Morissette is marking 15 years in the music industry with a return to the spotlight. Her next big-stage appearance comes in the form of Ember, a concert on October 28 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The show follows her 2018 debut headliner, Morissette Is Made, and stands as both a reflection and a statement. This time, the direction is her own. Backed by Underdog Music, the independent label she now calls home, Morissette is looking inward and forward at once.
Since her breakout run on The Voice of the Philippines, she has steadily evolved from teenage vocal powerhouse to a multilingual performer crafting songs in English, Tagalog, and Bisaya. Ever since taking risks on the 2022 single “Undangon Ta Ni,” Morrissette isn’t afraid to represent Cebuano pride everywhere she goes.
While the country remains obsessed with crowning its female singers with lofty titles such as “Songbird,” “Nightingale,” “Jukebox Queen” for instance, Morissette has always handled the “Asia’s Phoenix” tag a little differently. Based on her performances, she’s more about prowess than elegance. It’s not just about soaring, it’s about setting the stage on fire. Ember suggests something still burning, still hungry, still ready to catch fire.
She might be known to listeners for the high-flying renditions she’s delivered over the years, with her take on “Secret Love Song,” still circulating widely, as does her version of “Defying Gravity” and a chilling cover of “Never Enough.” But it’s her more popular ballads, when she’s unfiltered and untethered, that resonate the most. Songs like “Akin Ka Na Lang” and “Gusto Ko Nang Bumitaw” carry more weight, while the pop tracks “Ihilak Lang Na” and “Love You Still” resonate deeply. Her covers may draw views, but the originals keep people coming back.
