When Jenn Cuneta moved to the United States as a young girl, she never dreamed she would one day return to her native Philippines as a rising pop-music star with a song climbing the upper echelons of America’s music charts.
After immigrating to Los Angeles, Cuneta’s father happily drove his then-9-year-old daughter and her friends to and from auditions. The elder Cuneta thought only of his little girl trying out for Kids of America and other television programs, as passing the time.
But when Cuneta found herself in the running to perform on Star Search, her father’s opinion shifted dramatically. He packed his daughter’s belongings and sent her to the East Coast to live with her mother and family.
”When it all really started happening, my father wasn’t a really big supporter of the music business,” Cuneta jokes. “The rest, as they say, is history.”
Indeed it is.
Today, nearly two decades later, not only is her father becoming a fan, so too is Sir Paul McCartney. In her first U.S. hit single “Come Rain, Come Shine,” producers Andy & The Lamboy received the go-ahead from McCartney to use a sample of his “Silly Love Song” for the track, on which he shares writing credits.
“I never thought someone of that status all the way over there would be looking at the bottom over here,” Cuneta says with a self-deprecating laugh.
“It was a real ‘wow’ factor for my father,” she adds.
It was Cuneta’s grandmother in New York, a former opera singer, who encouraged Cuneta early on. She told the youngster her voice was a “gift to touch people.”
Cuneta experienced early musical success within New York’s tight-knit Filipino community. She has been performing with local bands, playing fiestas and fairs for years. During that time, Cuneta earned a reputation that still frustrates her.
“They always introduced me as the ‘Celine Dion of the Filipino Community,’” she relates. Though Cuneta admits having a similar range and being able to vocally imitate the singer — as well as other stars such as Madonna — she soon grew tired of the comparison. Asks the singer, “Why is name-dropping so important when artists are trying to create their own identity and careers?”
It was at the prompting of her Filipino fans that Cuneta embarked on her first recording experience. The result was Dreaming of Love, a full-length CD Cuneta released in her native Philippines.
Describing the album’s sound as “Britney Spears meets Jennifer Lopez,” Cuneta says the content was “pop, pop, pop — dance-pop.” Noting the Philippines is a country most supportive of “sentimental songs, love songs,” success came as a surprise.
“Chip on My Shoulder” became a break-out hit single. Cuneta’s record label even called her in to shoot a video and go on tour. Both were “experiences,” Cuneta says.
For the video, Cuneta was given 10 back-up dancers, full choreography, but only 24 hours to perfect it! She says it took 16 consecutive hours with the choreographer. The hard work paid off, though, as it earned Cuneta a “Best New Artist” nomination on MTV Asia.
“It really worked out well. It was touching,” she says, pleased. “I’m so glad [the Philippine fans] were so receptive to it, since they’re not very quick to adapt to new music from local artists. There they still consider me ‘local’ because I am Filipina.”
Now Cuneta is promoting her sound in her American home at various radio dance stations. With various remixes of the single forthcoming to tap into a wide range of markets — from rock to country in addition to the dance-radio success she has already tasted — Cuneta hopes to increase her visibility and is working toward a her first full-length English-language album.
For more information, visit www.JennCuneta.com.