Filipino singer-songwriter Moira Dela Torre has a number of accolades to her name — she’s the most followed Filipino artist on Spotify, has a massive social media following, and is known as the ‘Queen of Hugot’ in the Philippines. The term relates her to her ability to draw out the emotions of listeners with her music.
During a press conference in Dubai on December 1, Dela Torre put that ability to the test. She sang a few lines from a song, and just that short moment was enough to stun the members of press there.
Apart from her beautiful voice, people might love Dela Torre for her honesty. Ahead of her performance at the 1MX Dubai 2021 concert on December 3, the 28-year-old star told Gulf News that her songwriting comes from a very raw place.
“I do write most of my songs from authentic experiences,” she said. “I think it’s really important for us writers to really come from real places. There’s something so validating when what you listen to is from a real place.”
During the press event, Dela Torre talked about suffering from clinical depression and how music and her faith has been a way to find healing.
In the past, she has also talked about having an unstable family life and struggling in the early days of her career. After finally breaking through in the industry, the singer wants to give her fans the hope that she got from other singers.
“When I was still dreaming of becoming an artist, the artists that I looked up to, the lyrics that they would write and the songs that they would write would bring me so much healing,” she said. “I knew that it was because of the stories that they tell the stories that they actually lived in. That’s kind of what I wanted to bring into my music and to bring healing, to bring validation, to bring hope.”
Dela Torre has performed in Dubai a number of times — the most recent concert being in 2018 — and is excited to return to the stage here.
“I know I speak for everybody when I say that nobody knew when the pandemic was gonna end. Even now that it’s still ongoing, we’ve all learnt to adjust somehow. I just can’t believe I’m back and I’m just so happy that I am,” she said.
Even with lockdowns and slowdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ‘Tagpuan’ singer has been keeping busy with online events.
“I’ve been performing. Work didn’t really stop in the last two years, but [there were] no audiences. So I kind of learnt how to do all the logistics. I learnt so many things during a pandemic; how to mount a production, how to perform without anyone helping us do it,” Dela Torre said.
Asked about what fans can expect from her in the future, Dela Torre said she has some fresh new music coming up next year.
“Two years ago, before the pandemic, I recorded four songs from Grammy Award winning producers that I still can’t believe I got to work with,” Dela Torre said. “The songs have just been there. And 2022 is the year that I get to share it with people. [They’re] different from the arrangements that I usually have for my songs, but the storytelling is still there, my style of writing is still there.”
Don’t miss it!
1MX Dubai 2021 will take place on December 3 at the Trade Centre Arena in Dubai World Trade Centre. Gates open at 4.30pm and the show will be staged from 5.30pm until 9pm. Tickets are available online and start from Dh99.
