Current mayor of Tacloban Cristina Gonzales-Romualdez is beaming with pride as she watched Sofia perform her song “Thinkin’ of U’ during her launch. “My daughter is definitely better than me sa kantahan,” she proudly declares. “Tanggap ko naman yun. I’m really astonished by her talent as she even composes her own songs, plays various musical instruments, na hindi ko ginagawa, so my husband and I are really so very proud of her.”
Sofia shows much promise as a singer-performer. Her winning style is so effortless and we have no doubt the public will accept her talent warmly. There’s no negative comments about her song and her performance at all.
“Pero siempre, nakakakaba pa rin,” says Mayor Kring Kring. “Basta I tell her that if she hears anything negative, just don’t mind it. Be nice pa rin to everybody, kahit sa bashers, kasi hindi naman mawawala yun. Just keep a more positive attitude about everything.”
Sofia has her feet firmly planted on the ground. “I’m not here just for fame,” she says. “I simply want to give an outlet to my music and I’m happy Viva is giving me a chance to be heard. My first single, ‘Pikit Mata’, was included in the movie ‘Fan Girl/ Fan Boy’ and now I’m happy to have my second single, ‘Thinkin’ of U’, a pop R&B piece which comes straight from my heart. I’ve been passionate about music since I was growing up, and now that I’ve joined the music industry, I don’t really write songs aiming for them to be commercial hits, as that defeats the purpose of being an artist. Just being yourself is the key and I simply want to express myself. Eventually, I want to learn how to produce my own songs and even my own album.”
Sofia says her horrifying experience during Typhoon Yolanda, when the interior of their Talcoban home got so flooded and they were stranded for two hours, has left an indelible mark in her. “We are all thankful that we survived that ordeal. We still get emotional when we remember it, but it made us stronger and it also made me think that the Lord allowed me to stay on because I still have a purpose in life. And for me, that is sharing whatever talent that I have in music.”
Will Mayor Kring Kring allow Sofia to go into acting like her? “It’s up to her to decide. Basta her dad and I will just be here to support her anuman ang maging decision niya.”
So will Sofia, whose beauty is really pang-artista, try acting, too? “I’m open to it. But right now, I want to focus on my music muna. Let’s take it one step at a time. Siempre, bago ako umakting, I have to take acting workshops muna to prepare me well.”
