Sitti Navarro brings bossa nova to a wider market

Sitti Navarro often disagrees with those who label her as the Queen of Bossa Nova here in our shores.

For the 22-year-old charmer, being given a specific title can be more of a burden than a reason for celebration. Not that she has any diva attitude, rather, her uneasiness stems from her own unassuming nature.

But that's the price Sitti has to pay for singlehandedly giving a perceived highbrow music genre a gentle face brimming with grace yet not lacking with mass appeal.

And perhaps that's the one thing she is genuinely proud of.

"I'm happy that I was able to at least bring bossa nova to a wider market and siguro in a way help break that common perception that the music is for the elite lang," she said during the launching of her new album, My Bossa Nova, under Warner Music Philippines, in Fully Booked, Bonifacio High Street, last September 28.

With a new record out, she's out to challenge both herself and the audience as well. For a natural music lover, the dare for Sitti is how she would be able to lend her own touch on tracks that are so good, not to mention familiar, she wouldn't even want to touch them.

In My Bossa Nova, Sitti successfully "bossa-fied" well-loved songs such as U2's "With or Without You," Madonna's "Take A Bow," Peter Frampton's "Baby I Love Your Way," Chicago's "If You Leave Me Now," The Spice Girls "2 Become One," Sade's "Smooth Operator," Everything But The Girl's "Cross My Heart," Basia's "Time and Tide" and Burt Bacharach's "The Look of Love."

Sitti also made her own interpretation of local gems such as the Rivermaya classic, "Hinahanap-Hanap Kita," "Ikaw Lamang," the infectious "Tayo'y Mag Samba" and Sitti's own composition named after her favorite brand of cookie, "A Song For Penny Brown."

The lovely singer said that she's fond of all 18 songs included in the album though she initially wondered how she would be able to give justice to the songs.

"Honestly, on some tracks I was wondering nung una on how we'll be able to give them a bossa nova treatment, like "With or Without You" and "2 Become One." But as we progressed and worked through the songs I was really surprised and happy na kaya naman pala," she smiled before heaving a sigh of relief.

Indeed, all the songs in the finished album formed a cohesive body of work splashed with various moods that will surely stir genuine emotions from the listener.