Foxy Filipina Elise Estrada is a Canadian Popstar

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Canada is a hot bed of pop music activity. Justin Bieber, Avril Lavigne and Alanis Morrisette are just some of the big names to have come from the big country up north and this proves that Canadians can pump out great sounding world pop. That's why it's with great anticipation that we're holding our breath for one Elise Estrada.

Dubbed as the “Canadian Pop Princess,” Elise is a singer-songwriter-performer with a string of number one hits to her name. Her music videos are bombastic audio-visual experiences and best of all, Elise has got Pinoy blood pumping in her veins. This foxy Filipina-Canadian had an amazing debut back in 2008 when her album and its title-track “Insatiable” hit number one at the Canadian Billboard pop charts. Her streak continued with another top ten hit in “These Three Words,” before hitting the top again with the R&B tinged pop track “Unlove You.”

Elise has since been nominated for the Juno (Canadian Grammy) Award for “Best R&B Soul Album,” and has aced prestigious nods like the “Emerging Artist Award,” “Best New Artist,” and has over 40,000 airplay spins on FM radio for “Insatiable” alone. Over the course of two R&B inflected dance albums, Elise has produced a total of ten Top Ten hits. She has also shared the stage with Lady Gaga, Rihanna, 50 Cent, Sean Kingston, Nelly and The Backstreet Boys, making good on the monicker given her as the “Rihanna Of Canada.”

This March 2014, Elise returns a new album entitled “Round 3,” bannered by the knockout pop track “You Don't Need 2 Know.” On this song, Elise, is in full-on foxy mode. Singing “A girl's gotta have her tricks” for looking good and spills about girl props like “sexy heels, the extra luscious lipstick, the contacts, the colored hair, and the push-up.” But before givig it all away, she takes it all back with snappy chorus of “You don't need 2 know!”

Because as Elise herself declares, “some secrets are just between us girls.” It's a nice piece of infectious pop music, and why wouldn't it be? Elise is assisted by her creative A-Team. There's Adam H (Hertzfield), who produced tracks with R&B star Ne-Yo and rock giants Def Leppard, and there's Grammy-winner Orlando Calzada, who has mixed albums for Destiny's Child, Lady Gaga, J.Lo and One Direction. The music video for “You Don't Need 2 Know” was recently released and went straight to number one on Canada's top music channel and is on the front page of Veevo, proving that Elise hasn't lost a beat and is as strong as ever.

“Round 3” is an outrageous burst of catchy pop tunes and up-and-at-'em dance tracks. Besides “U Don't Need 2 Know,” there's the infectious choruses of “Champion” to jumpstart the album. Pinoy's would also quickly recognize “Over & Out” wherein Elise samples the New Order hit “Bizaare Love Triangle” and turns it into a club thumping electronic dance track. Producer Adam Hertzfield shared that this was one of the longest track to finish “owing to the publishing rights, but when New Order's management heard Elise's take on the track, they finally gave the go-ahead for the track.”

Speaking of familiarity, Pinoys would certainly recognize the choruses of “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” on “”My Last Cry (Peacin' Out)” another number made for the clubs. It's a heady mix of the new and the old so to speak, but somehow Elise and her team finds the right balance.

There's a sensitive side to Elise too. In the mid-tempo pop R&B track, “Wonder Woman,” Elise tackles a prevalent symptom of socieity. In fact Elise, dedicates the track entirely to Canadian Amanda Todd, a teenager who was victimizied by cyber bullying.

Here's a sample:

I'm just another game that you play
With every hurtful thing you say
But I really can't do it today...
Yeah, that's what you're doing here...

I wish I was made of steel
So all your bullets would bounce off
Cause all these scars should get lost...

I'd rather dream / Like I'm flying through space
In my invisible plane / Instead of hurting this way
I'd rather dream / I was some kind of hero
And had the power to make this stop

Just like wonder woman
Words hurt more than you'll ever know
I wish I could make this stop
Just like wonder woman

Then there's “All It Takes A Moment” wherein the singer remembers the victims of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

“XOXO Entertainment/Universal recording artist, Elise Estrada is rallying Canadians to support Philippine typhoon relief through her new single, “All It Takes Is A Moment”, now available on iTunes for 99 cents. 100 per cent of the proceeds from music sales will directly benefit relief efforts via Rose Charities Canada, a registered non-profit organization, which is providing medical assistance, food, water and shelter supplies to Typhoon Haiyan disaster victims. “It breaks my heart hearing stories about people who’ve been devastated by the typhoon, who have lost family members, their homes and their livelihoods,” says Estrada. “Creating music to raise money is the best way I know how to help those affected by Typhoon Haiyan.”

Proceeds from the song were directed to Leyte and is just one way that Elise was able to pitch in help to her fellow Filipinos using her music.

All in all, “Round 3” is a great mix of pop, dance, and ballads. Exactly how Elise Estrada and her award-winning team of producers planned it.

JULY 2014 will see Elise Estrada re-visiting her roots in the Philippines. The singer will be promoting her new album “Round 3” and will do a series of shows that will be announced at a later date.


“ROUND 3” TRACKLISTING:

1. CHAMPION
2. OVER & OUT
3. THE GOOD IN GOODBYE
4. U DON'T NEED 2 KNOW
5. FOR THE LAST TIME
6. SICK IN LOVE
7. RECORD PLAY
8. MY LAST CRY (PEACIN' OUT)
9. SUNGLASSES
10. PIECE OF ME

BONUS TRACKS
11. WONDER WOMAN (DEDICATED TO AMANDA TODD)
12. ALL IT TAKES IS A MOMENT (DEDICATED TO THE PHILIPPINES)

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