One of the country’s underrated singers, Katrina Velarde rose to prominence in 2012 as YouTube sensation Suklay Diva and as a member of the girl group A.K.A. Jam mentored by Gary Valenciano in the first and only season of the talent search series, “The X-Factor Philippines.”
Along with fellow singers Isabelle de Leon and Lara Maigue, Kat later headlined TV5’s musical comedy-drama series, “Trenderas” in 2014.
Known for her impressive range, Kat is a certified “biritera” who can belt out the highest notes in effortless fashion as exemplified by her riveting performances of soaring tunes like Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss A Thing” and Sia’s “Chandelier.”
So, when Warner Music Philippines co-hosted the red carpet advanced screening of “The Greatest Showman” at Uptown Mall in Bonifacio Global City last January 15, it came as no surprise that Kat (as recommended by “Trenderas” co-star Lara Maigue) was invited to sing the film’s Oscar-nominated original song, “This is Me.”
Sung in the film by acclaimed Broadway actress Keala Settle who plays the Bearded Lady, the song written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (“La La Land”) encapsulates the film’s resonant themes of inclusion and acceptance. Earlier this month, “This Is Me” also won the Golden Globe award for Best Original Song.
However, technical problems with the sound system during the advanced screening prevented Kat from performing the song. Just the same, the singer later revealed that she fell in love with both the song and film as she posted later on Facebook.
“Napakagandang kanta, napakameaningful, nakakaiyak at napakahirap. (Beautiful song, so meaningful, so tear-inducing, so hard to sing),” she wrote.
“Napaka ganda ng movie na to. Grabe!!! Kelangan nyong panoorin to! Ang gaganda ng mag kanta Uulitin ko to pramis!!!! Whoooh! (This is such a beautiful film. You need to see this. The songs are great. I will watch this again, promise).”
Despite not being able to sing “This Is Me” live, Kat decided to make a video of her performance for her own YouTube channel.
In the video which also features herself singing back-up harmonies, the 23-year-old Viva Entertainment artist from Tondo, Manila delivers a stunning, rousing rendition that was an instant hit with fans who are now requesting her to sing another song from the film, “Never Enough,” which was recorded for the film’s soundtrack by Loren Allred.
“Ang dami pong nag rerequest sakin ng NEVER ENOUGH. Finifigure out ko pano ko sya gagawin at ito naeexcite ako!!! Gagawin ko yan as soon as possible. (I have so many requests to sing, ‘Never Enough.’ I’m still trying to figure out how to sing this and I’m so excited. I will do it as soon as possible),” she quipped.
Headlined by Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum and also starring Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Zac Efron, “The Greatest Showman” is directed by Michael Gracey and is a 20th Century Fox feature film distributed by Warner Bros. in the Philippines. It opens in cinemas nationwide on January 31.
The film’s soundtrack is distributed by Warner Music Philippines and available for streaming on Spotify here.
Watch Katrina Velarde’s performance of “This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman” here:
