MANY a career has been launched by talent and celebrity search shows. But few can sustain the discipline and endure the intrigues that go with the territory. Jennylyn Mercado has – gracefully and convincingly.

Recently, the 19-year-old StarStruck winner faced her worst ordeal yet. She said that the threatening text messages she has been receiving has escalated into death threats. In fact, when she launched her second album, Letting Go, at the Hard Rock Café at the Glorietta mall in Makati, her home network, GMA, and the mall provided her with armed bodyguards.

Jennylyn said she believes her stalker, who threatened to disfigure her by throwing acid on her face, was a woman. She also raised concerns that her stalker knew her schedule intimately.

While Jennylyn has continued to go about promoting her new album, which comes after a two year hiatus, she knows she has to take the threats seriously. She admits to being more careful when she goes about her business.

It seems both apt and ironic that her new album is indicative of the maturity and character she has mustered throughout her new hurdle. While the album contains the sugary ballads Jennylyn’s fans love her for, it also tests both her depth and mettle with musical forays into pop-rock and grooves that recall Shakira.

More Assured

Her first single, “Sa Aking Panaginip” sees Jennylyn singing with more assurance and more purity about love and loss and offers listeners a glimpse of a renewed star. Created by veteran songwriter Vehnee Saturno, the song gets the full orchestra treatment with Jennylyn funneling her rich voice as if declaring her valiant comeback and proving that she is a woman on a mission.

“Tanging Ikaw” and “Nalilimutan Mo Na Ba” recalls the syrup of old – formulaic but still effective. “Devil In Disguise” suggests a Shakira-like sexiness, with lyrics that may sound a little chilling given Jennylyn’s current circumstance. “What they don’t know, he makes me feel alive/I love the danger in his eyes.”

The title track, “The Art of Letting Go,” gets an acoustic treatment, which is different from the original. Here, Jennylyn sings with genuine sentiment about losing someone special. With tender guitars, a supple piano and delicate instrumentation, the song seems deliberately stark so that the focus remains on Jennylyn’s performance. It stands out as one of the best tracks on the album.

The bouncy energy evident early on continues on “No Way,” a Jonathan Ong number bordering on pop rock. Clearly, Jennylyn shows she can simulate edgy and dish out grit and angst in the manner of Lindsay Lohan on a musical bender.

“Kaya Mo Bang Ibalik” seems to be a standard track but as the song develops, Jennylyn reveals a certain depth that is so impressive for someone so young. Meanwhile, her version of “I’d Still Say Yes” manages to stay simple and sincere.

Jennylyn Mercado, Songwriter

To prove that she is stretching out, Jennylyn does her own song called “Pangako Mo.” Undaunted by the songwriting heavyweights contributing to her album, Jennylyn succeeds in creating a connection with her listeners due mainly to her simple but effective lyrics.

Jennylyn closes the album with the lush “Moments of Love,” a radio favorite. Her newfound confidence and maturity are in full force throughout what is shaping up to be the loveliest ballad thus far.

Clearly, Letting Go is testimony to Jennylyn’s individuality and her belief that deep within her, she is capable of producing great music. While she continues to remain everyone’s girl next door, her new album suggests that she too could be the girl farther down the block. Not unlike the extreme example of her real-life stalking.