Photo courtesy @signedbywild IG MANILA  — Following her split from James Reid’s management group Careless, actress Liza Soberano has found another team to manage her career.

On Instagram, Soberano was introduced by Singapore-based talent management group WILD as its newest talent.

“We’re so happy to welcome the talented Filipino-American actress Liza Soberano to our WILD family,” the management group wrote in the caption.

 

Aside from handling talents, the management group also serves as a “record label, media production, and marketing company representing artists and talent worldwide” according to their official website.

In 2022, Soberano signed with Careless managed by its founder Reid — her showbiz contemporary who also rose to fame as one-half of a “love team.”

READ: Liza Soberano joins James Reid’s record label Careless Music

Under Reid’s management team, Soberano made her Hollywood debut in the film “Lisa Frankenstein,” starring Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse.

Just last month, Careless formally announced that Soberano is no longer part of their management.

After leaving his former band Down by 18 as a vocalist and was signed with Viva Records and found success via the hit “Piring,” Waltz reemerged as a solo singing artist and opted to change his old moniker Jonn.

It was in 2020 that he opted to go solo. One of his songs, “Kulay Bahaghari,” was featured in the pre-pandemic romance-drama film “Hindi Tayo Pwede,” which starred Lovi Poe, Marco Gumabao, and Tony Labrusca. He even had a cameo in the said film while singing the aforementioned song.

In 2020, he also wrote the song “Tugatog” for the Tugatog Music Festival and performed at Coke Studio’s Kadayawan and Masskara Festival.

He has no musical roots in the family except his early exposure to singing during jam sessions with his uncles, where he used to sing via the videoke, and he was still three years old back then in Leyte.

Singer Waltz. Photo: Handout

His creative process

Like the American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth, who creates his brand of music with different sounds since he believes that anything has tonality, Waltz is often inspired by his moods or how he’s feeling in the moment as his creative process.

“I can usually translate my emotions into songs. About 30% of the time, melodies come to me in my sleep, and sometimes they even come with lyrics,” he said.

“Most of the time, my process begins with the melodies. However, when friends share their stories with me, I use their experiences to write lyrics. I then isolate myself in a room to explore which melodies best capture the emotions or fit the lyrics or texts I wrote based on their stories.”

Exploring more as an artist

From Ant Savvy Artist Management, he’s currently co-managed by Universal Music Group and EMI Records Label.

In May this year, he released his song “Paano,” and two more songs, “Marahuyo (To be Enchanted)” and “Cindy” followed suit.

Since he’s Waray, he was asked what particular words in Waray, he would write for his future songs.

He was quick to respond, “If I were to write a song, I’d want to include words like ‘paghigugma’ (love) and ‘paglaum’ (hope).

“These words carry deep emotions, especially to me. ‘Paghigugma’ speaks to the heart of any song about relationships or love. While ‘paglaum’ represents hope, a powerful emotion to explore in music, especially when dealing with struggles or aspirations.

“‘Love’ para sa craft ko at ‘hope’ that one day marinig ng marami ang mga kanta ko.”

Who is Waltz as an artist?

“Honestly, it’s a challenge because I don’t stick to a specific genre. When I’m sad, I create mellow songs, pouring all my emotions into them. When I’m happy, upbeat melodies come naturally to me. When I’m relaxed, I tend to create chill, vibe-filled songs. Some even commissioned me to write festival anthems or songs in different genres. But ultimately, my brand has one common thread — everything I create is relatable and speaks to the heart.

“Whatever you’re going through, I’ll have a song for that. That’s why ‘Waltz Music’ is like a love letter to yourself.

“As an artist, I believe that while certain songs can naturally match a singer’s vocal style or emotional range, there should be no limitations on their ability to explore and experiment. As a singer-songwriter, true artistry comes from pushing boundaries and discovering new dimensions of one’s talent and music style. The freedom to experiment, lalo na sa bagong tunog — it allows the artist to grow, evolve, and express themselves fully without being confined to a specific genre or style.”

Despite being in his 20s, Waltz has this to share with aspiring and beginning artists like him: “Para sa akin, paniwalaan mo lang ang sarili mo at gawin mo ang kaya mo hanggang maabot mo ang pangarap mo. Sa mundo ngayon na puno ng filter at pekeng kwento, maging totoo ka lang sa sarili mo at sa mga pangarap mo.

“At the end of the day, ipakita mo kung sino ka talaga, dahil darating din ang araw na makikita ng lahat ang tunay mong kakayahan.”