Ylona Garcia after PBB 737 Teen Edition
Among the housemates of the PBB 737 Teen Edition in 2015, Ylona Garcia is the most visible in the showbiz scene. This was proven when, aside from guesting on various Kapamilya shows like ASAP, she headlined a digital concert last July for ABS-CBN’s music portal OneMusic.ph coinciding with the release of her debut album My Name is Ylona Garcia under Star Music. That’s basically what’s keeping Ylona busy these days.
“It’s been my dream to record an album,” says the 14-year-old half-Pinay half-Aussie whose singing chops were showcased in PBB where Ylona was named Second Big Placer. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and it’s an amazing opportunity that was given to me.”
The album, composed of a nine-track collection of pop love and inspirational youth songs, boasts some of Ylona’s compositions such as My Name is Ylona Garcia (Prelude Intro), Don’t Say Goodbye, Win the Fight and Each Day. It also reveals the versatility of Ylona’s voice as she tackles different genres.
Completing the album’s track list — with compositions by Jamie Rivera, Marion Aunor, Nica del Rosario, Aliya Parcs and Moira dela Torre — includes Not Yo Bae, Fly Tonight, Stop the Bully, Stop Think (remake version of the 2005 Himig Handog finalist song) and Dahan Dahan Dahan Lang.
Why gamble on Ylona despite her being young and barely starting in the industry?
“Star Music believes in her talent and she has the makings of a pop superstar. Even during her
PBB stint she had already shown her talent. Ylona has a future at malayo ang kanyang mararating. And she writes her own songs at maganda yung boses niya,” says over-all album producer Roque “Rox” Santos.
In fact, before Ylona joined
PBB, she had been performing gigs in Sydney, Australia when she was just nine years old. While in the country, Ylona started out as a front act for Filipino artists like Martin Nievera, Gary Valenciano, Sarah Geronimo, Toni Gonzaga and her sister Alex.
When told about being called the Ariana Grande of the Philippines, Ylona, who counts Ariana as one of her musical influences, feels flattered but she stresses, “That’s nice to know and I’m happy about it kasi she’s really pretty but I don’t want people to take it the wrong way which is I’m concerned about because people kind of compare as well so Ariana Grande is her own person and Ylona Garcia is her own person.”
Aside from singing, Ylona finds acting interesting because “it’s not something that people would usually do. An actor has the ability to bring a certain character into life.” It was in the ABS-CBN soap On The Wings of Love where she had her acting debut.
( My Name is Ylona Garcia is available in record bars nationwide, Spotify and online music stores. For details, visit Starmusic.ph.)