Lea Salonga to Release New Solo CD 'Inspired'

A new solo recording by Tony Award-winner Lea Salonga will hit stores later this month, according to the Manila Bulletin.

Salonga will sing "Promise Me" (Beverly Craven), "To Hear You Say" (Jim Brickman), "Do You Hear It" (Lani Macaraeg), "My Foolish Heart" (Young/Washington), and "Two Words" (Louie Ocampo), among other songs.  Titled "Inspired," the CD will be released by SonyBMG Music Entertainment.

"I guess it's a word that describes our collective state of being. We were inspired by various things: My new baby, different artists' albums and/or vocal stylings, experiences, people, just going about our individual days. There wasn't any one thing I can pin down or point out, but whatever these things were, it brought out our best," said Salonga of the CD's title.

"Inspired" will feature orchestrations by Ria Osorio and Marvin Querido, as well as by Salonga's brother Gerald Salonga.

On March 6th, Salonga will join the cast of Les Miserables as Fantine.  During the show's original run, she performed the role of Eponine (she can be seen in that role on the 10th anniversary concert video).  Salonga, who was last seen on Broadway in the 2002 revival of Flower Drum Song, won the Tony Award, among other honors, for her Broadway debut in Miss Saigon.  To non-theatregoers, she is best known for providing the singing voices to two Disney heroines--Jasmine in Aladdin and Mulan.  A performer since childhood, she has been seen in numerous shows in the Phillipines, her native country.