Lani Misalucha was out of tune.
For months, she couldn’t sing at all. And for a singer, especially one known as ‘‘Asia’s Nightingale,’’ that might as well have been the end.
In 2020, Lani and her husband contracted bacterial meningitis. The illness ravaged their bodies and their senses.
“It was October 2020, that’s when my husband and I got bacterial meningitis,” the 55-year-old chanteuse recalled during the press conference for her upcoming concert. The infection left her partially deaf, with a vestibular disorder and constant tinnitus.
That kind of diagnosis is a death knell for any singer. But Lani’s story didn’t end there.
“It did affect my singing,” she said plainly. “So, nangyari yun no’ng 2020, and then 2021 talagang struggle talaga.”
Every note felt like a battlefield. “Parang I was like a child again,” she added, “trying to train myself and teach myself again to sing in this current situation.”
She couldn’t hear properly. Not herself. Not others.
“Everyone sounded shrill, piercing, and high-pitched,” she said. “That’s how we heard things during the first six months.”
“Voices weren’t just loud, they were painful. Disorienting. My right ear could barely function. It can only absorb very loud sounds,” she explained, “but they come out distorted.”
She tried to go on with life, but her spirit struggled. “Physically, ayaw mo nang kumilos,” she admitted. “You don’t want to socialize. You don’t want to talk to people.” She wondered if it was depression. “I don’t know if I’m going to admit it,” she said carefully. “Pero alam mo, it was hard to describe.”
Worse, she found herself off-key.
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “Nagsintunado talaga ako noon.”
For most, this would mean a quiet retirement or an elegant exit. But not for Lani.
“Acceptance. That’s really it,” she said. “Because if you can’t accept it, that’s it. You’re just going to end up feeling hurt.”
Instead of holding on to bitterness, she chose to rebuild — not quietly, but in full view, under the spotlight.
On Aug. 21, Lani will return to the concert stage with Still, Lani at The Theatre at Solaire. It’s her first major concert in five years. The show also marks her 40th year in music.
“But don’t call it a comeback. I call it a reclaiming,” she asserted.
Lani’s voice — the one that once shared the stage with Andrea Bocelli, held her own alongside Josh Groban, and soared through Las Vegas showrooms — is still here. That’s the message Lani wanted to share with her audience.
“I realized my voice was still strong,” she said. “I could still hit the high notes.” The same keys. The same power. No adjustments needed. “I didn’t lower the keys,” she added proudly.
She’s also debuting new “songs—“Timeless,” “My Love,” and “I Rise to the” Top”—titles that sound less like ballads and more like anthems for survival.
Still, Lani features musical direction by Ryan Cayabyab and concert direction by Calvin Murphy Neria. It is produced by Backstage Entertainment, a division of Backstage Manila.
