JoAnne Lorenzana

Lorenzana was discovered by Filipino composer-singer-manager Nonong 'Dero' Pedero in 1984, who soon took the young singer under his management, employing her talent for commercial jingles. Prior to Lorenzana's formal foray into local Philippine entertainment, she front-acted for international acts held locally, such as Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine, Menudo (the former group of Ricky Martin) and the British jazz ensemble Shakatak.[2] The following year, she was launched in a show billed as JoAnne: Her First Time to announce the entry of the pop artist into the music industry.[3]

Lorenzana joined Pepsi's New Generation Artists, which featured 12 popular, new, up-and-coming singers. She also was contracted as a signature model of "CINDERELLA's Seventeen For Gals"[4] among its 17 young models. In the succeeding years, as a singer-model, Lorenzana was contracted to promote a variety of products from jeans like Levi's, hair care products (e.g. Swallow Cosmetics), appliance lines (SONY and Hanabishi), and various new fashion signature brands (Cinderella).[5]

In the course of her early years, Lorenzana also represented the Philippines in a few song festivals, namely the Fifth Asean Song Festival held in Singapore[6] and the 1st ASIA Song Festival, held in Japan and aired on NHK channel.[7] Moreover, she sang the nationalistic song "Bayan Ko" which she revived in 1987 for PLDT and won for her the 'Best Revival Recording' for AWIT AWARDS (the Philippines' version of the Grammys),[8] the song she also performed back in 1992, during the inauguration of Fidel V. Ramos as the 12th President of the Republic of the Philippines.

Lorenzana has five albums to her credit.[9] The latest is Between Seasons,[10] which was recorded and mixed in the U.S., released under the NeoMONDE Productions label (c2009) and distributed in the Philippines under Universal Records Philippines Inc.. For almost all of 2010, Lorenzana was in Manila to promote her new album. She toured most of the northern part of the country promoting the singles "Beautiful" and "Technicolor", written by Andrei Dionisio. The tour was capped by a retrospective concert at the Dusit Thani Hotel Manila.

Also in 2009, Lorenzana sang with her American-born first cousin, Craig Abaya, on "When Change Comes" from his alternative rock release The Fine Art of Politics.

Lorenzana is also a member of the Filipino Artists' Organization for Singers/Musicians.[11] In the U.S., she is a member (as a composer-lyricist) of ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

Five years after the Manila release of Between Seasons, Lorenzana began exploring the San Francisco Bay Area music scene, which led to a show at the California Jazz Conservatory,[12] better known as the JAZZSCHOOL. Her first Bay Area one-woman show since 2002 (when she had a solo concert at the ballroom of the Clarion Hotel) was billed as "ORIGINS: JoAnne Lorenzana". The concert showcased her jazz roots and her subsequent musical influences during her pre-entertainment years.

A new album is in the works. The first single from the EP, "New Year's Day", was released in December 2016 and made available on CD Baby and the iTunes Store.

• Phil. Star article – December 2009 "JoAnne Lorenzana sets mall tours | Manila Bulletin". Mb.com.ph. January 22, 2010. Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
• Manilla Standard article – March 2010 Red, Isah V. "Manila Standard Today – Networks cashing in on summer – 2010/march/26". Webcache.googleusercontent.com. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
• Valentine issue – Asian Journal February 2009 "WebPaper loading". Asianjournal.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
• Valentine article – notes on Philippine celebrities (February celebrants) February 2009 "Full of Heart". www.philstar.com. January 3, 2010. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
• Interview for Wordsworth section – Phil. Star – January 17, 2010 Mons Romulo-Tantoco (January 17, 2010). "What's Your Favorite Book?". www.philstar.com. Retrieved August 4, 2010.

• http://www.joannelorenzana.com/music
• OPM official website