Forty years of life’s beautiful journey. The good and the bad. The sad and the happy times. The ups and downs.
These are the stuff the singer who started long before she was introduced to the society, at 16 years old in a play about Andres Bonifacio came to being.
Si Lani Misalucha.
The one with that distinct voice that has echoed across continents.
A voice that has withstood the test of time.
Aminado. Came to a point na naging sintunado na siya without her knowing it in hitting the notes na sa pandinig niya were her range? pero hindi na pala.
It was the bacterial meningitis she and husband Noli caught in October 2020. That gave her deafness in her right ear. Tinnitus, too.
“It was really a difficult time for me. Nagkaroon na ako ng depression. Mahirap i-describe ‘yung pakiramdam. I was at that point na parang ayaw ko na kumilos. Physically. Kasi konting galaw ko lang nakakahilo na talaga. The hearing was painful. Kasi very high frequency ‘yung naririnig ko. Matinis. Mataas. Kaya ang kausap ko Donald Duck ang dating sa tenga ko,” Lani shares.
But now, set to do a different concert from what she’s done and given us before, a fit Lani Misalucha met the entertainment media and shared bits about her upcoming ‘Still, Lani’ concert as she celebrates her 40th year in the industry.
It’s also her and Noli’s 40 years of being together.
Now empty nesters with their two daughters with their own families in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Lani is thankful to have found the man who complements her in many ways.
Her musical director for ‘Still, Lani’ is a Cayabyab. The son of no less, the National Artist for Music, Mr. Ryan Cayabyab, Toma. And the director is Calvin Neria who has worked with Lani in the past. Neria truly believes in the Nightingale’s artistic excellence.
“Eto ‘yung sasabihin niyo talagang iba. Sa poster pa lang, walang bongga’ng gown na isusuot. Chill lang. Kung ano lang siya. We will not see her na hihiga-higa uli sa kama. Tapos na siya sa mga ganon. Baka raw hindi na siya makabangon, ‘di ba? We’ll make sure na maririnig pa rin ang songs na inaasahan sa kanya. Pero we’ll make some twists and tweaks. As we also want to share ‘yung mga bago rin niyang songs that she recorded while in the US,” patuloy ni Direk Calvin.
We heard the new pieces. ‘Timeless, My Love’ and ‘I Rise To The Top’. Pareho’ng may LSS (last song syndrome) effect sa sinomang makakarinig nito.
Producers Atty. Nate Quijano and Cris Manaquil of Backstage Entertainment (a division of Backstage Manila), brings to life the singer and the songs that has inspired generations and elevated the Filipino musical legacy on the world stage.
Her versions of ‘Nessun Dorma’ and ‘Queen of the Night’ were the songs that were imprinted in my mind when I witnessed her major concert at the Big Dome.
Iba nga!
She became Las Vegas’ toast. She was dubbed the ‘Siren of the Strip’. Got standing ovations from foreigners in her every show. And recognized by the Las Vegas Review Journal as Best Singer in its 27th Annual Best of Las Vegas Poll-an honor she shares with no less than the Celine Dion.
The special guests who will share the stage with her on that very special night (August 21, 2025 at the Theatre at Solaire) are still under wraps and will be revealed soon.
For whatever challenges she faced and led her to where and what she is, she is ‘Still, Lani!’
