With her new album, Belle Mariano hopes to put a smile on your face
Amid all the noise in today’s world, Belle Mariano turns to music for something “light and gentle for our hearts.” With her new album “Like U,” the actress-singer hopes to share that same feeling with anyone who needs it.
Produced by StarPop, the eight-track record takes listeners through the emotional tides of love—falling in and out—before ultimately leading to faith and self-discovery. It opens with “The Puzzle,” a pop-R&B-lite song about holding on to your unique pieces until the one that completes you comes along. It closes with the uplifting mantra of “Nowhere Now Here,” which tells of drifting in the wind and landing on solid ground.
In between, the title track “Like You” brims with admiration, either for someone special or perhaps for oneself. In her own words, “Magdadala” evokes a “you-and-me against the world rom-com.” “Pintuan,” meanwhile, is a sweet reassurance that there’s one door that will open when all else seems to have been shut.
Universal language
There are the usual dashes of kilig and cycles of pain and confusion, but as a whole, the album is self-affirming and lives up to its title. “We wanted to call it ‘Like U’ to show that we’re just like you, but at the same time, there’s no one else like you,” Mariano says. “I hope people find inspiration in it.”
“But more than the inspiration, we wanted to focus on relatability,” the actress-singer adds. “Love is a universal language, and we want the listeners to feel loved.”
Soundwise, “Like U” isn’t so much a departure as a veer from her debut album “Daylight” and EPs like “Somber.” While those previous records shine in their organic, acoustic-driven simplicity, this follow-up is decidedly pop and R&B leaning. While the overall sound maintains the easy-listening sound Mariano wanted, the production is noticeably more energetic and dynamic, which helps bring out her more fun-loving side.
Mariano trades her airy, folk-inflected singing for sweet cooings and playful vocal phrasing—at times even incorporating delicate runs. In some tracks like “Makulay,” she flits in and out of English and Tagalog lyrics, reinforcing that relatable and conversational vibe.
“I’m still trying to find my voice as a singer. I wanted to go for a tone different from my previous album, which was more mellow or mahinhin,” she says. “This time, the vibe is light—‘yong napapangiti ka habang pinapakinggan mo. This is the kind of music I imagine listening to when I’m in the car, traveling.”
Karaoke kid
While she was central to the album’s conceptual and emotional direction, Mariano doesn’t have songwriting credits on this project. But this isn’t for lack of talent or interest; she has already shown her potential as a songwriter with past tracks like “Roadtrip” and “Somber and Solemn.”
She finds writing music therapeutic—until she hits writer’s block and it stresses her out. Inspiration can strike at any time. Sometimes, she finds herself suddenly waking from sleep or stepping out of the shower and being in the mood to write. The real challenge, however, is bringing the songs home—and that could either take two hours or two months, she says, laughing.
“It’s something I’m still trying to learn. I hope to finish a song this year,” she adds. “I feel like I just need time to sit down and think. I want to put out good music.”
Because unlike acting, where the character is given and the story is already plotted, music “feels like a story she has to navigate on her own.” “Onscreen, you’re filling someone else’s shoes. But with music, I feel like you have more freedom to carve your own path, which is nice. The emotions translate into songs, and they become a sort of diary,” she says.
Mariano is determined to hone her craft until music and words come as naturally as acting—if only to fulfill the dreams of young Belle, jamming with her grandfather at karaoke. “Laking videoke ako, and the love for music never left me. In a way, I’m pursuing not just my dream but my lolo’s, too,” she says. “I chose this direction because it’s in my heart.”
