1996–1999: Career beginnings Misalucha sang "Ang Iibigin ay Ikaw" (written by Jimmy Borja), which was a finalist at the
Metro Manila Popular Music Festival, and later received the
Awit Award for Record of the Year. She recorded the album
More Than I Should for Alpha Records, featuring a title track written by Odette Quesada in 1990. The album included her cover of Fifth Dimension’s “Somebody Warm Like Me” and received 12 Katha Award nominations in 1997. The following year, she won the Minuro Endo Best Interpreter/Singer Award at the 3rd Asian Song Festival. Her song "Handle with Care" (written by Gideon Jungee Marcelo) won silver in the Best Original Song category. In 1998, Misalucha moved to
Viva Records and her album, with carrier single "Tunay na Mahal" (written by Freddie Saturno), made the charts and turned gold, later receiving the
Awit Award for Best Ballad Recording, Awit Award for Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist, and Katha Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Her cover of the 1966 song, "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" topped the Philippine charts in the same year. Misalucha's interpretation of "Can't Stop Loving You" (written by Dodjie Simon) won her songwriter the Grand Prize at the
1999 Metropop Song Festival. She was tapped to play the lead role of Sita in the S.K. Productions musical play entitled
Rama at Sita. In 1999, Misalucha also received Artist of the Year Award, Aliw Award for Best Lounge Act, Awit Award for Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist, and Awit Award Nomination for Best Stage Actress.
2000–2009: All Heart, Loving You and Las Vegas shows In 2000, Misalucha released the album
All Heart, a collection of love songs with the carrier single "One More Time" (written by Simon). The album also included songs written by some of the Philippines' contemporary composers, such as
Vehnee Saturno ("Ang Lahat Ng Ito Ay Para Sa Iyo"), Jimmy Borja ("Bukas Na Lang Kita Mamahalin"), and
Trina Belamide ("Save This Heart"). She became a semi-regular host in the Sunday noontime show
SOP (Sobrang Okey Pare) in 2001. Her first major solo concert in September 2001 at the
Araneta Coliseum was entitled "Lani Misalucha, The Crossover Live Tour" and was repeated at the Cultural Center of Philippines. These concerts received the Aliw Award for Best Major Concert by a Female Artist and the Tinig Award for Best Solo Performer. Her Crossover Live Concert album received the Platinum Award. In 2002, Misalucha continued to hold concerts in
Cebu City,
Bacolod,
Baguio,
Clark (
Angeles City), and
Davao City, as well as at OnStage Greenbelt,
Makati. Misalucha then held a U.S. concert tour, performing in
Reno,
San Diego,
Washington,
Las Vegas, New York City, Chicago,
Atlantic City,
Pasadena, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. of San Francisco declared August 17 "Lani Misalucha Day". Misalucha received the Aliw Award for Best Female Performance in Music Lounges, Bars, Clubs & Restaurants from 1999 to 2002. In 2002, she received Aliw "Entertainer of the Year". In addition, she won two Katha awards—Best Folk Song Vocal Performance and Best Traditional Song Vocal Performance for "Kasal Sa Kaluluwa" (2002). Misalucha released her fourth studio album, entitled
Loving You, in June 2003 with the singles "Tila" (written by Liza Diy) and "Malaya Ka Na" (written by Jimmy Antiporda). In November of the same year, she began a TV show entitled
Celebrity Turns with actor-comedian
Michael V. In 2004, Misalucha began increasingly focusing on family matters when her family relocated to the United States. After the release of her fourth album,
Loving You, Lani moved to the United States. Misalucha became the first Asian person to headline in a Main Showroom of the Las Vegas Strip, performing with Hawaii's premiere showband
Society of Seven at the
Jubilee Theatre of
Bally's Hotel and Casino. Her stint at Bally's ran for 15 months from August 7, 2004, to February 5, 2006, after which she and the Society of Seven moved to the Main Showroom of the Flamingo from August 2006 to April 13, 2008. In October 2006, Lani went back to the recording studio, doing covers of classics for a self-titled album, her fifth release. Lani returned to Philippines and held a live concert in Araneta Coliseum on March 17, 2007. The concert, titled Missing You, was attended by approximately 18,000 concertgoers. Misalucha re-appeared a few times on Philippine television starting on February 17, 2007, in the Sunday afternoon show
ASAP of
ABS-CBN (The Filipino Channel). In the latter part of May 2007, record label Viva re-released "Lani Misalucha Live Vol. 1 and 2". The two-volume recording contains previously released material mostly from her Crossover Live Tour albums, with various live performances from different albums within the Viva catalogue where she had appeared. By 2008, Lani was back in Vegas. At the 20th Awit Awards, her rendition of "I Live For Your Love" received Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist. In November 2008,
Universal Records released a Christmas CD titled
The Gift of Christmas. The album comes with a Bonus CD featuring the Minus-One of the entire album. In 2009, Lani starred in a show named "Voices", with
Earl Turner at the Las Vegas Hilton. Misalucha was the voice behind the version of Gary Valenciano's "Natutulog Ba Ang Diyos?" theme song of the ABS-CBN television soap opera that goes by the same title.
2010–present In October 2011, Misalucha debuted as the lead host of the first mainstream travel and lifestyle television show featuring Las Vegas, ''It's Vegas with Lani.'' Lani's popularity in Vegas led Mayor
Oscar Goodman to declare December 4 as Lani Misalucha Day, following the footsteps of Mayor
Willie L. Brown who had also previously declared August 17 as Lani Misalucha Day for San Francisco.
2020 In 2020, Misalucha contracted
bacterial meningitis and lost 90% of her hearing. ==Artistry==