Jovelle Balani is jazzing up the Filipino dream

by Oscar Pantaleon Jr.

	Jovelle Balani pours heart and hometown into her debut EP, Miss U Like Manila. Blending jazz, soul, and pop, the five-track release captures the ache of distance and the warmth of memory, one note at a time. (Photo by Joshua Sacopla. Album artwork by Patricia Tuazon.)

When she first arrived in Winnipeg, the last thing Jovelle Balani expected was to become one of the city’s rising jazz voices. But three years in, after gracing the stage at Jazz Winnipeg and releasing her debut EP, this Filipino singer is proving that jazz, not just pop, has a place in the hearts of all ages.

“Music has always been more than just a passion for me,” she says with a smile. “It’s a kind of comfort like Christmas all year long.”

Jovelle’s musical journey began in the Philippines, where she took private voice lessons and sang in a choir while in university. “I wasn’t very active in the local scene outside school, and I wish I had been,” she admits. But that early training laid the foundation for her artistry today. “Even now, I still apply the techniques I learned back then.”

It was during the pandemic that things shifted dramatically. After graduating, Jovelle moved to Canada with her parents. The isolation of COVID prompted her to enter the virtual edition of the World Championship of Performing Arts, where she landed in the top three among global contestants. “That gave me the push I needed,” she says. “I decided to take music seriously and started putting my work out there on social media.”

The decision paid off. Her online presence led to bookings for corporate gigs and eventually an invitation to perform at the 2023 Winnipeg International Jazz Festival, an opportunity that introduced her to a wider and more receptive audience.

This year, Jovelle returned to Jazz Winnipeg with a sold-out solo concert at the Fort Garry Hotel. Last month she opened for acclaimed U.S. jazz artists Jimmie Herrod and George Colligan. “It was inspiring and overwhelming at the same time,” she says. “But it reminded me of why I do this. I want to be in the pursuit of greatness like these fine musicians.”

Jovelle’s style blends jazz with pop, soul, and vintage influences. Think Karen Carpenter meets Laufey, with a splash of Norah Jones. “I describe my sound as ‘jazzified pop,’” she explains. “It’s not traditional jazz. I want it to be accessible, something that resonates across age groups.”

That vision comes to life in her newly released EP, a five-track collection that showcases her genre-bending approach. The opening number, Summer Song, is a breezy tribute to Winnipeg’s short but beautiful summers. “I just wanted to romanticize the warmth and the fleeting moments.” The next cut is a fresh setting of her 2021 debut single, Ode to a Lover. “I’ve been wanting to make a different arrangement, so I made a studio version,” she shares.

Other tracks include Orange Coloured Sky, Jovelle’s reimagining of Natalie Cole’s smooth and sophisticated rendition, and Miss U Like Manila, inspired by the longing for both a person and a place. “I was missing someone and feeling homesick for the city at the same time. I ended up writing about that duality.”

She also included an instrumental version of Summer Song to shine a light on her band members: Ayman Linzag, Johhny Yau, Chris Tabirara, Andrew Viray, Kian Calinisan, Christian Ilagan, and Itay Gordon. “I want people to hear the musicians, not just me. That track was for them.”

While Jovelle’s music continues to evolve, one thing remains constant: her commitment to authenticity. A summer mentorship program last year pushed her to ask, “What are your values?” Her answer? “I want to be true. I want to be an artist who creates honestly.”

The journey hasn’t been without its challenges. “Burnout is real,” she says. “As an indie artist, you’re your own social media manager, booking agent, and creative director. It’s a lot, but I take care of myself with simple workouts, meditation, listening to podcasts, reading books, and even writing.”

Still, despite the demands of doing it all herself, the response to her music has been more than rewarding. Her EP is set to exceed 50,000 streams. “What’s encouraging is the data,” she says with pride. “My audience ranges from late teens to seasoned listeners. That proves jazz is timeless.”

Looking ahead, she hopes to tour in the Philippines, Japan, and, of course, Canada. “Japan has such a rich jazz scene. JJJ is one of my goals: Jovelle sings jazz in Japan,” she laughs.

And as things pick up, she’s starting to think about the bigger picture. Jovelle wants her story to inspire others in the Filipino community. “Not everyone gets to pursue what they love. If my music shows even one person that it’s possible, then I’ve done something right.”