Biography
by Linda Seida
It didn't take long for Filipino singer Lani Misalucha to shed the title of Multiplex Queen and trade it in for the appellation "Asia's Nightingale". During the early years, the vocalist with the exotic looks put in time doing covers of songs made famous by such divas as Celine Dion, Toni Braxton, Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey. By the mid-'90s, critics of popular music in Misalucha's native country were calling her a diva in her own right. She took home an award as Best Singer from the Asia Song Festival in 1998. The following year saw her star shine brighter yet when she took home top honors in the Aliw Awards category of Best Lounge Act. The Awit Awards also took notice. For the single "Can't Stop Loving You," the awards competition gave Misalucha her second consecutive prize for Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist. Also in 1999, she received a Best Stage Actress nomination from the Awit Awards for her starring role as Sita in the theater production Rama and Sita, a three-hour musical. In addition to winning over the critics, Misalucha also won the hearts of a wide and steadily growing fan base, including Manila's President Joseph Estrada, who invited the vocalist to perform during his daughter's wedding and reception.