The latest word is that Gretchen Barretto is now a torch singer!
No less than Star Records is releasing a compact disc (CD) where Gretchen-until now known as a star, an actress, a model, a product endorser, and a fashion diva-metamorphoses into a singer.
The CD will have all of 12 songs, all of them "oldies," all of them speaking of love requited and unrequited, and all of them sung by Gretchen herself. Appropriately, the CD, entitled Unexpected, will have a February 14 launch.
The 12 songs in the CD include: "Fly Me to The Moon," written by Bart Howard and popularized by Frank Sinatra; "A House Is Not a Home," originally recorded by Dionne Warwick, and later by Barbra Streisand, who included it in her medley "One Less Bell to Answer"; "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know," lyrics by Donna Hathaway.
"Moon River," made famous by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's; "Love Affair," a song from the Cary Grant movie "An Affair to Remember"; "Please Don't Ask Me" by John Farnham.
"I Will," written by Paul McCartney while in India, and sung by the Beatles; "More," a 1950s song made famous by the Italian-American crooner Perry Como; "Unexpected," a lesser-known song from the play Song and Dance.
"All the Things You Are," composed in the 1930s by Jerome Kern, written by Oscar Hammerstein; "Love Me For What I Am," a still popular Carpenters song with a refrain that goes: "You've got to love me for what I am/ For simply being me/ Don't love me for what you intend or hoped that I would be/ And if you're only using me to feed your fantasy/ You're really not in love/ So let me go/ I must be free."
And for her only Tagalog song, Gretchen sings "Ikaw Lamang," a touching song professing deep love, popularized by Zsa Zsa Padilla.
According to insiders, Gretchen produced Unexpected herself. Her hand is certainly all over the packaging itself. For her shoot, she has the excellent Australian photographer Darren Tieste, whose work she became acquainted with when he shot her for a YES! magazine cover in early 2007. For her makeup, she has the talented Patrick Rosas, her stylist and long-time friend.
This is, of course, to be expected. Gretchen is known to be "OC," or obsessive-compulsive, about anything she spends her energies on.
GRETCHEN'S COVER TEXT. In fact, insiders say, Gretchen herself wrote the text that would go on the CD cover.
The whole text, according to an insider, reads:
"Today, I know the deepest level that I am. I am an incredible Woman!
"I am bratty, sensitive, touchy, pouty, moody, fearless, reckless, careless, rageful, feisty, controlling, demanding, blunt, rough, outrageous, bitchy, daring, obsessive, tactless, vain, extravagant, flirty, a tease, extremely lustful, ridiculous, a mistress, and a wondrous woman to myself most of the time.
"But I am also loving, caring, affectionate, thoughtful, hardworking, organized, neat, hilarious, playful, fabulous, genuine, unforgettable, fascinating, captivating, fashionable, alluring, stunning, a friend, a listener, a model, a goddess, a celebrity, a singer, an actress, an aunt, a sister, a mother, a girlfriend, a role-playing wife, a baby.
"The greatest learning of my life is that it is fine by me to be despised for who I truly am than to be adored for who I really am not.
"I have learned to love myself and love others and need to be loved in return.
"Love reigns!
"Love is the very reason I am living my life to the fullest, for loving overcomes the most fearful, unexplainable and unexpected."
GRETCHEN ON THE PHONE. PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) was intrigued by this new development in the life of the star that show business has come to call La Greta.
Bettina Aspillaga of Backroom Inc., the talent management company owned by Boy Abunda and which manages Gretchen, confirmed that the CD is done: "All the songs have been recorded. All that needs to be done is the packaging, the cover layout, things like that. In fact, it will have a soft launch on February 10 on [ABS-CBN'S Sunday noontime show] ASAP ‘08."
Asked why the CD is entitled Unexpected, the unflappable Bettina says matter-of-factly: "Because it's unexpected of her to sing."
Bettina explains: "People don't know it, but si Gretchen has been taking voice lessons for many years. Nearly every day, in her house, a pianist comes. Kanta siya nang kanta. Kung minsan mag-isa, kung minsan with friends." She adds with a laugh, "Iyon ang karaoke niya."
At 8:37 last night, PEP had Gretchen on the phone. We told her that she seems to have a new career going here. Sounding in high spirits, she replied: "O, di ba? Baka akala niyo I'm not doing anything! O, ayan, may album ako."
Giggling, she added: "Kailangan maging platinum ito, ha! Kaya di ako mamimigay. Kelangan bumili ka ng maraming kopya at gawin mong regalo! At pag naging successful ito, e di gawa ako ng second album! May career na ako!"
She said she thought of doing the album "back in September, October" last year and recorded it through the months of "November, December." Sounding playful, she continued: "Di raw puwede mag-pelikula, di puwede mag-TV, naku ano na lang... naisip ko, baka puwede mag-recording! Ok naman daw. I'm 37! It's high time I do something I love! At para naman di nasayang ang taon, masabi namang di ako puro iskandalo lang. May ginawa naman ako last year!" Then she laughed out loud.
Gretchen, who has always called a spade a spade, added: "I'm not a singer. I'm not kidding myself. It's just fun. It's a feel-good thing. The CD is about love, and it's just right for Valentine."
We told her the songs all seemed emotion-filled and came from another time. "I'm an old soul. I like old songs. When I sing these songs, I have to be in a certain state. I have to be in love. I want people to fall in love. Who knows, maybe you'll fall in love when you listen to my songs. This is the state of my emotions right now."
"Fly Me to the Moon" for instance, she said, "is from the [1991] movie Once Around starring Richard Dreyfuss. It's about an old guy who fell for a young girl... Then ‘I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know,' well, sometimes you cannot put into words what you feel. Many things in your life happen that you cannot say in words. But there's music. You let the music speak for you."
Meantime, "Please Don't Ask Me" has lyrics that go, in part: "Please don't ask me what am I thinking/ It's about you/ Please don't ask me I never can see you/ What can I do?/ My first impulse is to run to your side/ My heart's not free and so I must hide..."
We asked her why that song in particular, and she replied: "Please don't ask me. Baka ma-carried away ako e kung ano ang masagot-sagot ko na naman!"
Obviously referring to all the talk saying she and partner Tonyboy Cojuangco are currently headed for splitsville, she said: "Right now, as you can see, I'm quite wholesome. Quiet lang ako. Pakanta-kanta lang ng old songs. I'm not controversial. Kulang pa ang mga nagsasalita riyan." Then she followed up with peals of laughter.
She said Tony and their daughter Dominique have heard the album. A number of other friends have also already heard the songs. One of them told PEP: "She's no Regine Velasquez. But she can be a torch singer. Her songs suit her."
Where Gretchen is concerned, we wager that once again she's just having the time of her life. We happened to ask if she had put on weight since we last saw her. She said she was even thinner now and couldn't seem to gain weight. Then she added, "I have to start to eat. I need to add three pounds. I can't look like a model! I have to look like a singer!"