February 14, 1995
Mr. and Ms.
Ariel Rivera fell in love with Regine Velasquez and Regine fell in love with Ariel…now is falling in love such a crime? Maybe. Maybe not. The point is they did…fall.
Hesitant to delve in his relationship with Regine because of his abrupt parting with actress Gelli, Ariel has been issuing short, clipped, one-sentence, one-word answers to questions from reporters pertaining to his and Regine's very controversial romance.
They should be given a fair trial rather than being adjudged. It's unfair. "We can't say anything about it because it's their opinion. I mean, I can't change that and no matter what I do, that's how they feel. I can't do anything about it. Right now, I'm just keeping quiet 'cause I don't want to say anything…first of all, I've nothing naman against them," Regine reveals, a bit misty eyed.
Ariel mutters, "I think it will just die down naturally."
In the studio of Jun de Leon, Ariel and Regine would rather be somewhere else than being interviewed. Their voices were close to a whisper. Hesitant.
Regine starts, "Actually, it has something to do with music also…doon nag-start, when we worked together, got to know each other." "Nung one time, nag-show kami, yung Two Hearts, One Beat…we had to talk, of course. Kaming dalawa yung magkasama. And yung show kasi was like a play, a love story so siyempre kailangan talagang may rapport," says she.
Ariel adds, "During the show, we had to almost show true emotions so that the people can believe…" "That we're in love…only acting, of course." Regine butts in. "Basta paggising ko nalang isang umaga…ah okay 'yun na pala yun," relating how she realized she was already in love with Ariel. "We started out as friends…we didn't know it would turn on this way. Basta it did."
"What I like about him?" she muses. "First of all he's very mature. I like that kasi parang I haven't had any experience about, you know, relationships, and life in general. I mean I would like to think that I'm mature, but I'm not that experienced in life and somehow he is. He's gone through a lot already so that's what I'm looking for." "Isa pa, he's very malambing, very caring, very very good person. And also, the biggest thing I like about him is the way he treats his family. I love my family and when I see him, actually I see my father."
"My ideal man is my father, he's my idol. The reason why I didn't have any boyfriend is because I tend to compare men to my father, 'caue he's a super great man. I've been looking for that, which I saw in Ariel. " she reflects.
Ariel on Regine: "I like her simplicity, her outlook in life…her childlike qualities, her bubbly personality, her respect for her elders."
He whispers, "I love her lips. Everytime we're doing a concert, she always gets mad at me because everytime we sing together, I always stare at her lips, she always looks into my eyes, well ur supposed to look at the eye, but me, I look at her lips and she gets conscious." Ariel reveals.
Regine and Ariel common little things: He says, "We're very similar in our upbringing although I grew up in Canada…it's basically the same, how I've grown, how she's grown. We're both very, very close to our family, whatever we do, we consider our family first, that's our basic similarity.
But does he still communicates with GELLI? "LET'S NOT MENTION ANY NAMES," he requested.
"With me, I want to be friends first and be developed to lvoe and we'll go fine together. When you're friends you'll get to know the person unlike when courting all the good qualities are brought out and are only shown," she says. "There comes a time when u want to get hold of ur life, I just want to be happy." Ariel says.
"I call him Ariel, what else should I call him?" Regine says laughing. 'Honey' is one suggestion, 'Sweetheart', 'Babes'…I call her Reg," he reveals.
"Our priority is our careers. Just because we're together doesn't mean we have to be attached all the time. That's overdone." she enthuses. "That's where the efforts come in, the schedules, we have to try harder." "What's important in a relationship is communication 'coz it's base on trust." Regine replies.
Ariel and Regine have fallen in love at the wrong time, but one thing is for sure as they left the studio with hands entwined, both looking at each other, undoubtedly, caught up in each other's spell. They're madly in love. And that's that.
Tuesday, February 14, 1995
Sunday, December 04, 1994
Regine, director
By Leah Salterio-Gatdula
Inquirer
December, 1994
She's not just performing this time. She's also directing her show."For the first time in my entire concert career, I became involved in my show, from the concept to the choice of songs, guests (Dessa and Jungee Marcelo) and dancers (Hotlegs)," says Regine whose concert series, "Regine Animated," is going on at Music Museum.
"Even the back-up singers (Aperitif), ako ang pumili. I also helped in writing the spiels. Most of the ideas really came from me and I'm really thrilled dahil ako talaga ang nasunod for my own show. This time, no one told me what to do. I am the one who told them what I wanted to do."Regine is doing the six-night Music Museum gig (with remaining performances tonight, to morrow night and on Dec. 15, 16, 17) in lieu of a major concert, an event anticipated by many of her fans every year.
"I was really se to do a big show, kaya lang, I was often out of the country so I didn't have the time to really sit down and plan about it," says Regine. "Compared to a major concert, this series is more relaxed and more candid. But it's more demanding because I am performing for three consecutive nights in a week. Ngayon ko lang ginawa ang ganitong klaseng performance schedule."For her guest in "Animated," Regine has chosen Dessa, with whom she is sharing the stage for the first time. So with the two belters onstage (duetting in "His Eyes Are on the Sparrow,"), the audience can surely expect a showdown of vocal histrionics. But Regine points out she and Dessa are not out to upstage each other.
"This is not a showdown in any way, since I believe that our singing styles complement each other. I think our voices will sound good together," maintains Regine.Regine will also perform with rapper Jungee Marcelo. "Bilib ako sa kanya. He has worked with Gary and has written some of his songs. So when I told the production people I wanted a rapper for the show, I readily gave Jungee's name," says Regine.
Her repertoire consists mostly of songs from the '80s which are given a '90s sound. "When we were doing the lineup, I suggested a number of songs to my musical director (Jimmy Antriporda) and to my manager (Ronnie Henares), " Regine shares. "We decided to concentrate more on the '80s because that's really my era. Most of the songs I'm going to perform are pieces which I've never done before. Ako talaga ang nag-decide ng final lineup."
For the latter half of the year Regine has been busy with several trips abroad. She has gone to Taiwan and Thailand to promote her "Listen Without Prejudice" album (under PolyGram Far East), which has taken the Asian music market by storm. The pop outing contains the hit duet "In Live With You," which Regine recorded in Hong Kong with Chinese pop superstar Jacky Cheung.Last month, Regine also did a three-city performance tour in the US (Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York), with Ariel Rivera.
But for this Bulakena lass who has carved her niche in the local music scene, there's no other more fitting way to end the year than with a solo concert, which also serves as a Christmas treat to her fans.
Inquirer
December, 1994
She's not just performing this time. She's also directing her show."For the first time in my entire concert career, I became involved in my show, from the concept to the choice of songs, guests (Dessa and Jungee Marcelo) and dancers (Hotlegs)," says Regine whose concert series, "Regine Animated," is going on at Music Museum.
"Even the back-up singers (Aperitif), ako ang pumili. I also helped in writing the spiels. Most of the ideas really came from me and I'm really thrilled dahil ako talaga ang nasunod for my own show. This time, no one told me what to do. I am the one who told them what I wanted to do."Regine is doing the six-night Music Museum gig (with remaining performances tonight, to morrow night and on Dec. 15, 16, 17) in lieu of a major concert, an event anticipated by many of her fans every year.
"I was really se to do a big show, kaya lang, I was often out of the country so I didn't have the time to really sit down and plan about it," says Regine. "Compared to a major concert, this series is more relaxed and more candid. But it's more demanding because I am performing for three consecutive nights in a week. Ngayon ko lang ginawa ang ganitong klaseng performance schedule."For her guest in "Animated," Regine has chosen Dessa, with whom she is sharing the stage for the first time. So with the two belters onstage (duetting in "His Eyes Are on the Sparrow,"), the audience can surely expect a showdown of vocal histrionics. But Regine points out she and Dessa are not out to upstage each other.
"This is not a showdown in any way, since I believe that our singing styles complement each other. I think our voices will sound good together," maintains Regine.Regine will also perform with rapper Jungee Marcelo. "Bilib ako sa kanya. He has worked with Gary and has written some of his songs. So when I told the production people I wanted a rapper for the show, I readily gave Jungee's name," says Regine.
