By Carissa Alcantara
Known as Lea Salonga's mini-me, Esang De Torres continues to grow as an artist in her generation.
The 15-year-old singer jumpstarted her music career by joining The Voice Kids Season 2. Strongly ending the competition as a finalist, she went on to showcase herself in the world of theater.
She plays the role of Little Cosette in the 2016 Manila run of the musical "Les Misérables." Then she acted as Matilda - her first lead role - in the 2017 Manila run of "Matilda the Musical."
Making her way in the new generation of artists, Esang releases her debut single, "Praising Hours," under PolyEast Records. With her love for poetry, the lyrics she wrote are not just profound but also subjective.
During her zoom interview, Esang shared how poetry writing became her way of expressing her songs.
"I first discovered my songwriting through writing poems nung pandemic, so I explored more on that side," Esang said.
Composing her song during the pandemic, Esang admitted that creating her music was nerve-wracking. "Sometimes, the ideas are overwhelming, and it can be hard to decide on what you want because there are a lot of possibilities."
Discovering a new genre at the start of her career, she also added that she is open to collaborating with other artists.
"If given a chance, I would like to collaborate with Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo, they're one of the artists that I have whenever I listen to music, and I also appreciate how they write songs, especially Taylor Swift," Esang also said.
The young artist also promises to release her EP soon.