Bio

Full Name: Christian Estanislao Sekhanan
Height: 5' 7"
Date of Birth: Dec. 25, 1986
Place of Birth: Glendora California USA
Ethnicity: Filipino/Thai


Favorite Past-Time: Research
Musical Idols: Mary Ann Estanislao, Elvis Presley,
Michael Jackson, Prince, Brian McKnight,
Michael Bolton,
Behold... the Arctopus
Non-Musical Idols: Carl Jung, Socrates, Rene Descartes, Manes, Galileo

Born in Glendora California, Christian moved to the Philippines at the age of 5. dancing to Michael Jackson as early as 3 years old, Christian's dancing repertoire has been solo performing all the way until he made his way into the UST Bio Pool of Talents dancing with a talented crew of BS Biology Students in the University of Santo Tomas, Manila. He then moved to Las Piñas, South side of Manila, to attend Southville International Schools and Colleges (SISC) where he takes up BS Psychology.

Aside from being a part of the SISC Dance Troupe superiors, Christian has made his name within the College amongst peers and professors as a solid performer singing and dancing in several events inside and outside of the College.

Question and Answer

When did you start Singing?

I Started singing when i was a baby, well that's what i heard. my mother would always say that i was mumbling out tunes before i began speaking (of course it could just be plain baby mumble). I actually started to sing when i got into college. before that i don't remember singing at all.

You Started singing in college?

weird isn't it? usually people who really sing have done it all their lives, i started pretty recently. didn't know i had a voice. Mum would always tell me i had a nice voice but i'd always shrug it off as my mother saying that 'coz she's my mother. I was in a band called STRAY, we were kind of a funk showband. Our leader and Lead guitarist Mark Que, excellent guitarist, discovered me when we were "kidnapped" in some sort of Catholic Youth retreat, i was just singing to a funny version of an F4 song (taiwanese boy band/soap opera).

So what happened to your band?

well, i was with them for a year and a lil more. We were all studying in University of Santo Tomas (UST) during the time and we would perform a lot during debut's (girl's 18th birthday celebration) and bars. We even performed in RJ's Penthouse! We sang the typical acoustic songs, some of our own, and our version of the Trios Los Panchos' song "Besame Mucho".

So why'd you leave?

well, it was the time the band started becoming more stable, i had new bandmates and our original song list was expanding. I took a break and went back to California for vacation and i got into a lot of R&B. a lot of my friends that i used to play with when i was really little are mostly Afro Americans, seeing them again they started introducing me to the whole urban scene, and something about it made me feel at home. so i started to write new songs, they were still funk and still met the criteria for the band but a lot more urban. when i got back my bandmates weren't too keen on it, i can't blame 'em though, it was a huge step and the band had just become stable. So in order not to "taint" the sound of the band i went solo.

So you were really writing songs prior to going to the states?

definitely, in fact a lot of my highschool poems were converted to songs. But i wrote my first R&B inspired song when i had my first college sweetheart. it was mushy and kinda corny, but  i love it like a baby.

So How About your dancing? when did that start?

unlike my singing career, i was dancing since i was little. my mother even revealed to me recently using an old VHS tape of me that i was dancing even when i was 3. I used to dance all the time from grades 1-2 but stopped until 4th year High School.

Stopped? why'd you Stop?

well, i wasn't a very popular kid. i was often bullied and picked on. it's hard to get a spot in a school show when nobody likes you or nobody wants to know you. i was such a dreary kid back then. but i got back into it during my 4th year 'coz i stopped caring about other people. so from that time onward i tried to join school activities every chance i got.

That's Good to hear, you've got quite the inspirational story there. Now your like a pop figure in school, yes?

I suppose so. i'd like to deny it humbly but if my classmates were to read this then they'd say i'm being lousy. I've been performing a lot in school, if anyone else would do the same then they'd be popular too, right? but i'm honestly not enjoying it.

oh? how come? you'd think a guy who was picked on during highschool would like that kind of treatment now.

well, I guess that's what it should be, but... no. Maybe it's exactly because of that reason. I was a social reject in highschool so i have more opinions about "popularity" than your average kid. When i started getting my spotlight my views didn't really change. I still think it's kind of distasteful to admire someone for popularity's sake. oh, and another thing, i'm more seen as a dancer than a singer.

Sounds ok to me. I wouldn't mind that kind of attention, but that's just me.

I'm just not satisfied with it. It's just like Michael Jackson, when people think MJ they think "Great dancer" when he was in fact a great performer, artist, song-writer, singer, producer, etc... That is what usually happens when you sing and dance, you get recognized according to your dancing prowess.

I get it now. I see your point, haha sorry i'm kinda guilty of that too. It's actually hard once you think about it.

That's exactly what i'm trying to do with this project. I'm trying to establish an art that is mine. Difference with this project with other LP's is that i'm not trying to create something that everyone can relate to, this project is very personal to me and i'm honestly being very selfish in making it that way. I don't wanna sing other people's stories or try to articulate what they feel, i'm trying to articulate what i feel and hope they catch on. we are all similar to an extent so good honest music should reach some atleast, right? I believe that Selfishness is a virtue in art.