MARLO MORTEL TO MAKE HIS MOTHER PROUD WITH FIRST MAJOR CONCERT AT THE MUSIC MUSEUM

It's been said that there are two ways you can go with pain. You can let it destroy you

or you can use it as fuel to drive you. Actor, singer and TV host Marlo Mortel has been

through a lot in the last couple of years, but instead of letting his pain destroy him

he used it to fuel his dreams.

On October 26, Marlo will stage  ImMORTELized, his first major solo concert at the Music Museum. The last time he performed there, he did so with Bryan Santos, Joseph Marco and Michael Pangilinan-the other members of the boy band Harana.

As part of the group, Marlo had hit singles and a sold-out concert. Now that he's finally striking out on his own, he hopes his first solo outing on the local concert

scene will draw as big a crowd as Harana's show did. Not only is he eager to show

people the full range of his talents, but he also wants to make his family proud.

It's no secret that Marlo and his family have been through a lot in the last year

or so. His beloved mother Merlie Pamintuan succumbed to breast cancer last August

24. Marlo and his mother were very close, and her passing hit him and the rest of

their family very hard.

But to his credit, Marlo is holding up well under the circumstances. He could

have let pain overwhelm him, but he didn't. Instead, he found a way to use his grief

to spur himself on to greater heights.

He has been working harder than ever to support his family. Aside from hosting

a segment on Umagang Kay Ganda, he has also been working on movies as well as

recording material for his debut solo album. Earlier this year, he released "I Pray,"

which he dedicated to his late mother. Last month, Marlo dropped the track "Sana

lkaw Na Nga." A music video for it recently premiered on MYX and YouTube.

Both songs will be among those Marlo will perform during the show. It will be

directed by Marvin Caldito, with musical direction by Adonis Tabanda. Elisse Joson,

John Roa, LA Santos and Sue Ramirez are slated to guest. ImMORTELized is sponsored

by the Calayan Surgicentre and Megasoft.

Marlo's mother may have passed on, but

she's surely looking down on her son

with pride as he makes his debut as the OPM concert scene's newest solo star.