For the first time ever, The Philippines’ Queen of RnB Kyla, Queen of Bossa Nova Sitti, and Big Band Crooner Richard Poon got together for The Music of Love concert held at the Newport Performing Arts Theater last February 11, 2023. The concert was produced by Newport World Resorts with CS Concerts serving as line producer. James Mayo served as the concert director while Jem Florendo served as the musical director. Singers Kim Macaraig and Kit Inciong opened the show.
As the first main act of the night, Sitti gave the audience a taste of her distinct brand of Pinoy bossa music with a mix of originals (such as her mega hit song “Para Sa Akin”) and classic covers (such as “Mas Que Nada,” “Bridges,” and “Close to You”). However, the most special moment of her set would undoubtedly be the moment when a surprise video greeting of her husband and daughters was played on the LED screen. The video was played right after her performances of “Ligaya” and “Pagdating” (two songs that are dedicated to her husband and daughters respectively).
Richard Poon followed Sitti’s segment with a story-driven set based on the real and tragic story of Steven Davis (a British national) and Evelyn Bohol (a Pinay). The murder of Steven over money problems became a sensational crime story back in the early 2000s with Evelyn ultimately getting convicted for murder in 2004. As a crooner, Richard took inspiration from the story and performed songs such as “Kahit Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko,” “Mack the Knife,” and the killer hit song “My Way” to illustrate the tragedy and drive home the point that for love to work out, it must be a two-way street.
Kyla followed Richard’s theatrical offering with her take on the classics such as those of The Beatles and Queen. She also performed “Best Part,” “Hanggang Ngayon,” and the wildly popular “On The Wings of Love.”
To give the audience a truly exclusive and unique musical treat, the three got together on stage to perform their renditions of selected popular “TikTok songs” (also known as songs that became widely used and heard on TikTok.) Sitti performed “Cardboard Box,” Richard performed “Samalamig,” and Kyla performed “Sun and Moon,” all in their own musical styles. All three of them also attempted to sing and dance “See Tinh,” even inviting John Prats who was in the audience and members of the band and prod crew to dance along on stage.
The three singers closed the concert with their rendition of the popular Beatles song “All You Need Is Love,” an apt ending for The Music of Love.
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