Fresh from her singing engagement at the Flamingo, Las Vegas, "Asia’s Nightingale" Lani Misalucha is back in town to grace the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Awards Night where she will hold a solo concert tomorrow, January 5, at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia. Special guests are Christian Bautista, Ronnie Liang, Gian Magdangal, and the UP Ambassador Choir.

Lani’s breakthrough came in 1996 with the song "Ang Iibigin ay Ikaw" written by Jimmy Borja. It was a finalist at the "Metropop Song Festival" given by Awit Award for Record of the Year. In the same year, Lani recorded an album with the carrier single "Somebody Warm Like Me," which became a big hit earning 12 Katha Award nominations.

In 1998, Lani won acclaim outside the country when she won the Minuro Endo Best Interpreter/Singer Award at the 3rd Asian Song Festival with her piece, "Handle with Care" (written by Jungee Marcelo) which bagged the Silver Award in the Best Original Song category.

With Lani’s move to Viva Records in 1999, her album with the carrier single, "Tunay na Mahal" (written by Freddie Saturno) turned gold, later receiving the Awit Award for Best Ballad Recording, Awit Award for Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist, and Katha Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Her version of the 1952 hit "You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me" topped the Philippine charts in the same year. Her interpretation of "Can’t Stop Loving You" (written by Dodjie Simon) finally won for her the Grand Prize at the 1999 Metropop Song Festival. Also in 1999, she received the Artist of the Year Award, Aliw Award for Best Lounge Act, Awit Award Nomination for Best Stage Actress for her role as Sita in the S.K. Productions’ musical play "Rama at Sita."

Lani continued to hold concerts around the country since 2002 and went on a US Concert Tour performing in Reno, San Diego, Washington, Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, Atlantic City, Pasadena, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Mayor Willie Brown, Jr. of San Francisco even declared August 17 (Lani’s birthday) as "Lani Misalucha Day" in due recognition of her exceptional talent as an artist. In the same year, Lani was hailed as Aliw Awardee for Best Female Performance in music lounges, bars, clubs, and restaurants for 1999 to 2002. The year 2002 also marked Lani as Aliw’s "Entertainer of the Year" and gave her two more Katha Awards for Best Folk Song Vocal Performance and Best Traditional Song Vocal Performance for "Kasal sa Kaluluwa."

Tickets to the "Lani Misalucha in Solo Concert" will be for sale to further bolster the income of the filmfest. Tickets are available at all Ticket Net outlets-SM Department Stores (911-5555) and at Ticket World outlets, selected National Bookstore branches, Robinsons Department Stores, and Ayala Center (Greenbelt 1 and Glorietta 1 Cinema booth, 891-9999). Gates will open at 7 p.m.