Soul Strings
by James Roland
YouTube has created a free market for video and sound, a (mostly) rule-free space where anyone from any place can say exactly what’s on his mind. Unfortunately, that usually means a teenage girl pouring her heart out to (potentially) millions of strangers. But maybe that isn’t always a bad thing.
Introducing Rizza Cabrera, a 16-year-old musician from the Philippines:
Since April, 2007, Rizza has posted 24 original songs demonstrating clever lyrical abilities and a mature compositional style. Rizza’s videos carry the watermarks of YouTube — namely fuzzy webcam visuals and tinny laptop sound quality — but while she lacks the professional equipment of a recording studio, the quality of her lyrics and vocals transcends her mode of communication.
The result blends finished product and ‘behind-the-scenes’ footage. In the video for “What I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You . . .” Rizza adjusts her volume near the end of the song so she doesn’t wake her parents. On her cover of John Mayer’s “Your Body is a Wonderland” she uses a ukulele for the first time. As the song progresses, she adjusts her style, morphing from the slow steady strums of guitar to short sporadic bursts.
The video quality may be low by professional standards (she films most of the videos in her cluttered teenage bedroom, using stock editing software to piece together different takes so she can perform with herself), but there’s something magical about watching a talented artist perform her art for the first time, making adjustments and fine-tuning the pace as the the recording progresses. And the songs have soul far beyond many of today’s major recording artists.
From the edge of her bed, Rizza reaches thousands of people through her laptop, cheerfully playing her guitar without realizing she’s stretching the bounds of her art form and, perhaps, one day turning the heads of record label executives.
Also check out our RedFence Interview with Rizza
For More Info:
Rizza’s YouTube Page
Rizza’s Myspace Page
Rizza’s Facebook Page
