Untouched 'Reginity'

By J. Hanzel M. Villafuerte
Star Studio Magazine
April 15, 2000

After 15 years in the business, Regine Velasquez has very little left to prove except perhaps, that she can find the right man at last.

After watching a Coco Lee show in Hong Kong, a Filipino journalist remarked: "She (Coco Lee) is good, but Regine is a much better performer. If Regine wold only be given the same breaks, she could definitely make it in the international scene."

A Filipino journalist saying that about a Filipino singer? Perhaps taken with a grain of salt, yes. But no matter what anyone says, Filipino or not, Regine Velasquez is definitely a talent to reckon with. After 15 years in the business, she has very little left to prove.

She is one of the country's most popular female singers, a known hit-maker, concert artist, TV host, and actress. She has recorded more than a dozen albums, some of w/c chalked sales abroad. Her last two albums, 1998's "Drawn" and 1999's "R2K" copped platinum awards within months of their release.

She is popular concert performer both here and abroad, and is one of the few Filipino artists who have set foot in the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York. Her concerts here are sold-out affairs; any free concert she stages (like her recent Valentine's Day show at the Glorietta) draws hordes of people. And her forthcoming major concert this year at the Araneta Coliseum, produced by Viva Concerts, set on April 7 and 8 will most likely set a new record in the local concert scene.

She is also a trendsetter and trailblazer. She was one of the first local artists to try and direct her own concerts and videos. She's also one of the first to produce her own album "R2K." It marked the first album by a local artist to have a companion VCD (video compact disc) with videos of six songs from the album, including the carrier single "On the Wings of Love," and its own full-color magazine with photos of Regine taken by the country's noted photographers like Pancho Escaler, Jun de Leon and Ronnie Salvacion.

Moreover, Regine is one of the few singers who have successfully crossed over the acting arena . Regine's entry into the movies sealed whatever gap there was between her and the masa. She has done several movies with some of Philippine cinema's most talented actors for leading men-the likes of Drama King Christopher de Leon and Aga Muhlach. Being a singer, she is most at home with musicals, but her cheerful, happy personality makes her a natural for comedies and light romance-dramas such as "Wanted: Perfect Mother" (with Christopher de Leon and "Dahil May Isang Ikaw" (with Aga Muhlach).

But perhaps the most amazing thing about the phenomenon that is Regine is her staying- all 15 years of it. Starting as a 16-year-old ingenue a decade and a half ago, she has truly come a long way. Originally known as a belter, Regine has learned to control her powerful voice to be able to interpret songs that require sensitivity and vocal artistry.

Regine believes in the adage that when you stop being better, you stop being good. Whether it's her music, acting, concertizing, or recording, she never does anything half-heartedly. If there's a way of doing anything better, trust that she'll do it that way. "I think that's the artist in me," she says. "I love to do things, to create and to make things happen. I'll try anything at least once. I guess that's why I've lasted this long in the business."

Neither will she rest on her laurels. Her plans include writing songs and producing albums for other artists, starting with a song she is planning to write for young singer-actress Antionette Taus. She also has in mind her younger sister Cacai. "I see this as the next logical step after producing my album," says Regine. "After proving to myself that I can do it, I want to try something else naman also because I'm not getting any younger."

For Regine, it's all about sharing her talents. "I'm very blessed to have been given so much. Through my singing, I've gained so much that I feel I have to help others as my way of giving back what I have received."

Inevitably, the subject turns out to her love life for as she herself says she's "not getting any younger." With a blank stare she replies: "Next question, please."