All eyes were on singer Lara Maigue at the opening of the second State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday, July 25, 2023, at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.
Donning a Filipiniana terno, Lara did a stirring rendition of the Philippine National Anthem, "Lupang Hinirang," created by Julian Felipe (music) and Jose Palma (lyrics).
Curious to know more about Lara? Here are some trivia about the talented singer-songwriter.
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MUSIC IS IN HER GENES
Lara was born on June 7, 1991.
Her father is Rayben Maigue, a composer, arranger, and professor.
Her mother, Nanette Moscardo, is a soprano and was Lara's early mentor in the classical genre.
COLLEGE EDUCATION
Lara majored in Voice at the College of Music of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.
She was trained by no less than Fides Cuyugan-Asensio, the revered Filipino soprano also known as an actress and director.
Fides was named National Artist in 2022 for her valuable contribution to Philippine music and the arts.
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MULTI-TALENTED ARTIST
Lara's range as a singer genre-wise is impressive. She can sing and perform in opera, jazz, standards, Kundiman, and Broadway.
She is also a songwriter, penning the song “Sa 'Yo Na Lang Ako" performed by Karylle at the Philippine Popular Music Festival, or Philpop, in 2013, where Lara was a finalist.
Some of the songs that she also wrote are "Nasaan," "Yakap Mo," "Puno't Dulo," and "Kung Puwede Lang Naman"—her first single under Star Music and released in 2018.
Plus, Lara wrote theme songs for movies and television, including "Tulog Na" for the 2019 drama series, Nang Ngumiti ang Langit.
ACTING AND HOSTING
Lara dabbles in acting and was seen in the Joel Lamangan-directed 2017 movie-turned-musical Maynila Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag, where she portrayed the character of Ligaya Paraiso.
Prior to that, Lara was among the lead stars of TV5's musical drama series Trenderas aired on TV5 in 2014.
In 2018, Lara became a segment host of Sagisag Kultura TV produced by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) aired on PTV-4.
Lara also acted on stage, playing the role of Monica in Giancarlo Menotti's opera, The Medium.
LEARNING FROM ONE OF THE BEST
Lara was chosen to participate in the master class of renowned opera singer Sumi Jo at the Hong Kong International Operatic Singing Competition in 2018.
What's more, Lara was a finalist at the Singapore Lyric Opera Asean Vocal Competition.
GOING VIRAL
Lara went viral on social media, thanks to a video on Instagram in which she is shown flexing her soprano vocal range for a cover of the classic piece "Queen of the Night" by Mozart.
The video has so far garnered more than two million "likes" from netizens.
Lara told ABS-CBN News in June of this year that the video was taken during a private event.
She said, "Someone captured it that day, and then pinost niya sa IG stories niya.
"And then I asked for the video, parang sabi ko kasi I've been singing this for seven years, since my graduation from the UP College of Music."
The young singer-songwriter also uploaded a video on Instagram of her singing "Queen of the Night" with her mom during a family dinner.
The video, needless to say, was well-received by netizens.
PERFORMING AT HOME AND OVERSEAS
Here in the Philippines, Lara has gone on stage with the Manila Symphony Orchestra, the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, and the UP Jazz Ensemble.
Abroad, she has performed in shows in Australia, Italy, India, and Singapore.
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
Lara was named the Best Female Classical Performer and Best Female Crossover Artist in 2017 and 2018, respectively, by the Aliw (Entertainment) Awards Foundation.
She also won Best Jazz Recording at the 2019 Awit Awards.
TRAVEL AND FOOD
Lara loves food and travel based on her photos on social media.
In fact, Lara blithely described herself as a "chefrano"—a play on the words "chef" and "soprano" that she didn't just drop on a whim.
Lara's official website has a section where she's inviting people to subscribe to her newsletter to access her recipes.
She wrote, "I’m not a chef, but I love to cook! I am a professional soprano who is passionate about food, music, and wine.
"I’m so happy to finally share my own recipes with all of you but I’m most excited to be suggesting the perfect wine and music to pair with it!"
MUSIC AND ROMANCE
Lara is in a relationship with singer and actor Gian Magdangal, a cousin of actress-host Jolina Magdangal.
They had known each other for quite a while, but it was only during the pandemic that they started working closely together.
Lara told The Manila Times in an interview published this month, "When I met him, it was just convenient for someone to know exactly what I do because even if he doesn't sing opera, I don't need to explain it anymore.
"He also doesn't need to explain to me what he does, which just made our partnership work."
Both were interviewed in Magandang Buhay where Gian recalled their love story that stemmed from a song collaboration.
"Nagsimula siya sabi ko, 'Lara, kanta naman tayo, duet naman tayo, bagay yung boses natin. I will take your pictures. Sulat naman tayo ng kanta.'
"I mean kahit sino talaga ang makarinig sa kanya kumanta, lalo na 'yung element niya talaga para talagang napapatunganga ka talaga.
"Tapos I told her before, friends pa talaga tayo noon, sabi ko, 'Your voice is mesmerizing.' Hindi ko siya binobola as in literally sabi ko, 'I'm mesmerized.'"
Their constant collaborations would soon lead to romance.
"Liyab" — the first song that Lara and Gian co-wrote — perfectly captures the feeling of confusion felt by two friends falling in love with each other.
Shared Lara, "We made the song 'Liyab' while we were already dating, but the public didn't know yet. It happened because we were video calling most of the time and became close."
Looking into the future, Lara saw only good thing coming out from the two of them being collaborators and working in the same industry.
She mused, "I like how much we support each other when it comes to our careers because it really helps us do better.
"Gian's success would be my success if we decide to settle down, so all this is good for us. The support we give each other just gets stronger and stronger over time."