Her repertoire consists mostly of songs from the '80s which are given a '90s sound. "When we were doing the lineup, I suggested a number of songs to my musical director (Jimmy Antriporda) and to my manager (Ronnie Henares), " Regine shares. "We decided to concentrate more on the '80s because that's really my era. Most of the songs I'm going to perform are pieces which I've never done before. Ako talaga ang nag-decide ng final lineup."
For the latter half of the year Regine has been busy with several trips abroad. She has gone to Taiwan and Thailand to promote her "Listen Without Prejudice" album (under PolyGram Far East), which has taken the Asian music market by storm. The pop outing contains the hit duet "In Live With You," which Regine recorded in Hong Kong with Chinese pop superstar Jacky Cheung.Last month, Regine also did a three-city performance tour in the US (Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York), with Ariel Rivera.
But for this Bulakena lass who has carved her niche in the local music scene, there's no other more fitting way to end the year than with a solo concert, which also serves as a Christmas treat to her fans.
Wednesday, November 23, 1994
Regine, Naturally
by Rai Bihis
Woman's Home Companion
November 23, 1994
I have an appointment for an interview this afternoon. I still have to try on my dresses tonight's show. And I still have to test the sound equipment. Busy, busy, busy. Time seems to runs so fast. I hate being late. Recordings, concerts, TV appearances, tapings...a maddeningly hectic schedule. But I don't lose my direction. I go about things with a big smile. I feel terrible when I'm bitchy.
I follow a very simple rule: I just want to be peaceful and happy, and make others happy; I go along with the wind-harmony more than opposition. I don't trust people too easily, but I am deeply loyal to my friends. I also believe that one ought to be polite, even to one's enemies. Making yourself happy is done by pouring out your soul, your efforts. That is why I'm trying very hard to open up, mingle more with people. I know that I can't live in a box forever. For me to know people, they also have to know me; so I must share myself.
So when I perform, I make sure I give 100% effort, 110% if possible. I owe it to myself t be the best that I can be; to my family who has led me to where I am now; most especially to my fans who deserve nothing less than the best.
When I sing, it is very hard for people to believe that it is really I singing. They cannot believe how such a lean, petite frame can yield so much power, so much energy. They can't believe my age either. I'm told that I'm too young to be true. It comes as naturally as my instincts; I simply want to sing. I just think of all the bursting joy in my heart that I want to share with people, from the thoughts of my family and my home that is ever so close in my heart. Those beautiful thoughts lead me back to my early childhood days when my father used to bring me to the sea each day to sing with the raging waves and the powerful wind. My family thought ahead; and they have supported me throughout. My hone in Tabang, Bulacan is always fresh in my mind.
My memories never allow me to forget who I am. I am Regine Velasquez. Not quite a long way from wanting to help out my family though the amateur contests I joined in as a kid and a young teenager. Bagong Kampeon was the last one; Penthouse Live gave me my first appearance. And I won my first international award at the Asia Pacific Songfest in 1989. Primeline, Inc. has launched me as a professional singer since then.
I could not believe my ears when I heard my first recording; nor my eyes when I saw pictures in publicity materials. I have always wanted to sing; and I was just so overwhelmed, and thankful for the breaks I got. I know that there are so many talented artists, so many talented Filipinos. However, only a few are given a break. I am so lucky; I prayed and God replied with answers greater than I imagined.
Indeed, I am enjoying showbiz life; it's such fun. It's just that I feel uncomfortable with the recognition factor. I guess fame has not gotten into my head -- and I don't think it will. That's why I don't want to be segregated from the public the way superstars ought to be; I'd like to have a normal life outside of showbiz work. I feel flattered when fans approach me; but just like anybody else, I also want to go out with my family and friends, without having to attend to other matters. Sometimes, I need to be on my own, to have my own privacy.
I am not perfect, I also make mistakes. When I have concerts, my shoes somehow keep on slipping high in the air to the cheers of the welcoming crowd.
I'd like to believe that I am now established in showbiz so somehow, I must really be talented. But the better, and harder, part of show business is the fact that I constantly have to learn a lot of things. I try to sing different types music and keep using alternative styles. I can't be stagnant; I have to grown and find out what more I can do, what more I can share. I try not to make the changes drastic, but I make sure that I improve one way or another. One day, I will come up with a style that's my very own, a Regine Velasquez original innovation.
Showbiz, you see, is exciting but fast-paced. If you don't leave room for improvement, you become obsolete. There are some constant factors brought about by tradition, but the rest changes whether you like it or not.
Success comes with change. Success comes with timing. Each man has his own time; changes and improvements will have to be done in accordance with the proper time. Until such time when all things pass and the natural process of fading occurs. Fading, mind you, is not a failure at all. It's another phase of change, of moving to another stage, to another area. It's the next chapter of this exhilarating novel that is life.
I know I won't be around forever. So when the time comes for me to step down, I wish to do it gracefully. Others need a break, too.
One must be carefully successful even in ascending and descending from the throne. That is why it is important to keep oneself together, not to let success and fame get into one's head. Don't give up either. Those are two of the points where failure begins. And failure eats you up chunk by chunk without your even knowing it. I should know, I've felt it so many times, although I've never really been able to exactly define failure is. Trials and misfortunes may make us, to teach us to swim and struggle. failure is when you give in. You have to keep moving on. As long as you're alive, hope is there. There's always another chance to change; learn from your mistakes.
You'd better be dead if you lose hope or stop trying or refuse to learn from your mistakes.
This is why even if I am given the power to change anything in the world. I'd still want to go through the same experiences all over again just to be where I am now, to be who I am now.
I still want to be the same Regine Velasquez who feels somewhat starstruck or excited when I get a chance to perform with or meet my idols (especially Gary V., Martin Nievera and Janno Gibbs).
I still want to be the same Regine Velasquez with a handwriting like possess my seven demons.
I still want to be the all-natural Regine who admits it when she's wrong, then really apologizes to the people concerned.
Five or ten years from now, I hope that I'll still be singing, that I can establish myself in the whole Asian region. Or start a business of my own. I also would like to have more time for myself. I hope to be married, too; but I don't know how I'll do that just now because I am interested in my career at the moment more than anything else.
Speaking of marriage, before I settle down, I've already thought about my Prince Charming. First, we must have chemistry; more importantly, the man must be my very good friend (couples ought to be good friends, too , so they can understand each other easily), trusty, and dependable, someone loyal and devoted, someone who'll defend me and be proud of me, rather that be jealous.
Hopefully, he'll look like Mel Gibson.Yep, just like everyone else, I also get excited when I see my crushes. I'm also afraid of certain things at times. I'm as human as everyone else, stage glamour or not. And I'll always be Regine Velasquez...naturally.
Woman's Home Companion
November 23, 1994
I have an appointment for an interview this afternoon. I still have to try on my dresses tonight's show. And I still have to test the sound equipment. Busy, busy, busy. Time seems to runs so fast. I hate being late. Recordings, concerts, TV appearances, tapings...a maddeningly hectic schedule. But I don't lose my direction. I go about things with a big smile. I feel terrible when I'm bitchy.
I follow a very simple rule: I just want to be peaceful and happy, and make others happy; I go along with the wind-harmony more than opposition. I don't trust people too easily, but I am deeply loyal to my friends. I also believe that one ought to be polite, even to one's enemies. Making yourself happy is done by pouring out your soul, your efforts. That is why I'm trying very hard to open up, mingle more with people. I know that I can't live in a box forever. For me to know people, they also have to know me; so I must share myself.
So when I perform, I make sure I give 100% effort, 110% if possible. I owe it to myself t be the best that I can be; to my family who has led me to where I am now; most especially to my fans who deserve nothing less than the best.
