Singapore – Who: Singing sisters Regine Kristine Villongco, 17, aka Krissy, and her sister Ericka Renee Villongco, 18, who hail from the Philippines. Krissy first put up videos of herself singing on YouTube in 2007 when she was 13 years old and Ericka joined her in filming videos together later. Two years later, they were spotted by MCA Music in the Philippines, under the major, American-based record company, Universal Music Group. Krissy, a high-school student, and Ericka, a first-year university student, were recently in Singapore to tour with another YouTube star, Filipino-American AJ Rafael, and to promote their sophomore album Twelve: Fifty One. Twelve: Fifty One features original songs such as the title track and covers which include English chart-topper Adele's Rolling In The Deep. The sisters live in Manila with their parents, housewife Judith and businessman Nino Villongco, both 40. When did you two start your musical journey? Krissy: I started voice lessons when I was four years old, but my mum said I used to hum myself to sleep when I was a baby. My sister started learning the classical guitar when she was 10 and I took up the flute. Then I started doing covers and would sing to background music. She taught me how to play the guitar. Ericka: I joined her for fun on YouTube, it wasn't something we planned and when more people liked our YouTube videos, we decided to make more together. How does it feel to have released your self-titled debut album Krissy & Ericka (2009) and now your second album at such a young age? Krissy: It's definitely a blessing for us. We're really thankful that it happened because not a lot of people can get the chance to have two albums, sign with a major label and go on tour. It's really fun. The two of you started out on YouTube at an even younger age. How do you deal with all the criticism? Krissy: At first it was really hard, I remember going to school one time and when I walked down the halls, I heard people mocking me. I was 13. Looking back, it made me stronger as a person and a performer as well, because there will be criticism wherever we go. Ericka: And it wasn't common to make YouTube videos then. Till today, we still get a lot of comments on our videos but I see it as a good thing. We take in the constructive ones, such as those that tell us if we sound too pitchy, but not those which are personal attacks. Why is your album titled Twelve: Fifty One? Ericka: Krissy wrote the song Twelve: Fifty One in the morning – she was just jamming and she saw the clock. Also, the chorus has a line that goes: “This is 12.51…” (sings). She wrote the song for a boy she met in high school and it's a story about her liking someone, but she's too scared to take the risk of telling him and he eventually likes someone else. And it became the album title because we liked it so much. What is it like trying to make it in the Filipino music scene? Ericka: It's a lot different from other places such as the United States, where it's more about being original. In the Philippines, they prefer covers of popular songs. Krissy: We're hoping to change that by singing more original songs. I should try writing songs in Tagalog, which we do sing a lot when we're homesick. I tried it once, it was okay but it is hard. I'm used to speaking in English, so it is difficult to rhyme in Tagalog. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/yw7J5 Tags: Erica, Krissy, Music, Philippines, Youtube Section: East Asia, Entertainment, Latest News, Women
