Zendee: from ‘random girl’ to ‘crying girl’
Did the record company of YouTube sensation Zendee make a bad business move by delaying the release of her debut album nearly a year after she exploded onto the scene as "random girl"?
The General Santos City native appears to have lost the momentum of her overnight fame. A lot of other viral sensations have come and gone since someone took a video of Zendee in the mall, singing karaoke and hitting all the high notes of the show-stopping tune, “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.”
But, that’s not the way Warner Music Philippines sees it.
Long-term partnership
"Di namin minadali ang album ni Zendee. We let her grow with the process because we're seeing a long-term partnership with her. We chose quality over quantity," album producer Neil Gregorio told Yahoo! Philippines OMG! during the 21-year old singer's album launch last April 30.
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Zendee's album, aptly titled "I Believe," took four months to finish and employed the services of notable international composers, including hitmaker Diane Warren who penned her current single "The Ones You Love."
A pre-album release cut called "Runaway" (co-written by Andrew Fromm who crafted Christian Bautista's "The Way You Look at Me") was put out late last year.
‘Improving’ Zendee’s takes
The eight-song package contains mostly originals, with a couple of revivals like "Love Takes Time" which became a breakthrough hit for Mariah Carey.
Said Gregorio, "We first recorded 'Love Takes Time' and every record babalikan namin after a week to see how she can improve more her takes. As hoped, she peaked by the time we made the last song."
READ: Random Girl, ‘X Factor’ winner anticipate solo album releases
"This album is a dream come true for me and a chance to share my music with everyone," Zendee said during the album launch at Chef & Brewer Cafe & Restaurant in Ortigas.
She also sang five songs from the album with a band backing her up, beginning with the heartfelt, piano-accompanied "I Believe," written by rising Bulakenyo songwriter Lambert Reyes, Jr.
‘Crying girl’
Executive producer Flerry de Leon said people from Warner Music in Hong Kong were "fully amazed” at the Pinay talent who has appeared on Ellen de Generes’s TV show, "Ellen." De Leon believes that “this is just the start of something big for Zendee."
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Gregorio, who is also Warner's A&R director, remembered how Zendee turned emotional while recording "The Ones You Love." He thought she would not be able to complete the take because she was crying. But it resulted in a gem of a song anchored on her emotional outpouring.
"May mga singer na magaling pero technical masyado. Si Zendee mararamdaman mo," he said.