When I sing, it is very hard for people to believe that it is really I singing. They cannot believe how such a lean, petite frame can yield so much power, so much energy. They can't believe my age either. I'm told that I'm too young to be true. It comes as naturally as my instincts; I simply want to sing. I just think of all the bursting joy in my heart that I want to share with people, from the thoughts of my family and my home that is ever so close in my heart. Those beautiful thoughts lead me back to my early childhood days when my father used to bring me to the sea each day to sing with the raging waves and the powerful wind. My family thought ahead; and they have supported me throughout. My hone in Tabang, Bulacan is always fresh in my mind.
My memories never allow me to forget who I am. I am Regine Velasquez. Not quite a long way from wanting to help out my family though the amateur contests I joined in as a kid and a young teenager. Bagong Kampeon was the last one; Penthouse Live gave me my first appearance. And I won my first international award at the Asia Pacific Songfest in 1989. Primeline, Inc. has launched me as a professional singer since then.
I could not believe my ears when I heard my first recording; nor my eyes when I saw pictures in publicity materials. I have always wanted to sing; and I was just so overwhelmed, and thankful for the breaks I got. I know that there are so many talented artists, so many talented Filipinos. However, only a few are given a break. I am so lucky; I prayed and God replied with answers greater than I imagined.
Indeed, I am enjoying showbiz life; it's such fun. It's just that I feel uncomfortable with the recognition factor. I guess fame has not gotten into my head -- and I don't think it will. That's why I don't want to be segregated from the public the way superstars ought to be; I'd like to have a normal life outside of showbiz work. I feel flattered when fans approach me; but just like anybody else, I also want to go out with my family and friends, without having to attend to other matters. Sometimes, I need to be on my own, to have my own privacy.
I am not perfect, I also make mistakes. When I have concerts, my shoes somehow keep on slipping high in the air to the cheers of the welcoming crowd.
I'd like to believe that I am now established in showbiz so somehow, I must really be talented. But the better, and harder, part of show business is the fact that I constantly have to learn a lot of things. I try to sing different types music and keep using alternative styles. I can't be stagnant; I have to grown and find out what more I can do, what more I can share. I try not to make the changes drastic, but I make sure that I improve one way or another. One day, I will come up with a style that's my very own, a Regine Velasquez original innovation.
Showbiz, you see, is exciting but fast-paced. If you don't leave room for improvement, you become obsolete. There are some constant factors brought about by tradition, but the rest changes whether you like it or not.
Success comes with change. Success comes with timing. Each man has his own time; changes and improvements will have to be done in accordance with the proper time. Until such time when all things pass and the natural process of fading occurs. Fading, mind you, is not a failure at all. It's another phase of change, of moving to another stage, to another area. It's the next chapter of this exhilarating novel that is life.
I know I won't be around forever. So when the time comes for me to step down, I wish to do it gracefully. Others need a break, too.
One must be carefully successful even in ascending and descending from the throne. That is why it is important to keep oneself together, not to let success and fame get into one's head. Don't give up either. Those are two of the points where failure begins. And failure eats you up chunk by chunk without your even knowing it. I should know, I've felt it so many times, although I've never really been able to exactly define failure is. Trials and misfortunes may make us, to teach us to swim and struggle. failure is when you give in. You have to keep moving on. As long as you're alive, hope is there. There's always another chance to change; learn from your mistakes.
You'd better be dead if you lose hope or stop trying or refuse to learn from your mistakes.
This is why even if I am given the power to change anything in the world. I'd still want to go through the same experiences all over again just to be where I am now, to be who I am now.
I still want to be the same Regine Velasquez who feels somewhat starstruck or excited when I get a chance to perform with or meet my idols (especially Gary V., Martin Nievera and Janno Gibbs).
I still want to be the same Regine Velasquez with a handwriting like possess my seven demons.
I still want to be the all-natural Regine who admits it when she's wrong, then really apologizes to the people concerned.
Five or ten years from now, I hope that I'll still be singing, that I can establish myself in the whole Asian region. Or start a business of my own. I also would like to have more time for myself. I hope to be married, too; but I don't know how I'll do that just now because I am interested in my career at the moment more than anything else.
Speaking of marriage, before I settle down, I've already thought about my Prince Charming. First, we must have chemistry; more importantly, the man must be my very good friend (couples ought to be good friends, too , so they can understand each other easily), trusty, and dependable, someone loyal and devoted, someone who'll defend me and be proud of me, rather that be jealous.
Hopefully, he'll look like Mel Gibson.Yep, just like everyone else, I also get excited when I see my crushes. I'm also afraid of certain things at times. I'm as human as everyone else, stage glamour or not. And I'll always be Regine Velasquez...naturally.
Thursday, March 11, 1993
Successful Musical Partnership
by Leah Salterio-Gatdula
PDI
March 11, 1993
Just when others thought that the celebrated singing tandem Regine Velasquez and Janno Gibbs is slowly waning, the duo reinforced their popularity with a hit revival of Magkasuyo Buong Gabi. The song soared to the top of the local music harts and radio playlists, thus making Regine and Janno the singing team to reckon with.
The chemistry was discovered a few years back, when Regine and Janno first shared the limelight in a concept show, Framed, at the now-defunct Rizal Theater. In that back-to-back presentation, the singing upstarts displayed their innate talents. And with their complementing voices and stage rapport, a musical partnership was born.
It was actually the idea of their manager Ronnie Henares (of Primeline, Inc.), to put the two entertainers in one concert which would highlight their respective talents. Surprisingly enough, the Regine-Janno tandem has clicked with the music fans. And since the two artists belong to the same management company, it wasn't hard to push them as a singing duo.
Framed was such a well-received show that in 1991, Regine and Janno teamed up anew in the successful Valentine stage venture Foolish Hearts (at the PICC). That same year, they also shared stellar billing in a musical play, Kenkoy Loves Rosing (based on Tony Velasquez's popular cartoon strip).
Since then, Regine and Janno have become "inseparable." Whenever Regine would hold a concert - be it in an intimate place like the Mandarin's Captain's Bar or in a major venue like the FAT -Janno would gladly oblige to guest and do a song number with her. And vice versa.
While other team-ups rely on constant publicity gimmicks or make-believe romantic flings, Regine and Janno refuse to abide those "rules." In the first place, Janno is married to singer-actress Bing Loyzaga, although Regine has yet to find her "prince charming."
Secondly, "He is not my type and he's the same with me." the Bulakena lass maintains. "That's why they can not link us romantically."
But their professional musical partnership has endured. What gives?
Friendship seems to be the secret of these two artists. "The nice thing about Janno is that we're friends," Regine grants. "we've been friends for such a long time and that helps a lot when we work. We learn a lot from one another. Onstage, we complement each other. Vocally-wise, we're suitable. We're really very comfortable with each other when we perform. I'm not nervous when I'm with him."
She has a perennial complaint though, about her singing partner. "I just hate it when Janno's late," she mutters. "Acutally, he is never early. And he lives here in Manila, he always makes me wait for our commitments and I'd go here all the way from Bulacan. I've slapped him twice already because he's always late, but it's nothing to him. He'll beg for apology, but next time, he'll be late again!"
Happily, Regine and Janno, who are now both contract artist of Cosmic Records, have also trail blazed respective successful careers. for her part, Regine has gained a considerable headway with her successful major concerts in big venues like the Folk Arts and ULTRA. She has also several hit single and record awards to boot.
The two young performer will again prove their mettle onstage in a concert aptly titled Dream Team, on Saturday, March 13 at the Folk Arts Theater. As in their previous shows together, Regine and Janno will once again prove their own kind of musical - and comical partnership.
Directed by Freddie Santos, Dream Team will have Homer Flores as musical director and Christine Blando as choreographer. Also featured in the show are the eight member a capella group, The Tux and the Hotlegs Dancers, with surprise guest appearances of to basketball stars.
The duo assures the audience of highly entertaining show in Dream Team ."You'll be surprised in our opening number," Regine and Janno chorus. "They'll enjoy the repertoire which we prepared especially for this show. We'll be doing some songs with the Tux and a production number with the basketball stars."
Dream Team is a production of Various Artists, in cooperation with Primeline, Inc.
