Besides her blossoming career, something else is making Karylle's heart sing these days. She and boyfriend Dingdong Dantes recently opened their joint ventures, the Centerstage Family KTV and Resto Bar and the adjoining Circle Cafe in Quezon City. The young couple share ownership with the Garcia family—Bobby, his wife Maribi, and their daughter Ria, who also own the restaurants Shabu-Shabu and Mei Lin.
Seeing her friends—and even her mom, Divine Diva Zsa Zsa Padilla, who's part-owner of the Razzle Dazzle Salon in Makati—dabbling in different businesses, Karylle decided she wanted to be an entrepreneur, too.
"I was saving up money till the right business came along," Karylle says, "a business that I can be passionate about and that is somehow connected to my work. And since I am a singer, the KTV and I are a perfect match."
Centerstage has 19 KTV rooms for nonstop videoke sessions and boasts top-of-the-line equipment. "People always give great comments that their voice sounds better in our rooms," Karylle goes on. "We have a voice coach upon request, and we can make customers instant recording artists because we can record their performances on a CD. The place is beautiful, maganda ang ambiance, at mura lang ang pagkain. People always get shocked na mura lang ang bill nila."
Despite their showbiz workload, Karylle and Dingdong are deeply involved in their business. It also helps that Centerstage and Circle Cafe are located near their home network GMA-7, so they usually drop by to check on things, have dinner, or hang out with friends.