True to his name, Orlando Sol shines bright like the sun with the chance to strut his stuff anew as balladeer

Second winds have always been rare in showbiz but more so today with audience attention reduced to less than a few seconds, almost just enough to say “hello, goodbye.”

Then again, there are the lucky few who find themselves on the receiving end of unexpected good fortune, suddenly reinvigorating careers many people have already dismissed.

Take Orlando Sol. Once known as one of the more be-muscled members of the now defunct beefcake group, Masculados, the young man almost disappeared into oblivion along with the novelty of the group.

Ah, but esteemed director Maryo J. de los Reyes is not one to easily let go of a talent. He discovered Orlando after all and he just knew his ward still has a lot to offer.

“Sabi ko sa kanya ‘magtiyaga ka lang, i-polish pa natin ang talent mo,’” Maryo related in an interview. “Mabuti naman at nakinig siya sa payo ko at hindi bumitaw.”

Orlando branched out into acting, taking on mostly bit roles until Maryo himself cast him as lead on his acclaimed “Bamboo Flowers.”

But Orlando can’t shake off singing and performing from his system. He would find himself eventually scoring a minor hit in “Ingatan Mo Ang Salitang Mahal Kita.”

Now fully re-groomed as wholesome balladeer, Orlando is out with “Emosyon” his first album under Star Music, which contains five hugot-filled tracks including the aforementioned “Ingatan Mo Ang Salitang Mahal Kita,” the carrier single “Kailan Darating Ang Ayoko Na,” “Lilipad Ako ’Nay,” “Kaibigan” and “I’ll Always Be There.”

Obviously, Orlando is happy with his newfound success.

“Actually para akong lumulutang sa ulap,” he said. “Hindi ako makapaniwala na meron na akong solo album at sa Star Music pa.”

He acknowledged Maryo for his continued support, relating, “Kung hindi sa kanya wala ako ngayon dito.”

“Sobrang saya ko lang na pagkatapos ng lahat ng paghihirap eto na ako ngayon,” he added. “Sana tuloy-tuloy na ito.”

According to Maryo, his effort to help Orlando is part of his advocacy to inject new blood into local show business.

“Kung tayo lang nang tayo paano mag-e-evolve ang business? Kailangan umikot ang bola,” he said. “I believe it is my duty to cultivate new talent to help the industry, para tuloy ang ikot nito.”

To drum up the album, Maryo, through the help of Star Music, came up with an online drama series “Kailan Darating Ang Ayoko Na,” which is titled after Orlando’s carrier single.

Maryo explained, “Inisip kasi namin, maganda ang lyrics ng mga kanta, kahit title pa lang pwede ng pamagat sa pelikula so, we came up with this novel idea, the ‘video-serye’ with Orlando himself playing a huge part in it.”

The five part video-serye, which Maryo himself directed will stream on Star Music’s YouTube channel.

Joining Orlando in the cast is former “Pinoy Big Brother” housemate Catherine Rem, Ruby Cayetano and another former Masculados member Blumark Roces.

Star Music released the official music video of “Kailan Darating Ang Ayoko Na” on YouTube and on music channel MYX last week, serving as a preview of the upcoming series.

“Emosyon” is now available online at Spotify, iTunes, and Apple Music, and will soon be available in record stores. (With report from Jojo P. Panaligan)