PDI
March 11, 1993
Just when others thought that the celebrated singing tandem Regine Velasquez and Janno Gibbs is slowly waning, the duo reinforced their popularity with a hit revival of Magkasuyo Buong Gabi. The song soared to the top of the local music harts and radio playlists, thus making Regine and Janno the singing team to reckon with.
The chemistry was discovered a few years back, when Regine and Janno first shared the limelight in a concept show, Framed, at the now-defunct Rizal Theater. In that back-to-back presentation, the singing upstarts displayed their innate talents. And with their complementing voices and stage rapport, a musical partnership was born.
It was actually the idea of their manager Ronnie Henares (of Primeline, Inc.), to put the two entertainers in one concert which would highlight their respective talents. Surprisingly enough, the Regine-Janno tandem has clicked with the music fans. And since the two artists belong to the same management company, it wasn't hard to push them as a singing duo.
Framed was such a well-received show that in 1991, Regine and Janno teamed up anew in the successful Valentine stage venture Foolish Hearts (at the PICC). That same year, they also shared stellar billing in a musical play, Kenkoy Loves Rosing (based on Tony Velasquez's popular cartoon strip).
Since then, Regine and Janno have become "inseparable." Whenever Regine would hold a concert - be it in an intimate place like the Mandarin's Captain's Bar or in a major venue like the FAT -Janno would gladly oblige to guest and do a song number with her. And vice versa.
While other team-ups rely on constant publicity gimmicks or make-believe romantic flings, Regine and Janno refuse to abide those "rules." In the first place, Janno is married to singer-actress Bing Loyzaga, although Regine has yet to find her "prince charming."
Secondly, "He is not my type and he's the same with me." the Bulakena lass maintains. "That's why they can not link us romantically."
But their professional musical partnership has endured. What gives?
Friendship seems to be the secret of these two artists. "The nice thing about Janno is that we're friends," Regine grants. "we've been friends for such a long time and that helps a lot when we work. We learn a lot from one another. Onstage, we complement each other. Vocally-wise, we're suitable. We're really very comfortable with each other when we perform. I'm not nervous when I'm with him."
She has a perennial complaint though, about her singing partner. "I just hate it when Janno's late," she mutters. "Acutally, he is never early. And he lives here in Manila, he always makes me wait for our commitments and I'd go here all the way from Bulacan. I've slapped him twice already because he's always late, but it's nothing to him. He'll beg for apology, but next time, he'll be late again!"
Happily, Regine and Janno, who are now both contract artist of Cosmic Records, have also trail blazed respective successful careers. for her part, Regine has gained a considerable headway with her successful major concerts in big venues like the Folk Arts and ULTRA. She has also several hit single and record awards to boot.
The two young performer will again prove their mettle onstage in a concert aptly titled Dream Team, on Saturday, March 13 at the Folk Arts Theater. As in their previous shows together, Regine and Janno will once again prove their own kind of musical - and comical partnership.
Directed by Freddie Santos, Dream Team will have Homer Flores as musical director and Christine Blando as choreographer. Also featured in the show are the eight member a capella group, The Tux and the Hotlegs Dancers, with surprise guest appearances of to basketball stars.
The duo assures the audience of highly entertaining show in Dream Team ."You'll be surprised in our opening number," Regine and Janno chorus. "They'll enjoy the repertoire which we prepared especially for this show. We'll be doing some songs with the Tux and a production number with the basketball stars."
Dream Team is a production of Various Artists, in cooperation with Primeline, Inc.
Friday, July 10, 1992
What other artists say about Regine
Regine Velasquez was only 14 when she won first place in the amateur singing contest on television's Bagong Kampeon in 1984. She shed tears of triumph as she sang her winning song, "In Your Eyes," at the end of the show. It was the culmination of all the years she had spent joining and winning singing contests in remote barrios and provinces, and the start of her showbiz career.
On July 14, Regine celebrates her sixth year as an entertainer with a concert at the FAT.
Columnist Larry Henares once described Regine as "a voice unbounded that soars and lingers and lights up the world, with so young and so pretty face."
What do her colleagues say about her?
"The ultimate singer. I said it once, I'll say it again. She's the best singer in the country, maybe even the world." - Martin Nievera.
"I know talent when I see one and again my instinct proves me right with Regine. She' got talent and sincerity in her craft. I wish her all the best in her upcoming concert at FAT." - Kuh Ledesma.
"When I had my Birthday Blow-Out concert at the ULTRA in 1987, I guested her because I believe that among the new breed of singers she has what it takes to make it big. I was right. After giving birth, I did 'Bakbakan' with her and the series "String Fever." The nicest thing about Regine is her attitude towards her singing career. Walang maraming arte dahil alam niyang kaya niya kahit ano but you could see the humility that is very evident." - Joey Albert.
"Regine is one very good singer. She has a powerful voice. Tamang-tama lang yung timing ng pagmamature niya sa kanyang career. For her age, it is quite unusual na ma-reach niya yung peak ng kanyang singing career compared to her contemporaries. And we are very sure that she is going to maintain her status as Class A singer." - Apo Hiking Soceity
"As a person, Regine has a captivating child-like quality about her. As a singer, she's at once delicate and powerful with a voice that lingers long after the song is over." - Jose Mari Chan
On July 14, Regine celebrates her sixth year as an entertainer with a concert at the FAT.
Columnist Larry Henares once described Regine as "a voice unbounded that soars and lingers and lights up the world, with so young and so pretty face."
What do her colleagues say about her?
"The ultimate singer. I said it once, I'll say it again. She's the best singer in the country, maybe even the world." - Martin Nievera.
"I know talent when I see one and again my instinct proves me right with Regine. She' got talent and sincerity in her craft. I wish her all the best in her upcoming concert at FAT." - Kuh Ledesma.
"When I had my Birthday Blow-Out concert at the ULTRA in 1987, I guested her because I believe that among the new breed of singers she has what it takes to make it big. I was right. After giving birth, I did 'Bakbakan' with her and the series "String Fever." The nicest thing about Regine is her attitude towards her singing career. Walang maraming arte dahil alam niyang kaya niya kahit ano but you could see the humility that is very evident." - Joey Albert.
"Regine is one very good singer. She has a powerful voice. Tamang-tama lang yung timing ng pagmamature niya sa kanyang career. For her age, it is quite unusual na ma-reach niya yung peak ng kanyang singing career compared to her contemporaries. And we are very sure that she is going to maintain her status as Class A singer." - Apo Hiking Soceity
"As a person, Regine has a captivating child-like quality about her. As a singer, she's at once delicate and powerful with a voice that lingers long after the song is over." - Jose Mari Chan
Friday, May 15, 1992
The Songbird in Regine Velasquez
By Ivy Lisa F. Mendoza
Manila Bulletin
May 15, 1992
Of course, she loves Barbara Streisand - she idolizes her, she sings her. Her repertoires are never sans Streisand top hits. She often opens her shows with Streisand songs. And if the public clamors for more, her encore number is usually a Streisand original. But you see, Regine Velasquez has all reasons.
One of the very few local singers who could give justice to any Streisand ballad, Regine has the "K" (read: the right) to render these songs which are meant to torture the vocal chords of a pretender. In fact, this 22-year old Bulakena sometimes goes positively overboard, singing a pitch higher than the Streisand original.
In her ongoing concert series at the Captain Bar of the Mandarin Oriental (the last night will be tomorrow night, May 16, at 10 p.m.) dubbed as "Songbird" and "On My Way to You." When you hear Regine render the latter song, while a spotlight circles her light frame garbed in an elegant Louie Mamengo outfit, suffice it to say that the effect is hair-raising.
A Regine watcher through and through, we have witnessed, though from afar, how this singer metamorphosed both professionally, personally and even physically. Whereas before, people would find her voice good but her rendition so-so, this could not be said of Regine today. She now sings with more emotions, feeling every lyric of the song.
Could it be that she has already experienced romantic love?
"No, wala pa talagang boyfriend 'yan. May nanliligaw pero ayaw niya," those were the words of Regine's father when we asked him about his famous daughter.
