Finally found fame
Just when Moira dela Torre was about to give up, she discovered courage. With pen and her trusty guitar, the Himig Handog 2017 interpreter is now conquering the world
Just when Moira dela Torre was about to give up, she discovered courage. With pen and her trusty guitar, the Himig Handog 2017 interpreter is now conquering the world
Moira dela Torre has come a long way. Though her name is only starting to go pedestrian, she has been trying to make her mark in the music industry for almost 10 years now.
She was the voice behind the local rendition of a fast food chain’s commercial jingle; and was among the semi-finalists in the first season of “The Voice.”
The singer only recently took the internet by storm with her original composition “Malaya,” a track from the movie “Camp Sawi.” She is set to move higher with her interpretation of Himig Handog 2017 entry, “Titibo-tibo.”
In an exclusive interview with Bulletin Entertainment, Moira expressed excitement now that her hard work is finally starting to pay off.
“I feel very hopeful. Sobrang tagal ko itong inantay. Ang tagal kong nag-work eh, honestly I came to a point na sabi ko ‘I’m okay na if my career didn’t fly (high) talaga,’” she admitted.
At this point, Moira shared she’s still not use to being a celebrity.
“Nahihiya pa po ako eh. Until now, hindi pa din nagsi-sink in sa akin na kilala na pala ako ng mga tao.”
Moira is also the voice behind “Sundo,” the official soundtrack of “The Good Son.”
“I’m so overwhelmed lang na naririnig ko ’yung voice ko ngayon pagbukas ng TV. Kasi ’di ba, halos lahat naman tayo mahilig talaga sa teleserye. So I’m really happy na boses ko ’yung nagiging recall ng mga tao kapag nanunuod sila,” was how she put it.
On her future plans, Moira said she aims to prove she is more than the sad songs she creates.
The singer hopes to work with the likes of KZ Tandingan and Gary Valenciano.
Always an artist
Born into a family of musicians, Moira quickly learned the intricacies of songwriting and arrangement.
In fact, at age 12, she was able to write her first song, “After Your Heart.”
“We have a family choir kasi so at an early age, I know na kaya kong mag-keep ng tune,” she shared. “So I started writing a poem, and it was also the time where my stepdad taught my first four chords on guitar. So ayun nag-tuloy-tuloy lang.”
After two years, Moira became a fullfledged musician when she was signed by Cornerstone Entertainment.
Moira is thankful to social media as it serves as a stepping stone for aspiring artists like her.
“Sobrang laki po talaga ng naitulong ng social media,” said Moira, who has million subscribers on YouTube.
Moira admitted she received hate comments on social media for singing “Titibo-Tibo.”
“The song kasi is about a boyish type of girl. So there was this girl na comment sa akin na ‘Worship leader ka pa naman, tapos pino-promote mo ang LGBT,’” she shared. “I messaged her privately. I (myself) was not offended but I was offended for the LGBT community. Kasi I believe na hindi porke may sarili kang paniniwala, doesn’t mean you have to hate them.”
What the songs mean…
Moira’s songs are mostly sad and what many deem as “hugot songs.”
Asked about her songwriting process, she said that being an “empathetic person,” she tends to channel the emotions and circumstances of her family and friends. Her songs are not usually about matters of the heart, she noted. “Malaya,” for one, was about her end-of-the-year resolution. “A lot of people think it’s about heartbreak but it’s a note to self na parang I was looking back at the entire year that I had in 2015 when I went through a major breakup,” she explained. “But then I realized na ang dami kong heartbreak na hindi lang romantic na parang ang dami kong inaasahan na hindi nangyari.” “So I came to a point na I was like ‘Okay I’m no longer gonna hold on things that I can’t control anymore. I’m not gonna bring myself down kapag hindi na ako sasaya sa isang bagay. So I resolved sa sarili ko na I’m gonna be content with whatever God gives me. Maybe if I set myself free, I’ll be happy,” Moira added. Some might think Moira has a broken heart given that her way of singing gives so much feels to people. But, no, she is in fact happily in love for eight months now with boyfriend Jason Marvin. If anything, the pride in herself is what Moira wishes to impart to the fans: That no matter how sad the listener may be, he or she may find solace in her songs and that they can move on with hope in their hearts. “I want to keep writing about real emotions not to please anybody but just to let people feel na they’re not alone,” she said.
Embracing flaws
Before Moira became the beautiful, confident person she is now, she was a bit on the heavy side as a teenager.
When most girls her age then would deal with transitioning to adulthood, Moira was battling with anorexia.
“Four to six months akong anorexic kasi I was bullied,” she said. “But after that parang kailangan ko na ng outlet, so I decided na kumain na ulit. At nu’ng kapag kailangan kong maglabas ng sama ng loob, sa pagsusulat ko na siya inilabas.”
The singer opened up about her biggest insecurity: She has psoriasis.
“I first saw it (psoriasis) coming up nu’ng 18 ako, hindi na siya nag-resurface. There’s no cure yet for it. Trial and error siya eh,” she explained.
She admitted she’s been hiding it for many years until one circumstance allowed her to finally embrace her flaws.
“Nahihiya talaga ako. I will always wear ’yung mga damit na tago lahat (ng skin ko). But there’s this one time na I was dressing up for a gig, and wala na akong damit na (maisuot). Tapos nakita ko ’yung dress then I looked at my skin, meron na siyang spots. Naiyak na lang ako,” she recalled.
Eventually, Moira realized she has had enough of feeling ashamed of her body. She wrote a lengthy post on Facebook about her condition, aiming to inspire other people.
“Sabi ko sa sarili ko, ‘What am I doing? How I’m gonna inspire people to, you know, be themselves if I myself am hiding? How I’m gonna enjoy my life if I always try to cover things up kasi even in relationship, kapag tago, masakit talaga.”
She hopes sharing her start with others will encourage them to do the same.
“I want to celebrate kasi I’m free from all the pain. I learned that at the end of the day, I just need to be content with what I have. No matter how well it is, I just need to be satisfied after all, ito ’yung pinagkaloob sa akin ni God.”
I resolved sa sarili ko na I’m gonna be content with whatever God gives me. Maybe if I set myself free, I’ll be happy.