Ronnabelle Lora

EXCLUSIVE: Morissette Amon on working with fellow Bisdaks

Article (news)

Stephanie Rose Manhit

Push Team

<p>It’s really a dream come true,” said Morissette Amon on performing with the iconic band, Aegis, during the latter’s <em>Halik sa Ulan</em> concert at the New Frontier Theater. </p><p>In an exclusive interview with PUSH ABS-CBN, Morissette shared that she looked up to the group for being talented singers. She felt a kinship with them not only as a singer herself, but because of their shared Bisaya roots. </p><p>“I grew up to their music. I grew up singing their songs sa karaoke machine namin doon sa Cebu and just jamming to my heart’s content,” she recalled. “Kaya hindi ko maiwasang mag-fangirl, manood sa mga performances nila, because being a part of this show is really my honor.” </p><p>Asked what her favorite Aegis song was, Morissette’s eyes lit up. “Ang dami! As in beginning of the show, kumakanta na ako ng ‘Sinta’, ‘Halik’. My favorites, I think, would be ‘Luha’ and ‘Basang-basa sa Ulan’. I think those are songs na I can just… ilabas ko lahat.”</p><p>As an OPM singer, she also admires how Aegis manages to stay relevant and relatable, being able to sustain their career for decades now. </p><p>“Nakakahanga din na hanggang ngayon, they’re still able to do what they love. That’s very inspiring for me, kasi siyempre sobrang layo pa ng journey ko compared to what they’ve been through,” she said. </p><p>Being able to be with fellow Bisayas is important to Morissette, giving her a feel of home. She recently guested in <em>Kuan On One</em>, a talk show hosted by fellow Bisdak Melai Cantiveros.</p><p>“I actually had so much fun,” recalled Morissette. “Ang galing din ni Ate Melai in being very sensitive and being very open to what we have to share and what we have to say, so talagang enjoy lang talaga.” </p><p>The show aims to highlight Visayan talents and also uses the Bisaya language as its main medium of conversation, something that Morissette appreciated. </p><p>“Siyempre, being based na here in Manila, I don’t get to talk to a lot of Bisaya people in general. So, just being in that space with Ate Melai and just being able to talk to her na diretso in Bisaya, sobrang saya,” she shared.</p><p>Being able to speak in her mother tongue made her feel more relaxed and open as she was able to express herself more freely and naturally. </p><p>“I was actually watching it recently with my husband, sabi ko, hindi ba ako nag-overshare? Kasi parang ang dami kong nalabas kay Ate Melai kasi parang nagchichikahan lang talaga kami, as if there were no cameras. It felt like we were just really catching up on life, on marriage, and everything that we’re doing right now,” she said. </p><p>“I really did enjoy it and I’m just so happy to be part of the many artists ngayon dito sa Luzon na Bisaya who are pushing for Visayan people, putting the spotlight on VisMin as well, and just sharing na ang dami din talagang gifted and magagaling sa south of Luzon,” she added.</p><p>Morissette has always been vocal in championing VisMin talents, and actively takes part in projects that put the spotlight on them.</p><p>“I would say we are in a very exciting time in the music industry. Because of the internet, we are able to feel closer to other people, more than ever,” she observed. </p><p>She noted the availability of multiple platforms that serve as avenues for music now help in giving space for everyone. </p><p>“When I was 14, which was the time that I moved to Manila, if ganito din kadami ‘yung opportunities na nasa Cebu, I would probably still be in Cebu. But because during that time, most of the opportunities were in Manila, my family and I decided to move here to Manila,” she shared. “Pero ngayon, kahit saang part ka ng mundo, you can just share your music on the internet, connect with people online.”</p><p>Her own music is a reflection of this advocacy. It was in late December 2024 that Morissette released hersingle “Ihilak Lang Na”, a song written in Bisaya. </p><p>“This is actually written by Cebu-based composer, si Sir Jun Gitamondoc and Therese Villarante, who is also the wife of Davey Langit who we have also been seeing here in Manila and in the industry,” she shared. “Ang ganda. And I didn’t even know that when they were writing it, they had me pala in mind. They had my voice in mind when they were penning the song. So ang ganda na we were able to work together and make their vision for the song come true.”</p><div><br/></div><iframe class="instagram-media" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DEGq2XQTZzA/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A563075.899999857%2C%22ls%22%3A562798.5%2C%22le%22%3A562808.399999857%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="0" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px;min-width:326px;padding:0px;position:absolute"></iframe><blockquote class=" instagram-media-registered" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DEGq2XQTZzA/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" id="instagram-media-payload-0" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DEGq2XQTZzA/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"><br/></div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"><br/></div><div style="padding-top:8px"><div style="color:#3897f0;line-height:18px">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding:12.5% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;margin-bottom:14px;align-items:center"><div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"><br/></div></div></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"><br/></div></div></a><div style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DEGq2XQTZzA/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by Morissette (@itsmorissette)</a></div></div></blockquote><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>“Ihilak Lang Na” was forwarded to Underdog Music, Morissette’s music label. </p><p>“With the right team and material and management, magic just happens,” she said. “I am just proud to be one of the many Bisaya artists based in Cebu to be pushing for that. I want to encourage more Bisaya artists to really put their music out there.”</p><p>Morissette is also grateful for the public’s warm welcome of “Ihilak Lang Na”, which she has performed on various platforms, including the <em>ASAP </em>stage.</p><p>“Honestly, recently ko lang din talaga na-realize and na-appreciate ‘yung VisPop,” she admitted. “I’m just happy also with the reception of my fans and mga Kapamilya, not just to my performance but to the song as well. It’s my honor to be the voice of VisPop.”</p><p>Check out Morissette’s single “Ihilak Lang Na” here:</p><div><iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jC5uJwns4zE" title="Morissette - Ihilak Lang Na [official music video]" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>Morissette Amon shares her experience working with fellow Bisayas, such as being part of Aegis’s ‘Halik sa Ulan’ concert and Melai Cantiveros’s ‘Kuan On One’.</p>

Morissette Amon shares her experience working with fellow Bisayas, such as being part of Aegis’s ‘Halik sa Ulan’ concert and Melai Cantiveros’s ‘Kuan On One’.