But back to "Songbird," as if the two abovementioned songs were not fitting tribute enough to her idol, Regine also included more Streisand originals and revivals like "Where Is It Written" from the movie "Yentl," "All I Ask Of You" from the "Phantom of the Opera," the last three bars of "Somewhere" "Send In The Clowns" and a medley of "People," "Evergreen" and "Memory."She also took at trip down lane when she performed "For Once in My Life" "You Never Know" and a medley of "From Moment to Moment" and "Two for the Road."
But in spite of the elegant Mamengo outfits, and the heavy stage make-up that Regine swears she herself applies, Regine continues to remain a child heart. Promising to give in to every single request, Regine put one over the audience when she sang a few lines from every requested song. "Para mabigyan ko kayong lahat," she said. The audience though seemingly didn't mind, crying bitin! Everytime Regine sang a bar of two of their favorite songs.
Another most enjoyable part was Levi Celerio's very short stand-up act. He afterwards accompanied on the violin Regine who sang Mang Levi's very own "Saan Ka Man Naroroon."
More Streisand hits? You bet. Regine delivers them with a grain of salt. But she says she "hates" Mariah Carey. So next time, watch out for Regine belting out, perhaps, Mariah Carey ditties.
Manila Bulletin
May 15, 1992
Of course, she loves Barbara Streisand - she idolizes her, she sings her. Her repertoires are never sans Streisand top hits. She often opens her shows with Streisand songs. And if the public clamors for more, her encore number is usually a Streisand original. But you see, Regine Velasquez has all reasons.
One of the very few local singers who could give justice to any Streisand ballad, Regine has the "K" (read: the right) to render these songs which are meant to torture the vocal chords of a pretender. In fact, this 22-year old Bulakena sometimes goes positively overboard, singing a pitch higher than the Streisand original.
In her ongoing concert series at the Captain Bar of the Mandarin Oriental (the last night will be tomorrow night, May 16, at 10 p.m.) dubbed as "Songbird" and "On My Way to You." When you hear Regine render the latter song, while a spotlight circles her light frame garbed in an elegant Louie Mamengo outfit, suffice it to say that the effect is hair-raising.
A Regine watcher through and through, we have witnessed, though from afar, how this singer metamorphosed both professionally, personally and even physically. Whereas before, people would find her voice good but her rendition so-so, this could not be said of Regine today. She now sings with more emotions, feeling every lyric of the song.
Could it be that she has already experienced romantic love?
"No, wala pa talagang boyfriend 'yan. May nanliligaw pero ayaw niya," those were the words of Regine's father when we asked him about his famous daughter.
But back to "Songbird," as if the two abovementioned songs were not fitting tribute enough to her idol, Regine also included more Streisand originals and revivals like "Where Is It Written" from the movie "Yentl," "All I Ask Of You" from the "Phantom of the Opera," the last three bars of "Somewhere" "Send In The Clowns" and a medley of "People," "Evergreen" and "Memory."She also took at trip down lane when she performed "For Once in My Life" "You Never Know" and a medley of "From Moment to Moment" and "Two for the Road."
But in spite of the elegant Mamengo outfits, and the heavy stage make-up that Regine swears she herself applies, Regine continues to remain a child heart. Promising to give in to every single request, Regine put one over the audience when she sang a few lines from every requested song. "Para mabigyan ko kayong lahat," she said. The audience though seemingly didn't mind, crying bitin! Everytime Regine sang a bar of two of their favorite songs.
Another most enjoyable part was Levi Celerio's very short stand-up act. He afterwards accompanied on the violin Regine who sang Mang Levi's very own "Saan Ka Man Naroroon."
More Streisand hits? You bet. Regine delivers them with a grain of salt. But she says she "hates" Mariah Carey. So next time, watch out for Regine belting out, perhaps, Mariah Carey ditties.
Wednesday, November 20, 1991
Songbird Conquered the Carnegie Hall
By Crispina Martinez-Belen
Manila Bulletin
November 20, 1991
Regine Velasquez delivered an outstanding performances at the Carnegie Hall in New York, considered to be one of the world's most coveted performance venues.Her special guest was Ray-An Fuentes. The concert billed as "Narito Ako sa New York," was a roaring success that earned three standing ovations from the discriminating audience composed of Filipinos and Americans.
She sang "Urong-Sulong" and "Narito Ako" plus "I'm Your Baby Tonight" "Greatest Love of All," "You'll Never Walk Alone," "We Can Work It Out," "Someday" and a Barbara Streisand medley and romance medley with Ray An Fuentes and a lot more. She earned rave reviews from the critics."Narito Ako Sa New York," is a production of Lemar International, Inc. composed of Dr. Ramon Legarda, Redentor Martinez, Dr. Rosario Ojeda-Legarda and Alicia Ojeda-Legarda.
Manila Bulletin
November 20, 1991
Regine Velasquez delivered an outstanding performances at the Carnegie Hall in New York, considered to be one of the world's most coveted performance venues.Her special guest was Ray-An Fuentes. The concert billed as "Narito Ako sa New York," was a roaring success that earned three standing ovations from the discriminating audience composed of Filipinos and Americans.She sang "Urong-Sulong" and "Narito Ako" plus "I'm Your Baby Tonight" "Greatest Love of All," "You'll Never Walk Alone," "We Can Work It Out," "Someday" and a Barbara Streisand medley and romance medley with Ray An Fuentes and a lot more. She earned rave reviews from the critics."Narito Ako Sa New York," is a production of Lemar International, Inc. composed of Dr. Ramon Legarda, Redentor Martinez, Dr. Rosario Ojeda-Legarda and Alicia Ojeda-Legarda.
Thursday, October 03, 1991
That voice behind 'Voices'
By Ivy Lisa F. Mendoza
Manila Bulletin
October 3, 1991
Of course, you must have already heard how that voice came to be. Years upon years of honing by joining at least 200 amateur singing contest (70 percent of which she won); the already famous "underwater training" resisting pressure while singing with half-body submerged in water: vocalizing while tightly curled up on a sofa, thus applying force down on her powerful diaphragm.
Of course, you know that only Regine Velasquez was trained this rigid way.What started out as a small voice belting our on makeshift stages during town fiestas, Regine now joins another big voice in local entertainment industry, Martin Nievera, in a concert aptly titled 'Voices' slated Friday and Saturday, Oct. 4 and 5, 7:30 p.m., at the ULTRA.
A harmonious blending of lung power, that's what people can expect from the Nievera-Velasquez collaboration, as 80 percent of the show will feature all-new duets from tandem. Martin and Regine will render their respective versions of "The Greatest Love Of All," the song closest to both their hearts. There will also be song swapping - Martin will croon to "Narito Ako" and Regine to "Ikaw Ang Lahat Sa Akin."
Regine credits her training to her omnipresent father Gerry, "Mang Gerry" or "Tatay Gerry" to showbiz denizens.
"I was not aware that my father had a career plan for me, and all those things that we had been doing are towards one goal," Regine says, "Everything was part of a plan, to train her until she is ready to turn professional," explains Mang Gerry.
Regine recalls the hardships she would go through as her father's obedient daughter."We would go to as far as Pampanga, walk miles and miles wearing high-heeled shoes just to reach the stage. I won some, lost some. But if I lost, I never felt bad, especially when I knew that there was cheating. Basta alam ko I was the winner because I did my best," Regine avers."Her training was patterned after boxer Rocky Marciano's.
Ang sabi ng marami crude daw ang training niya dahil sa backyard lang ginagawa. Pero still, lumabas pa rin siyang magaling," Mang Gerry says. This thus justifies his mean sofa training Regine, an issue that has become a laughing stock in the industry.
But Mang Gerry doesn't mind at all. They do the laughing, he and Regine takes the raves and the earnings. Now as everyone can see, father and daughter are reaping the fruits of their efforts. Regine is slowly but surely getting up there, if she's not up there yet - a plum prize in an international singing contest, hit records, solo concerts such as last year's "Narito Ako" at the Folk Arts Theater, and this year, a combination which even top singer Celeste Legaspi describes as a team tandem.
