In the last three years, we have seen an explosion of Filipino performers and groups coming out of the Bay Area, Southern California and Hawaii. For some people, it may be hard at times to distinguish which group is singing what. But when you hear the awesome song "When U Think About Me" on the radio, you know it's from the popular quintet known as One Vo1ce. A group that has their own unique sound and style which differentiates themselves from the other female groups. Most of all, these girls can really sing!

     The quintet from Vallejo consists of sisters Mae and Marie Ceralvo, Monica and Aimee Castillo (no relation) and Melissa Ruiz. Like the quartet Pinay, the girls are serious about their education.

     Monica is a nursing major at Sonoma State University, Marie is an engineering major at Cal Poly Pomona, Aimee is civil engineering major at UC Davis and Melissa is a business administration major at San Jose State. Mae, the youngest member of the group is completing her senior year at St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School in Vallejo. At this current time, the girls are on hiatus from their college education to pursue their music.

     The girls have been through several name changes since their debut. They were formerly known as One Voice but after their CD single "When U Think About Me" was promoted by MCA Records, their name was changed to Voice V and when their contract for the promotion of the single ended, fans of the group through the Kamikaze Records Website selected the name "One Vo1ce".

     The group released their first single "All Day, All Nite"  in the Fall of 1998. A song was written and produced by Jae-E (who has produced for MC Hammer, En Vogue and Markey Mark) and reached the top 10 in Bay Area record sales.

     Their first official CD single from the MCA recording label, "When U Think About Me" quickly became a fan favorite nation-wide and quickly made it into the Billboard Top 100. Many people have also enjoyed their debut album "Just the Beginning" (which has been re-released with more tracks) and watching them perform live.

     If there is one thing that One Vo1ce has done for Asian American artists in the music industry is that they helped break down the barriers by proving to many people that Asian artists can do just as well as their other counterparts in the R&B scene.

     I had the opportunity to interview One Vo1ce member, Monica Castillo about the history of the group and to know more about this Asian quintet that has been taking Asian America by storm.

DENNIS: Let's start with a few basic questions about your background. Were you and the others raised in a strict Filipino upbringing?

ONE VO1CE: Oh yeah! Our parents are very old fashioned and most of our friends' families are as well. When we moved to college, we continued to carry the moral and values that our parents influenced on us.

DENNIS: What was your parents' reaction when they found out that you girls were releasing a CD?

ONE VO1CE: Even before we signed on with Kamikaze Records, they were skeptical about things we were doing, because we were so young at that time. Ever since we got managed, our parents saw the interviews and music videos and now they support us 100%. We're very grateful for that.

DENNIS: Is there a leader of the group?

ONE VO1CE: Well, before we had a manager, we all did things on our own. We think each of us have our own kind of leadership, so we all take care of our own specific duties. So, there really isn't one leader. We all work together.

DENNIS: I'm curious. How did all of you come together?

ONE VO1CE: It started out when we were freshman in high school. We were all friends from childhood. Before we were managed, we were a group for two years already performing at parties, events and college gigs.

DENNIS: How was the original name "One Voice" chosen for the group?

ONE VO1CE: During our cotillion practice, one of our friends heard us and she said, "Wow! You guys sound like one voice!" We thought it was a good name and we decided to keep it.

DENNIS: When you and the others first heard your song on the radio, what was all of your reactions?

ONE VO1CE: We were in the car and we were screaming! We were so ecstatic!

DENNIS: What is the most satisfying part being Filipino in the music industry?

ONE VO1CE: The most satisfying is seeing the look on people's faces when we are on stage. Reading the support from fans on our web site. It makes us feel that we are doing our job and that we are being role models for Filipinos.

DENNIS: What is the most frustrating part?

ONE VO1CE: Sometimes we have them (frustrations), but I don't let it discourage us because no matter what, there will be people who are haters and people who love what you do.

DENNIS: Many groups I have interviewed seem to have their problems.  Especially when you have to travel with people for a long time. You get to know the positive and negatives of each other. Do you all get along really well?

ONE VO1CE: Oh yeah! God has blessed us and we've been friends since childhood.   We do have problems, but we get through them because of our friendship.

DENNIS: You all have performed in many locations. Is there any certain location that you enjoy performing the most?

ONE VO1CE: I would say the Bay Area. Performing for people who know you and performing in a place that you are from.

DENNIS: You girls are busy with college, busy with your music careers. What do girls like to do in your spare time?

ONE VO1CE: In our spare time we like to go to the mall, look around, window shop and go shopping.

DENNIS: Do any of you have boyfriends?

ONE VO1CE: No. We have a lot of guy friends, but no one that is special to us, because we have so much happening in our lives and we don't have the time right now.

DENNIS: Do you girls have any role models? Is there any one or any group that inspires your music?

ONE VO1CE: One group that we think of is "Boys II Men."

DENNIS: What final words do you have for your fans?

ONE VO1CE: I want to thank everyone for supporting us and listening to our music. It means a lot to us and we put a lot of hard work into it. We love sharing our talents with everyone. We wouldn't be anywhere where we are at today if it weren't for them.

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More articles by Dennis A. Amith

Photos courtesy of Kamikaze Records