She has so much passion for music.  A proof of this is the release of her second album, “Am I?”  She wrote and arranged all the songs except for three which she co-wrote with friends.

“I started young-about five years old - when my love for music began,” Rica Arambulo revealed.  She first learned to play the piano, and singing followed later.  Her mother was a piano professor, and today, the family owns and manages a school of music in Greenhills, Metro Manila.

Rica finished a course in music-  a bachelor degree in piano- at the UP College of music.  That’s why “her life is her music, her music is her story!”  Rica is described as the Philippines’ velvet chanteuse.

The songs in her album, “Am I?”, are:  “In My Dreams,” “Am I?” “Gone,” “Letting Go,” “It’s Only You,”"Simplify,” “Perfect Weather,” “Our Little Dreams,” “Splinter In My Mind,” “Lagpas Langit,” “Sa Puso Ko,” and “Me Voy,” (Gone).  It is often said that music is the language of the soul.  And since the soul is described as a combination of  a person’s mind and emotions, no other language or medium could communicate or describe one’s thoughts and feelings more vividly than through music. Rica Arambulo’s music reveals her deepest and most intimate thoughts.  Her music are like windows to her heart.

It was also problems of the heart  - her heart- which somehow gave her the biggest challenge to pursue a singing career aside from playing the piano.  So that she could move on, she started writing and composing music.

“I find much strength in every song I write,” Rica said.  “I am still open to fall in love again, but I hope it will be a more lasting love and commitment.”

“Am I?” is her second album, the first was self-titled “Rica Arambulo.”

Be enthralled and fascinated with her music!  Her albums are now available in selected record bars.

“AM  I ?” RICA ARAMBULO CD LAUNCH IN NOVEMBER 2009

The long wait is over.  “Am I?” Rica Arambulo’s latest all-original studio album is due for release in November 2009.  The official Philippine launch is slated on Friday,  20 November, at Greenbelt 3 Lobby, Makati City, Philippines.  The versatile singer-musician will perform cuts from the album at a mini concert, with the special participation of the Greenhills Music Studio Strings.

A series of pre-launch concerts are slated in Hongkong, China on November 13 and 14, 2009.

“Am I?” Rica Arambulo, the cd is  now available internationally on cdbaby.com, the world’s largest independent music seller.

WATCH FOR IT!

Hongkong:  Club 97  (HK Central) November 13, 09 (Happy hour)

Hongkong:  Backstage Live (HK Central)  November 14, 2009

10:30 p.m.

Manila:  Greenbelt 3 Lobby (Makati)  Nov. 20, 09 @ 6:30pm

“Am I?” Rica Arambulo album launch

A  fan once told Rica Arambulo, “Whenever I hear you sing your songs, I’m taking a glimpse into your inner world.  It’s almost as if I can tell what’s going on inside of you.”  Very well put, indeed.

True artists never compromise.  Several years ago, Rica’s landmark eponymous debut cd earned critical and commercial acclaim, even gathering a few award nominations along the way.  Her breakthrough single Summer’s Here ruled the airwaves for several summers; dreamy concoction Ikaw at Ako Pa Rin, the classic Opm ballad, continues to be one of the most requested songs at weddings.  Incidentally, the latter’s music video was directed by award-winning Paolo Dy, featuring Rovilson Fernandez and Cathy Azanza, as lovers from two realms.

Rica Arambulo the cd, while simultaneously released locally, was the first Philippine-produced studio album to be sold on cdbaby.com, the top independent music site in the United States, catering to online buyers worldwide – selling cds and  digital downloads.   Rica’s sold-out solo concert, Que Rica! A Toast to the Music of Rica Arambulo, was one of the best-produced concerts in 2008. According to Teatrino manager Jackie Infante, Que Rica! “was the best concert ever mounted at Teatrino”.  Top composer Louie Ocampo gushed, “Que Rica! took me on a journey, it transported me to a faraway place..”  Indeed, no stone was left unturned.  Complementing Rica’s smooth, creamy rich vocals and the sparkling, soaring tones of the grand piano were the country’s top musicians, lush accompaniment of the gifted Suzuki String ensemble, the liquid, jewel-toned lighting projections, seamless script and direction.  Guests the CompanY, shone bright with their vocal harmony and wit;  Arnell Ignacio literally left the audience in stitches.

This year marks the release of her much-anticipated new album, AM I.   Why so long in coming?  “I had to wait for the creative juices to flow…for the seeds of inspiration to germinate, to snowball, until all those elements came together as a whole.  It’s a painful, difficult process.  What else haven’t I written about?   I needed to live my life, go through a few relationships, highs and lows, in order to come up with fresh material for the album.  In my case, art mirrors life.”  The true artist in Rica couldn’t put out anything half-baked.  “In all things, if you can’t do your absolute best, better not to do it at all.”  (Striving for excellence is probably a trait she learned well from her mother, a world-renowned piano educator.)  The result of her meticulous efforts is a polished, flawless collection of songs, all bursting with freshness.  “Gone” is inspired by both the passion of Spain and the pain of a doomed relationship.  “Our Little Dreams” is Rica’s emotional cry after the twin towers in New York crumbled to the ground.  The rock-infused “Am I?” is about unwavering loyalty and unconditional love.

“Lagpas langit” an ode in metaphor to a love newly discovered.  “Perfect Weather” is old-fashioned, unpretentious, starry-eyed.  “Letting Go” is a confession about lingering feelings after a break-up.  “Simplify” is a friend’s gentle reminder to travel light, perhaps also in life.  “In My Dreams” delves into the “strange, awkward yet familiar, confounding” images on one’s subconscious tv screen.

Wearing the producer’s hat, Rica oversees every aspect of production.  “I have the freedom to express my creativity in the medium I love best.  I’m really grateful; it’s not everyday that one is given a chance to do this. It’s a privilege and a blessing.”

are available at the following stores in the Philippines:

Music One stores-

Glorietta 3, Greenbelt 3, Quezon Avenue, Alabang Town Center

Fully Booked, Bonifacio High Street

Conspiracy Cafe -

59 Visayas Avenue, Quezon City

Ayala Museum, Makati City

Filipinas Heritage Library, Makati City

Mag.net Cafe Gallery -

Katipunan Ave., Quezon City

Greenhills Music Studio -

285 Connecticut St. Greenhills East  Mandaluyong City

To purchase

Cds and digital downloads online,

Please go to ‘Links’