Natalie Yanson: A Rising Singing Star at 9

Bacolod City--Like her idol, Lea Salonga, and any aspiring singers, Natalie Grace Yanson began performing at family gatherings or parties.

As a toddler, she began singing and dancing in their home in Bacolod. In 2020, her first performance was when she was five years old. She sang at her grandmom's birthday together with her cousins. They performed If We Hold On Together, the theme song to the 1988 film The Land Before Time, and was performed by American singer Diana Ross.

During that occasion, there were almost a thousand guests, including former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

Growing up in a Supportive Environment

It's said early childhood experiences from birth to age eight affect brain architecture development. These experiences provide the foundation for all future learning, behavior, and health.

Apart from Pia, Natalie's mom, her grandparents support Natalie in pursuing her love for singing. According to her mom, her parents abroad would send songs they thought her daughter could study and eventually sing.

"That's how excited they are also for Natalie," Pia says.

Pia enrolled her little girl in voice lessons with her first vocal coach teacher in Bacolod from age five to seven.

Besides singing, Natalie loves to play the piano and explore or experiment with the sounds, so her mom enrolled her in piano lessons.

"Natalie likes many (more than one) instruments, but it's just a matter of managing her time between school, exams, and traveling to Manila," Natalie's mom stresses priorities.

Natalie with mom, Pia

How She Got the Aliw Award?

Natalie was among the guest performers at a concert, “Art is Calling For Me,” under RMA Studio Academy, last November, which featured Niña Campos. She sang Amakabogera (popularized by Maymay Entrata), Girl on Fire (Alicia Keys), and Rise Up (Andra Day).

Natalie was singled out among the girls who sang the songs, and the Aliw Awards picked her, nominated her, and won the Best Child Performer (Female) recognition, along with Amari Sotto.

At this early stage of her singing, Natalie slowly inched her way to making a name for herself and received nods from critics for her talent.

The award somehow validates all the efforts, Natalie’s talent, and the support of her family for making it that far since a child’s early years of having an encouraging environment can have life-long physical, social, and emotional impacts.

Dreams of Making it Big as a Performer

Natalie knows there are many singers out there, and she's doing more to avoid being like another brick in the wall. Even the best singers in the industry know that it takes way more than talent.

She dreams of making it big, and even though she's been praised by Ryan Cayabyab, the national artist for Filipino music, who remarked that she reminded him of Lea Salonga when she sang the song Journey to the Past by Liz Callaway (the theme song of the movie Anastasia), Natalie continues to invest more in her craft.

Natalie sings 'Think of Me' from 'The Phantom of the Opera.'

As a young singer, she likes jazz, Broadway musicals, contemporary songs, folk songs, the classics, and classical crossover songs.

Whenever she performs onstage, she psyches herself not to be nervous. She shares that when one goes onstage, one shakes it off a little bit, then inhales and exhales.

"Never forget to have fun onstage," says Natalie, who seemed to have a more mature mindset about her passion and is under the tutelage of Jade Riccio.

To hone her singing, she has voice lessons twice a week. But she never loses sight of her being a child still. When she's not holding a microphone or belting her voice out to sing a song--she plays around with her four lapdogs: two Coton de Tulears and two Shih Tzus.

This year, she's prepping to join two concerts and is thrilled to showcase what she has learned from her voice coach.

"I have more dynamics now and is not too loud when belting it out,” she says.

She dreams of becoming a successful recording artist and starring in a lead role on Broadway. She wants to do a duet with Lea Salonga, Celine Dion, and David Foster one day.

Photos: RMA Studio Academy, P. Yanson

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