The day after "Voices," Regine flies off to the Big Apple. The little voice from rustic Bulacan is out to conquer Carnegie Hall. Lemar International, the New York-based outfit which also presented Gary V. last year, banks on Regine to perform to a full house come Oct. 11. Performing with Regine are Ray-An Fuentes, with Louie Ocampo as the musical director.
Manila Bulletin
October 3, 1991
Of course, you must have already heard how that voice came to be. Years upon years of honing by joining at least 200 amateur singing contest (70 percent of which she won); the already famous "underwater training" resisting pressure while singing with half-body submerged in water: vocalizing while tightly curled up on a sofa, thus applying force down on her powerful diaphragm.
Of course, you know that only Regine Velasquez was trained this rigid way.What started out as a small voice belting our on makeshift stages during town fiestas, Regine now joins another big voice in local entertainment industry, Martin Nievera, in a concert aptly titled 'Voices' slated Friday and Saturday, Oct. 4 and 5, 7:30 p.m., at the ULTRA.
A harmonious blending of lung power, that's what people can expect from the Nievera-Velasquez collaboration, as 80 percent of the show will feature all-new duets from tandem. Martin and Regine will render their respective versions of "The Greatest Love Of All," the song closest to both their hearts. There will also be song swapping - Martin will croon to "Narito Ako" and Regine to "Ikaw Ang Lahat Sa Akin."
Regine credits her training to her omnipresent father Gerry, "Mang Gerry" or "Tatay Gerry" to showbiz denizens.
"I was not aware that my father had a career plan for me, and all those things that we had been doing are towards one goal," Regine says, "Everything was part of a plan, to train her until she is ready to turn professional," explains Mang Gerry.
Regine recalls the hardships she would go through as her father's obedient daughter."We would go to as far as Pampanga, walk miles and miles wearing high-heeled shoes just to reach the stage. I won some, lost some. But if I lost, I never felt bad, especially when I knew that there was cheating. Basta alam ko I was the winner because I did my best," Regine avers."Her training was patterned after boxer Rocky Marciano's.
Ang sabi ng marami crude daw ang training niya dahil sa backyard lang ginagawa. Pero still, lumabas pa rin siyang magaling," Mang Gerry says. This thus justifies his mean sofa training Regine, an issue that has become a laughing stock in the industry.
But Mang Gerry doesn't mind at all. They do the laughing, he and Regine takes the raves and the earnings. Now as everyone can see, father and daughter are reaping the fruits of their efforts. Regine is slowly but surely getting up there, if she's not up there yet - a plum prize in an international singing contest, hit records, solo concerts such as last year's "Narito Ako" at the Folk Arts Theater, and this year, a combination which even top singer Celeste Legaspi describes as a team tandem.
The day after "Voices," Regine flies off to the Big Apple. The little voice from rustic Bulacan is out to conquer Carnegie Hall. Lemar International, the New York-based outfit which also presented Gary V. last year, banks on Regine to perform to a full house come Oct. 11. Performing with Regine are Ray-An Fuentes, with Louie Ocampo as the musical director.
Monday, July 15, 1991
Regine comes of Age
Crispina Martinez-Belen
Manila Bulletin
July 15, 1991
Regine Velasquez undeniably is the hottest concert artist of the '90's, others already call her "Concert Queen." Like the proverbial desert flower, she waited for the right time to bloom. According to Joyce Villanueva, personal manager to Regine, "Napapanahon na si Regine. Kung baga dati manibalang pa lang, ngayon hinog na."
Just how 'hinog' she is, people will get to see her new concert titled "Regine In Season." The concert promises to reveal a side of Regine seldom seen on stage. With a repertoire that is basically young and upbeat, Regine takes a step away from her established image as a standard singer. It is interesting to note that the title of the concert may be considered by some to be misnomer. Because unlike the common connotation of maturity and seriousness, which usually follow the phrase in season; The concert transforms Regine from a sombre singer to a more upbeat, more youth oriented performer.
Amazingly, her hidden side is more natural to her than her than her current image. For Regine is really still a kid at heart, not withstanding her 21 years. Through she projects an air of sophistication and poise on stage that is more a product of packaging and image building. In fact, talking with Regine in person, you are not apt to recognize her as the voice behind the hits "Narito Ako," "Promdi" and "Urong-Sulong."
Regine slips in and out of that mantle of sophistication easily but it is very evident that the girl from Bulacan is much more comfortable with the simple life she leads than with the act that she has to put up on stage. And probably for the first time her fans will be treated to a glimpse of the real Regine, loose, fancy free and certainly young.
Regine has been in the industry for several years and is considered a veteran. But uncharacteristically like a veteran, she still is given to bouts of insomnia whenever she has major concerts. "When the day for my concert, 'Narito Ako' was nearing, I really couldn't sleep. Alas quatro pa lang gising na ako," she enthused.
For the nth time around, Regine and Louie Ocampo are working together in a show and as such their close rapport is certain to produce another mega success.
Joining Regine in her July 20 concert at the ULTRA are Hotlegs and other queen concert and Regine's very close friend Ms. Pops Fernandez. Having Pops as guest is also a novelty and that is unusual for a female singer to have only a female guest in her concert. And to have two of the most talented concert artists in the country in one show is truly a treat.
Regine in Season, in essence, is timeless.
Manila Bulletin
July 15, 1991
Regine Velasquez undeniably is the hottest concert artist of the '90's, others already call her "Concert Queen." Like the proverbial desert flower, she waited for the right time to bloom. According to Joyce Villanueva, personal manager to Regine, "Napapanahon na si Regine. Kung baga dati manibalang pa lang, ngayon hinog na."
Just how 'hinog' she is, people will get to see her new concert titled "Regine In Season." The concert promises to reveal a side of Regine seldom seen on stage. With a repertoire that is basically young and upbeat, Regine takes a step away from her established image as a standard singer. It is interesting to note that the title of the concert may be considered by some to be misnomer. Because unlike the common connotation of maturity and seriousness, which usually follow the phrase in season; The concert transforms Regine from a sombre singer to a more upbeat, more youth oriented performer.
Amazingly, her hidden side is more natural to her than her than her current image. For Regine is really still a kid at heart, not withstanding her 21 years. Through she projects an air of sophistication and poise on stage that is more a product of packaging and image building. In fact, talking with Regine in person, you are not apt to recognize her as the voice behind the hits "Narito Ako," "Promdi" and "Urong-Sulong."
Regine slips in and out of that mantle of sophistication easily but it is very evident that the girl from Bulacan is much more comfortable with the simple life she leads than with the act that she has to put up on stage. And probably for the first time her fans will be treated to a glimpse of the real Regine, loose, fancy free and certainly young.
Regine has been in the industry for several years and is considered a veteran. But uncharacteristically like a veteran, she still is given to bouts of insomnia whenever she has major concerts. "When the day for my concert, 'Narito Ako' was nearing, I really couldn't sleep. Alas quatro pa lang gising na ako," she enthused.
For the nth time around, Regine and Louie Ocampo are working together in a show and as such their close rapport is certain to produce another mega success.
Joining Regine in her July 20 concert at the ULTRA are Hotlegs and other queen concert and Regine's very close friend Ms. Pops Fernandez. Having Pops as guest is also a novelty and that is unusual for a female singer to have only a female guest in her concert. And to have two of the most talented concert artists in the country in one show is truly a treat.
Regine in Season, in essence, is timeless.
Sunday, July 14, 1991
Regine in Season
By Ivy Lisa F. Mendoza
Panorama
July 14, 1991
Big things began to happen to pop singer Regine Velasquez when she cut her hair short. Shorn of shoulder-length tresses and looking very much like a young boy, the girl with the big voice had beaten Hollywood actress Demi Moore to the close-cropped look by about two years. Regine stresses his point by pounding a finger on the table.
"I was ahead of Demi," she says, her big brown eyes widening and gleaming impishly. "People began to notice me when I cut my hair. I don't know why. Para bang, suddenly they discovered me, found out I could sing, and started watching my shows."
