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Ataska at V81 Radio

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Published on February 6, 2017

Ataska dropped by V81 Radio Manila and promoted her new single.

Ataska Mercado is a 14-year-old singer-theatre actor that has already done several stage plays in the past with Kids Acts Philippines (The Wizard of Oz, Hansel and Gretel, Peter Pan). Initially, Ataska’s intro into the mainstream is through the singing competition The Voice Kids, where she joined and got a three-chair turn from coaches Sarah Geronimo, Lea Salonga and Bamboo when she sang “Rather Be,” and eventually choosing coach Bamboo.

Ataska is a spunky young girl that carries herself cooly in any situation. She plays the bossy, know-it-all Pepper in the Philippine run of the “Annie” musical. Offstage, Ataska is warm and sweet and quite intelligent for her young age.

She says that she related to “Pepper” because she was the “cool and tough one.” The only thing she doesn’t relate of the character is that ‘Pepper’ is a bully. “I don’t relate to that, I love everyone in real life.”

Preparing for “Annie,” Ataska practiced singing all the key tunes in the musical; “Tomorrow,” “You’re Never Really Fully Dressed Without A Smile,” “Hard Knocked Life,” and “Maybe.” She cites Lea Salonga as her role model when it comes to acting, as well as Mechu Lauchengco-Yulo and also listens to a lot of indie music.

Ataska’s first single with Viva Records was the Vehnee Saturno written and produced, mid-tempo pop track “Atras Abante.” In the last quarter of 2016, a new single by Ataska was released entitled “If I Fall In Love.”

The latest track is closer to Ataska’s most recent brush with theatre, with its Disney-esque and theatre musical leanings. “If I Fall In Love” finds Ataska singing about, of all things, how and what it’s like to fall in love. “I have been crushing all my life, but this is the first time I actually wondered out loud what it’s like to fall in love. I’m too young for it for sure, but the song is relatable for those like me who actually wonder what it’s like,” said the young actor-singer.

The new single also came from the veteran songwriter-producer Saturno.

The song’s music video can be seen at the Viva Records YouTube channel and can be streamed at Spotify and Apple Music, and can be downloaded at iTunes.

Tune in to V81 Radio to hear more of Ataska’s songs or download our free mobile app at www.v81radio.com/mobile-app.

Watch the full interview below.