MARIELLE

THE NEXT BIG THING

OPM’s new muse MARIELLE shows you dreams do come true—even today

Carving a career in the music industry isn’t so much a choice as much as it is a destiny for talented upstart Marielle. In fact, it’s an ideal career choice for this 24-year-old aesthetic nurse currently based in Dubai.

A true-blue Filipina singer with plenty of potential, Marielle's home demos serendipitously found its way onto GMA Records, eventually causing a wave of dream-like scenes for this brilliant singer-songwriter. In a span of just 32 days, Marielle inked a recording deal with GMA Records that would eventually launch her into the music scene and start a personal journey to commercial and critical success.

Marielle’s love for music is rooted in a childhood spent singing along to songs of pop chanteuses Lea Salonga and Donna Cruz. Her passion continued to swell, studying classical piano pieces and writing compositions of her own. Not even Marielle’s focus on her studies could extinguish the fire burning inside.

Staying true to herself even after graduating and working as a nurse in another country, Marielle continuously honed her musical abilities and lyrical approach. “All my compositions are based on my tough experiences but I don’t focus on the negativity and instead, divert them to positive and hopeful thoughts,” she says.

Drawing inspiration from personal experience isn’t the only thing that drives Marielle to write songs that are channeled through her lush vocals and laid over wistful melodies. She is a disciple of the style pioneered by Eva Cassidy and Amy Winehouse and taking cues from contemporary Irish indie folk artist Lisa Hannigan and soul’s all-time favorite darling Adele.

Fans of heartfelt songwriting stand to be surprised by Marielle's first single, “Bubble.” It’s a delightful indie pop goodness with Marielle's delicate vocals cooing confessional lyrics like they were taken straight from her diary. Gorgeous harmonies embolden sentimental songwriting such as the chorus’ restrained beauty, ‘You’re all I need, please tell me you need me too/In this crazy world, let’s run away from lies/We will chase the wind and build our dreams.’

““Bubble” is a symbol of protection,” she muses, “Someone told me that whenever you’re performing, you have to create a certain bubble so that the crowd around you won’t affect you. It's an idea that sank in to me. I think it would be great if every family, every relationship has its own bubble to protect them from harm. It's like a fantasy, an idea that why not create this kind of world where serenity and love reigns.”

The autobiographical “Escape” is possibly one of her best numbers, offering listeners a peek inside her thoughts. Largely taking its cue from Taylor Swift’s brand of pop, “Escape” sounds like a cut from Fearless. It’s a charming, country-tinged track that says a lot about Marielle  “I wrote this two years ago. I was camping with friends and I needed that escape because I wanted to decide on my own, to think clearly about situations that might influence the tough decision that I had to make.”

That kind of introspection is most likely Marielle's better asset aside from her versatile vocals and trademark poetry. But the great thing about her is that she manages to fuse all her gifts with the dexterity of a professional to create purposeful pop music, whether to excite listeners, document her story, or express love. It’s a precious combination she does extremely well that, in time, will only pave the way for more touching and exuberant songs everyone can appreciate and relate to.

Marielle’s “Bubble” will be available through iTunes, Amazon, Spotify (.99 USD) and OPM2GO (P25) by June 18.