Some people were even surprised they liked Regine. First attracted by her new look, they were mesmerized by her voice-powerful vocals that wrench the heart and wring the soul. Regine's voice, too. Had been heard ahead of Mariah Carey, the American pop singer known for her gut-tearing ballads.
Most pop stars seem to play around with their locks: from peroxide blonde Madonna turned brunette; Irish rock singer Sinead O'Connor first sported a Mohawk before she finally went bald; even Pops Fernandez has occasional forays with her hairstylist and had been the first among the local stars to wear very short bangs before she combed her hair into a '60s fly away.But Regine's mane is not her career's main thing. She claims she cut it out of frustration and not as a concession to fashion.
"I cut my hair when my 18th birthday concert was postponed," says Regine, now 21. "A foreign group would also be performing on the same dates and (my producers) thought I should back out. Hindi man lamang ako pinagbigyan. Dahil sa frustration ko, nagpaputol ako ng buhok."
A star usually has a trademark look, and Regine found hers after losing a concert date. The short hair revealed all of Regine's gamine features - the wide eyes, clear skin, elfin smile, and upturned nose. It lent her sophistication beyond her years, transforming a gawky, scrawny kid into a woman onstage. It also made dressing up easier for her. More important, the boyish bob-look found a bigger audience for her.
Last year, Regine sold out her first major concert at the Folk Arts Theater heralding her arrival as an important pop artist and elevating her stature among pop goddesses Kuh Ledesma and Zsa Zsa Padilla. Her single "Narito Ako," a remake of the Maricris Bermont original has since become a double platinum record. She may have backed-out from the possible plum role of Kim in the London musicale "Miss Saigon" but Regine is convinced she's made the right choice."I couldn't see myself as Kim," she admits. "Parang hindi bagay. With my short hair, siguro one of the soldiers pa. But seriously, I didn't want to leave my career here. Sayang naman ang aking pinaghirapan dito."
This July 20, Regine performs at the ULTRA for a bigger stage and a bigger show called "Regine in Season." And she's scared.
"The Folk Arts Concert was my first. Fine, napuno. But part of that was probably the people's curiosity about me. In fact, when we were planning that show, I felt sino ba ang manonood nito? For my lounge shows, I feel confident of my audience. I know I have a market. They say I get the AB crowd. Ang CD ang problema ko. Hindi ko alam kung naabot ko na sila.
"Regine In Season," says Regine, will show her different moods as a singer and artist. Her material will mostly be new, and the concert designed on a concept of evocative of the season.These days, Regine admits to being careful with her shows and insists to meticulous preparations to the mounting of her shows. She would rather be taken seriously as an artist rather than a pop star and claims that she still doesn't feel like a star.
Panorama
July 14, 1991
Big things began to happen to pop singer Regine Velasquez when she cut her hair short. Shorn of shoulder-length tresses and looking very much like a young boy, the girl with the big voice had beaten Hollywood actress Demi Moore to the close-cropped look by about two years. Regine stresses his point by pounding a finger on the table.
"I was ahead of Demi," she says, her big brown eyes widening and gleaming impishly. "People began to notice me when I cut my hair. I don't know why. Para bang, suddenly they discovered me, found out I could sing, and started watching my shows."
Some people were even surprised they liked Regine. First attracted by her new look, they were mesmerized by her voice-powerful vocals that wrench the heart and wring the soul. Regine's voice, too. Had been heard ahead of Mariah Carey, the American pop singer known for her gut-tearing ballads.
Most pop stars seem to play around with their locks: from peroxide blonde Madonna turned brunette; Irish rock singer Sinead O'Connor first sported a Mohawk before she finally went bald; even Pops Fernandez has occasional forays with her hairstylist and had been the first among the local stars to wear very short bangs before she combed her hair into a '60s fly away.But Regine's mane is not her career's main thing. She claims she cut it out of frustration and not as a concession to fashion.
"I cut my hair when my 18th birthday concert was postponed," says Regine, now 21. "A foreign group would also be performing on the same dates and (my producers) thought I should back out. Hindi man lamang ako pinagbigyan. Dahil sa frustration ko, nagpaputol ako ng buhok."
A star usually has a trademark look, and Regine found hers after losing a concert date. The short hair revealed all of Regine's gamine features - the wide eyes, clear skin, elfin smile, and upturned nose. It lent her sophistication beyond her years, transforming a gawky, scrawny kid into a woman onstage. It also made dressing up easier for her. More important, the boyish bob-look found a bigger audience for her.
Last year, Regine sold out her first major concert at the Folk Arts Theater heralding her arrival as an important pop artist and elevating her stature among pop goddesses Kuh Ledesma and Zsa Zsa Padilla. Her single "Narito Ako," a remake of the Maricris Bermont original has since become a double platinum record. She may have backed-out from the possible plum role of Kim in the London musicale "Miss Saigon" but Regine is convinced she's made the right choice."I couldn't see myself as Kim," she admits. "Parang hindi bagay. With my short hair, siguro one of the soldiers pa. But seriously, I didn't want to leave my career here. Sayang naman ang aking pinaghirapan dito."
This July 20, Regine performs at the ULTRA for a bigger stage and a bigger show called "Regine in Season." And she's scared.
"The Folk Arts Concert was my first. Fine, napuno. But part of that was probably the people's curiosity about me. In fact, when we were planning that show, I felt sino ba ang manonood nito? For my lounge shows, I feel confident of my audience. I know I have a market. They say I get the AB crowd. Ang CD ang problema ko. Hindi ko alam kung naabot ko na sila.
"Regine In Season," says Regine, will show her different moods as a singer and artist. Her material will mostly be new, and the concert designed on a concept of evocative of the season.These days, Regine admits to being careful with her shows and insists to meticulous preparations to the mounting of her shows. She would rather be taken seriously as an artist rather than a pop star and claims that she still doesn't feel like a star.
Sunday, July 08, 1990
Regine at 20: Out There On Her Own
By Lani T. Montreal
Sun. Inquirer Magazine
July 8, 1990
She was 15 when I first met her on board a ferryboat bound for Calapan, Mindoro. She was a wisp of a girl, so thin and pale I was half-afraid she would break, like a fragile China doll.
Yes, she said, she was the girl who had won that singing contest on television the year before. She was on her way to perform in a stage show at a school gym somewhere in Mindoro, she explained in a tiny, quivering voice. She was scheduled to sing two songs for a talent fee of P1,500 and she was excited. Her hair, done in outdated curls, framed her made-up face and her loose, nondescript clothes overwhelmed her petite figure. She looked like a very old 15-year-old.
Her almond eyes squinted into slits as she looked out into the open sea like an expectant lover. She was alone in that corner of the deck, but nearby stood a scraggly, dark-complexioned man of about 40. Her father, someone said. He taught her how to sing, another commented. I wanted to hold her steady lest she will fall into the water or the strong wind blow away her tiny body. But her father beat me to it by reminding her not to stay too close to the railing. On the opposite of the deck, Janice de Belen Roderick Paulate and some other celebrities were engaged in small talk.
In Mindoro, my friends and I found ourselves staying in the room next to her in a cheap, elevatorless hotel. We invited her to join us and teasingly urged her to sing. Without much ado she obliged, and soon, her melancholy voice, no longer small and unsure filled the cramped hotel room.
"All at once, I looked around and found that you were with another love," she sang the Whitney Houston number, cautiously at first, sounding like a wind song. There her voice rose to an awe-inspiring crescendo. "Ever since I met you, you're the only love I know." A rap on the door rudely interrupted our mini-concert. Her father peeped in. "I heard someone singing, was that you, Chona?" he asked. "Hindi po, Siya po," she lied, pointing a finger at me. But Papa knew better. "Kailangan i-conserve mo ang boses mo para sa show mamaya," he scolded her. She fell silent, her head bowed in embarrassment. "Sige, ha," she bade us goodbye in a voice we couldn't reconcile with that of our impromptu entertainer.
