Donnalyn Bartolome It’s Christmas season so we’ve picked the first pair of local new holiday tunes to add to our playlist other than those by Jose Mari Chan, little Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey. Bulletin Entertainment caught up with Donnalyn Bartolome recently and asked how she got that realistic snow prop going for her music video for the song “Paskong Wala Ka.” “That’s in Rohtang Pass in Manali, India,” she said (India, of all places!). “That was my intention when I went for a vacation a couple of weeks ago. I went there hoping my timing was right for snow.” So, those mountains behind Donnalyn as she mouths off the lyrics? That wasn’t CGI. That’s the Himalayas! So t h a t ’ s o n e b i g check off my bucket list,” she added. “Paskong Wala Ka” was released as part of Donnalyn’s most recent “Surprise” album (released last October). Donnalyn wrote the song in 2017 but thought it best to put it out only now. Her reason for writing a Christmas song? “I realized a lot of (OPM) songs about Christmas are sad.” She mentioned that one of her favorite songs is Gary Valenciano's “Pasko Na Sinta Ko.” “That’s the thing, I thought: We can be alone or loveless during the holidays, but that doesn’t mean we have to be sad,” Donnalyn pointed out. While some of her lyrics’ theme go by your garden variety “hugot” – like “Masakit na nauwi tayo sa hiwalayan” – she does reel the bitterness in with lines like “Akala ko hindi ko kaya / Di ka kailangan para maging maligaya.” That and offering to cure her blues with the only way she knows how: “Regalo ko sa sarili ko ang ‘wag ka nang isipin / Pasakitin na lang ang aking mga ipin sa pagkain na masasarap na kakanin,” delivered, of course, in Donnalyn’s usual upbeat way. • • • Next up is Lance Raymundo who just polished an oldie in “Silent Night.” ‘Silent Night’ by Lance Raymundo official digital single art A classic by Franz Xaver Gruber and Joseph Mohr, Lance’s version is anything but old or silent. In fact, he just took away the silent part and replaced it with “party.” Surprisingly, the electronic twiddling in the production for his version (produced by Ramiru Mataro), while we won’t call it entirely EDM, is just the right amount to give it a cool, retro electronic ’80s vibe. Maybe he’s going for a “Stranger Things” feel? Whatever. The thing is, Lance somehow pulls it off. Far from trying too hard to sound current, he just sounds like he’s having fun. And we’re guessing that’s the whole point. Because if you can’t have fun during the holidays, then might as well call yourself Scrooge.