It's true that when most singers start out, they are either the bad or better impersonation of the singers they admire. But eventually, they evolve into their own voice.
Like most young music artists, it took a while for Moira dela Torre to figure out who she was as a singer. She used to imitate artists whom she grew up listening to.
"At one point, growing up I sounded like Brooke Fraser, Kari Jobe, and even Taylor Swift because they were who I was listening to all the time. Now with young singers that we have, I really hope that just because they sounded like me, you no longer give them a chance. I hope they are given the opportunity because one day they'll also find their own voice just like myself,” Moira told Manila Standard reacting to young and amateur singers trying to copy her style.
"I always tell people that while it's flattering, I also feel for them because I know how it feels to be compared or not being given the chance because you sound like somebody," she added.
Moira believes writing her own material allowed her to evolve and find her own sound. Thus, she encourages young music artist to do the same.
"I found my own voice when I started writing my own songs. That's the reason why I encourage young artist to write their own material because it hones their creativity as artists," she relates.
Meanwhile, Moira just keeps rounding up one recognition after another as she recently notched a nomination in the Best Southeast Asian Act category of the prestigious MTV EMA 2019 happening in Seville, Spain.
“I was stunned and overwhelmed because of the blessings. I thought at one point that my streak of success is coming to an end because of lost opportunities, but soon the blessings started pouring in again. This is the cherry on top—because now even Kapamilyas abroad can show their support,” she said.
Moira is nominated alongside Indonesia’s Rich Brian, Malaysia’s Yuna, Singapore’s Jasmine Sokko, Thailand’s Jannina Weigel, and Vietnam’s Suboi.
She maintains though that while being recognized by an international award-giving body is indeed a feat, there’s more to her career than raking in accolades. She stressed, “All of this is just a huge bonus, but I really, really will stand by this that my greatest award is being able to reach out to people through my music.”
The multi-awarded singer-songwriter recently took home the major honors at Awit Awards 2019 such as album of the year for “Malaya,” music video and song of the year for “Tagpuan,” and best collaboration for the song “Knots” with Nieman.
Moira’s song collaboration with Daniel Padilla—Dan Tanedo’s “Mabagal”—was also hailed as big winner in the freshly concluded Himig Handog.
The Kapamilya singer also recently released an exciting collab with Ben&Ben entitled “Paalam,” and she is set to do another collaboration, this time with Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez, for the theme song of the upcoming film “Unbreakable.”
The “Ikaw At Ako” hitmaker is also set to release a new album under ABS-CBN Music International during the first quarter of 2020. The thrilling project includes collaborations with foreign artists and producers like Us The Duo, HARV, and DJ Flict and will feature a more pop-infused sound mixed with folk elements. She is part of the rich roster of Kapamilya artists who are gradually breaking into the international music scene as ABS-CBN continues to champion Filipino talent on the global stage.
Vote as many times as you can for Moira as the Best Southeast Asian Act at the MTV EMA 2019 at www.mtvema.com/en-asia/vote/. Voting ends on November 2, 6:59pm PH time.