For her long-awaited debut album, Daylight, Belle Mariano shows off her sweet yet emotive voice in a set of songs primed to get you feeling things.
Related: 6 Reasons Why We’re Into Belle Mariano, The Newest Gen Z It-Girl
If you’ve been following Belle Mariano’s career for a while, then you know that the young actress can sing. As in, she has the pipes that match her acting chops. As Belle’s acting star has increased in just the past couple of years, so too has the clamor for original songs from here. If the success of Sigurado has proven anything, it’s that people are ready for Belle Mariano the musician. Even Belle herself has stated on many occasions that she would like to release her own album soon. And that time has finally come.
After much anticipation from her fans, Belle Mariano has finally dropped her debut album, Daylight. So with so many people waiting to hear your album, how then do you meet expectations? For Belle, she sticks to her guns in a mostly acoustic-driven album as she sings about love and happiness.
RAINY MORNINGS, RAINY NIGHTS
The seven-track album opens with Sigurado, a previously released single that was included in the OST for He’s Into Her. The song about being sure of someone that you love serves as a great opener as it showcases Belle’s light, sweet, and dreamy vocals. It also sets the tone for the rest of the album.
The album’s second track, With You, stands out quite a bit from the rest of the album thanks to its powerful chorus. The song is about having no worry in life because you are with that special someone you feel secure around. The track’s composer, Majarlica, based the track on her own experiences of overcoming struggles and that’s present in the song. Belle assures herself everything is going to be okay as long as she has her special someone beside her.
Daylight’s third track, Rainy Days, shows off a bit more of a light and playful Belle as she sings about spending time with someone you love during those rainy days. The track’s composer, Sab, and Belle captured that sweet feeling you get when it’s just you and that special someone at home.
DAYLIGHT GETS PERSONAL
By the time Daylight reaches its halfway point, that is when it gets deeper into its emotional core. Tanging Dahilan stands out as arguably one of the album’s best songs. For starters, the back and forth between Belle’s lower and higher register is so good. It also has a heartfelt message of how that special someone in your life gives you the motivation you need. Composer Gab Tagadtad was inspired to write the track based on the long-distance relationship he was experiencing at the time. He aimed for a song that expresses that bond and connection you have with your loved one no matter where you are and he succeeded in doing that.
For Your Eyes Only starts off slow before it reaches its climax in the latter half of the song. On the surface, the track is about doing the things you do for that special someone. But it’s also not hard to see this song have some religious undertones in it. In fact, the song’s writer, Trisha Denise, has said that she was inspired to write this song about her relationship with God. Whichever way you look at it, For Your Eyes Only is a beautiful song.
And then we reach Nights Of December, another impassioned standout from Daylight. It deviates from the other songs on the album thematically, such that it talks about heartbreak. Specifically, it digs deep into the feeling that it’s better to move on than to force what’s not meant to be. Vocally, this is one of Belle’s best works on the album, which is saying a lot. She wistfully looks back at those fateful nights in December on a relationship that wasn’t meant to be. Alexis Tagadtad wrote a great song with its poignant message that not everything is meant to be.
Finally, Daylight closes with Rise. Written by Jayda, it has a simple yet straightforward message about persevering through all the struggles and not backing down when the going gets tough. The anthemic and inspirational track could also serve as a bit of a metaphor for how Belle herself is on the rise and achieving her dreams. It serves as a proper bookmark to the album.
MEET BELLE MARIANO, THE MUSICIAN
When Belle Mariano began work on Daylight, she said that she wanted it to be light and relatable. And she pretty much succeeded in that. Daylight is not the kind of album that has those explosive pop moments. Nor is it about having birit moments, though Belle has some impressive runs in the album. She is not trying to chase trends in this album. Instead, the star of the show is Belle and her amazing voice backed by mostly acoustic sounds in songs many people can relate to.
For her first album, Belle and the rest of the team did a good job. It is a cohesive body of work that establishes Belle’s brand of music very well and the potential is there. This is Belle Mariano the musician, and we love it. If Belle does decide to make more music in the future, and fingers crossed that she does, hopefully, she can also try her hand in writing the songs as well. We have a feeling that Belle’s voice mixed with her own true feelings can make for some spectacular songs.
Continue Reading: For Donny Pangilinan And Belle Mariano, It’s All About Young Love In Ben&Ben’s Upuan Music Video
