Maricar edit
MARICAR: A CROSSOVER SONGSTRESS’ MUSICAL JOURNEY
Like every aspiring artist, Maricar Riesgo dreamt of being successful, of being able to have complete creative control over what she wanted to put out and be herself when it comes to singing. Blessed to be talented in several genres, including the standards, R&B, power ballads and bossa nova, she was poised to take over the world of music in a big way.
However, it wasn’t easy creating a musical career locally, which is why she decided to go to Japan, a country which is basically open to any kind of talent, regardless of what genre one specializes in. Here, she was infinitely more successful, with a considerable list of achievements to boot: 2nd placer in the Japan Karaoke Grand Prix, which is a prestigious competition aired over the TBS Network. She was also the most-awarded champion of UTAWIT, a grand singing competition for Filipino-Japanese singers in the country. She is also a member of Bless of GK, a big band based in Ginza, Tokyo. Her band performs regularly at the Kentos Ginza, a high-end club that caters to high-end clients. She has also played at the NB Club, appeared on NHK Television, Japan’s national public organization and even had a sold-out concert at JZBrat in Shibuya, a dining club frequented by Japan’s movers and shakers, as well as its biggest trendsetters in fashion and in other fields. She is living proof that Filipino talent is recognized and appreciated abroad, judging by the thriving career she has made for herself in Japan.
But like all world travelers, she eventually felt the need to come home. Under the helm of no less than one of the country’s most respected hitmaker, Vehnee Saturno, Maricar had initially released a single, Mahal Mo Na Sya, which was under Universal Records. As the single had started to gain significant airplay, Maricar left again for Japan two months after the album’s release and was unable to follow through with the fledgling success of her single. It was a decision that she has regretted ever since.
Part of being an artist means going through phases of hits and misses and she considers that one lapse of judgement a hard lesson learned. She is now ready to focus on her career here in the Philippines, willing to start over from the bottom and work her way up. While she is no slouch as far as hard work is concerned, she knows that it will take more than her fair share of patience and determination to succeed in creating a career locally. She also feels that one reason why she wasn’t able to penetrate the local music scene initially was because she went with the flow at that time, a flow she wasn’t comfortable moving with, so to speak. She put other people’s wants before her own and didn’t let her true aesthetic come through.
Now, Maricar is raring and ready to take a big leap from a flourishing career in Japan, to the Philippines where promise of opportunities await her. Yes, Maricar is the “crossover songstress” who has taken all the hard lessons learned, and gained a new perspective and a new kind of freedom. One can easily glean that from her new single entitled Lumuluha, an alternative rock love song that many people can relate to.
For someone who thinks her genre specialization is mostly pop, she rocks the alternative theme, a fact that a lot of people obviously agree with because her second album is chock full of original, alternative rock songs that were written by her friends who are aspiring composers. She loved most of the songs they presented her with, and also because she believes that new talent should be explored and given its own chance to shine. More importantly, she hopes that this second album will show who she really is as an artist and how much she’s grown in her music.
Maricar is currently promoting her 2nd single - “Tahan Na”, along with an album launch salvo on May 5, 2018, Saturday, 4: 00 PM @Walwalan Overview ( formerly SKY Bar), located at Roces Ave., cor Quezon Ave., QC The album will be digitally available on May 6, 2016, on i tunes, spotify, deezer, and other music streaming and downloading sites. Limited copies of her physical CD album available will be made available through her Facebook page for orders and shipping only.
The artist has crossed over and has truly come home.
Follow Maricar on social media:
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/maricarofficial/
Instagram: @truelymaricarriesgo
Twitter: @I_am_Maricar
Early Life edit
Maricar Riesgo is also known as "maricar". a natural born filipino, her father is domingo riesgo(from leyte) and her mother is lanie oropel(from iloilo)