippines’ Viral 50 Chart on its first week of release.
Claudia has also impressed fans and music industry stalwarts with a soulful voice that shows a lot of promise and potential and that’s with only one song. A full length album should showcase her range and prove that she’s not just another pretty face.
Although Claudia is hell-bent on making a name for herself in the field of music and has not shown any interest in acting just yet, she wants to expand her artistry beyond singing other people’s songs.
“I play a little of the ukulele and the piano, but right now my voice is my instrument. I do intend to write my own songs, though and I want to collaborate with other artists like Yeng Constantino and Iñigo Pascual. I want to work with people that I can be very comfortable with,” she declared.
While she admits that she is very close to the son of actor Piolo Pascual and feels “super light being around him,” Claudia earlier told talk show host Boy Abunda that she has a non-showbiz boyfriend who was later identified in media reports as Basti Lorenzo.
When asked by the King of Talk what’s it like to fall in love at a very young age, Claudia replied, “No matter what age, falling in love is the same which is fun. We’re just like any other couple. We go out. We go on dates. We hang out at each other’s houses. It’s super normal.”
As Claudia Barretto marches to the beat of her own drum and charts her own career path, the only thing that she’s keeping in mind is to simply enjoy the rewards and prepare herself for the challenges ahead.
“I just want to have fun with what I’m doing,” she concluded.
Claudia Barretto’s single, “Stay,” is available now as a digital download on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon and Spinnr. Watch the music video here: