Aldrich Lloyd Talonding first made waves online with his heart-wrenching rendition of “Dance With My Father”. The YouTube video with his cousin playing the guitar appeared in mid April and has since been picked up by Hollywood talkshow host Ellen Degeneres. After viewing Talonding’s YouTube clip, Ellen extended an open invitation to the talented duo to guest in her show. She said she was impressed by the “soul” in the boy’s singing.
Fast forward to July. Talonding and his cousin James Bucong already have their passports and are just waiting for their US visas to be issued so they could go to Hollywood. Not only will they perform on the Ellen show, but they have also been offered a record deal by Grammy award winner singer and composer Richard Marx.
According to News 5, Marx sent a message to Talonding’s elder sister and offered to record and produce Aldrich and James’ cover of “Dance With My Father”. It is interesting to note that Marx himself was one of the composers of the Luther Vandross hit. Marx will reportedly fix his schedule to coincide with the pair’s arrival in the US.
While this appears to open the doors to stardom for the young boy from General Santos, he says success is bittersweet. Aldrich lost his father in early June this year, and this allows him to sing “Dance With My Father” with so much more depth and emotion. Besides the said song, their cover of the David Guetta hit “Titanium” is also becoming popular online.
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