Dessa (Filipina singer)
| DESSA | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Maria Destreza Alivio Salazar |
| Born |
March 20, 1974 Philippines |
| Origin | Philippines |
| Genres | Ballad / Soul |
| Occupation(s) | Recording Artist |
| Labels | Star Music |
Maria Destreza Alivio Salaza (born March 30, 1974), commonly known as DESSA, is a Filipino singer. She is best known for singing OPM hits such as Saan Ka Man Naroroon, "Bring Back The Times", "Lipad Ng Pangarap" and many more.
Born to a family who frequently moved house, Dessa formed no permanent friendships, though she did learn to adjust to new environments. Her sister Dolly, older by two years, and older brother Dodoy were her only playmates; she took up dancing to amuse herself and her parents, then moved on to singing. Dessa's father was employed at Quezon City Hall, and her mother Francisca was a housewife. To support her family, Dessa sometimes sold her mother's icedrop at school. At her mother's encouragement, she began to enter singing contests at the age of 10 to enable them to feed themselves; they sought out competitions together. When Dessa was 14, she was discovered by Mitch Valdes, who told Boy Abunda—who had just entered talent management—about her. In 1990, she joined Abunda's new talent management agency. She then began to dominate major singing contests, and in 1993 she won the top prize in the Voice of Asia. She was also the first winner of the Pasinaya 2005 awards.
When she entered an international competition in the Central Asian Republic of Kazakhstan of the former Soviet Union, she bested even the most experienced contestants. She also won the 1993 FIDOF award in Russia and the Saga Yoshinogari Festa '98 (an Asian music festival held in Saga, Japan), the Best Interpreter Award in the 1999 Asia Song Festival in Malaysia, and became the main feature of the best-selling concert "Front Act".
When she fronted for Mike Francis' major concert at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, the audience booed her when she came onstage, but when she began to sing, they became silent, and when she was finished they were applauding. During the 1990s the press labeled Dessa the "Front Act Queen", as she had fronted for more foreign acts than any other local artist, including Color Me Badd, Mike Francis, Denise Williams, David Benoit, Lisa Stansfield, Richard Elliot, Bryan Adams, Peabo Bryson, Patti Austin and CeCe Peniston. After she fronted for Patti Austin, Austin was said to remark "My God! She is so good, I should be the one doing the front act for her!"
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