The next time I met the girl named Chona was at a decent sing along bar along West Avenue in 1986. Her voice effortlessly glided through the difficult notes of the EDSA revolution song "Mag-kaisa." The show was a regular stint for her, her father said. Commuting from Bulacan to Manila had been a problem initially, but they mad friends with a taxi driver to whom they became suki. They paid him P200 pesos for waiting and taking them home to Bulacan every time Chona had a performance.
The next time I saw Regina Asuncion Velasquez she was performing at a small, art decoish cafe/bar. She was no longer Chona but Regine. A singer/TV host had re-christened her, saying her nickname sounded too parochial for someone so young.
The shy provinciana, now a year older, felt burdened by the high-sounding moniker. She must act like a Regine now and leave chokingly boring Chona behind. Her new manager, Ronnie Henares, who had discovered her in that sing-along joint, felt that her repertoire and general appearance should change along her name. Her outmoded clothes were thrown into a baul (native chest) and sweatshirts, high-cut rubber shoes and jeans became her regular fashion fare.
Her straight, shoulder length hair was left as it was, with no spraynet to hold it in place, while she danced to more upbeat songs. She was a teenager, for heaven's sake, no matter that she was the breadwinner for a family of six.
Gone was the dark colored eye shadow she used to put on her narrow lids, that mad her cat like yes look bruised and heavy. No more cheekbone highlighter that gave her an emancipated look. The new light make-up emphasized rather than hid her small face. The girl was beautiful, after all.
She was also gaining quite a following. The young habitues of the cafe and a sprinkling of yuppies and middle-aged music lovers filled the place to standing room capacity. The entrance fee had been raised - a sure sign of her growing celebrity. Mang Gerry, her father, remained zealous guardian. "From manager to alalay," he said, laughing away his demotion.
"I've got a crush on you," she belted out on a disco number, her wiry limbs, camouflaged by thick clothing, gracefully maneuvering the stage floor. I didn't know she could dance so well. Between songs she gave spiels in Taglish contorting her face when someone from the audience commented or grunted a request. She hated having to talk, but "Regine" sounded like the name of a glib-tongued girl.I did not just "see" Regine the next time, I sought her out for an interview. She was 17 by then, and among her fans was Larry Henares, who immortalized her in his column. She had just recorded her first single, "Urong Sulong," which was thinking of going back to school the following year.
It was Mang Gerry who did most of the talking that time. Regine, surprisingly, still had much of the reticent Chona in her. One thing brought a glow to her eyes though the second hand Toyota car she had just acquired. "I bought that with my sweat and blood," she proudly says.
It's been three years since that last interview, but the girl who greets us as we alight from Primeline's delivery jeep is still pale and thin. "Magandang tanghali po," Regine says, her naked face made even more startling by her cropped crown. The gamine charm shows through the maong jeans and handpainted T-shirt. She looks more 15 than 20. But more Regine now than Chona.
We have come all the way from Manila to San Juan (Balagtas, Bulacan), a barrio by the river where Regine has spent most of her growing-up years. If not for her accommodating townmates who led us from one narrow thoroughfare to another, we would not have found her house. A gray Hi Ace is parked outside her studio type apartment across the family's house. The receiving area, separated from her bedroom by a makeshift wall, bears much of her provincial character. No one would suspect that a celebrity lives in this carelessly trimmed house. It looks more like the house of a movie fan with its mounted faded posters of Regine's past concerts intermingling with inexpensive paintings of nature. The concert posters have documented Regine's metamorphosis, so to speak. In one, for instance, she seems naive and uncaring. She transforms into a sensuous young lady in another. And from pastel-colored attire she graduates to a more intense black and red.
A red Sto. Nino statuette stands atop an old piano. The sala set, flower printed and brightly colored is the ultimate assault on a modern decorator's sensibilities.It's been a year since Regine moved into her own place, for no special reason, but just so she would have enough space for all her growing number of things wardrobe, appliances and friends. But there seems to be no effort to make the apartment look more stylish and sophisticated, or at least presentable.
On a magazine shelf she has a cheap photo album of showbiz stars Randy Santiago, Janno Gibbs, Bing Loyzaga, Lilet and an autograph of Maricel Soriano on a small piece of paper, among others. A stack of foreign fashion magazines -Vogue, Elle, Mademoiselle looks out of place among the albums and clippings. In those magazines lies the secret to her new found sophistication in fashion.
Atop the improvised divider are her trophies, most of which still bear her old name: Chona Velasquez. There are 67 of them, including her latest, the Asia Pacific grand trophy which she won in Hong Kong last month. "I joined 200 contests but won first place in only 67," she blurts out unexpectedly. Recently, the Lions Club of Hong Kong honored her with a three foot high trophy in ruby red and gold. "My father had a hard time carrying it," she says while putting on make up for the pictorial.
She has just returned from that Hong Kong trip and has barely unpacked. She is bothered that she wasn't told about the pictorial because she could have fixed herself before we arrived. "Sana nag-Easy Call kayo," she reprimands her PR. But there's actually very little on that face that needs covering, and she finishes jiffy .
"Can we have her pose by the river where you used to submerge her?" the SI photographer asks Mang Gerry. "It wasn't here where I used to submerge her but in Leyte, where my wife was born," Mang Gerry clarifies. "We moved to Bulacan only when Chona was already 10."
The Velasquezes led a mobile lifestyle in the early '70s. Mang Gerry's job as a constructor estimator required him and his family to move from one province to another. With the children's schooling interrupted so often, it is a wonder that Regine finished high school at all at St. Lawrence Academy in Bulacan. She attributes her good English diction to her years at St. Lawrence and to her favorite foreign singers, to whom she listens carefully. "I told her never to get the lyrics of the songs from song hits. Listen to the original singers and capture every word correctly," says her omnipresent singing coach.
"Si Chona!" a little girl excitedly says upon seeing Regine walk toward the ancient camachile tree for the pictorial. The child runs to her mother when I begin asking her about Regine. "Ninang niya si Chona, e," says Aling Leonila, Regine's neighbor and distant relative."Hindi naman nagbago yang batang 'yan. Gustong-gusto siya rito. Lahat nga yata ng bata rito ay inaanak niya," she continues.
Regine's neighbors remember when their mornings were not complete without hearing little Chona, then about 10, vocalizing. "Palagi niyang kinakanta nuon yung kay Eva Eugenio at kay Imelda Papin, they recall with amusement. Of course now she rehearses in air conditioned studios, although her barriomates are still occasionally treated to free mini concerts whenever she practices in her apartment. Right now she's more into jazz music.
Regine has never thought of moving to Manila. Not even now. She has all the love she needs in San Juan. And that, to her, is the most important thing. Certainly it couldn't have been by coincidence that almost every female in this rural neighborhood, whether young or old sports Regine's daring, boyish do. "I feel I have matured a lot since I started six years ago. Marami na akong na experience, Regine intimates. "That Hong Kong trip for me was a big deal. It contributed a lot to my growth.
"You see, I was scared at first of going there to compete. I felt I wasn't that good. Beside, it's like I've gotten tired of competing. All my life that was what I did. I was tired of the pressure," she says. It took her good friends and mentors Nanette Inventor and Ivy Violan to convince her. "They said, 'You were chosen by Channel 7 of all singers. That means they believe in you. That did it."
Before the contest proper Regine had been obsessed with winning. "I didn't think of anything else. I didn't realize that the reason I was there was no t just to compete but to interact with the other competitors who were from other countries, to make an impression of my country on them. When I got there, I forgot all about the contest and making friends with the other foreign contestants became a bigger challenge. At first it was difficult because some didn't even know how to speak English. Now two have already written me."
It was in that contest that she rendered what she considers the most difficult song she has ever sung: "I'm Telling You' from the Broadway play Dream Girls.
A mongrel comes along and waits for a pat on the head. "This is my dog Askar, Regine says as she runs her skinny fingers through the dog's tan-colored hair. "Askar means Asong Karaniwan."
It is only now, she confides, that she is able to savor the fruits of her labor. "Before, I always had to think of what was needed first before I would buy what I wanted. Now, I can get both. Ang pangarap ko ngayon ay ang mapatapos ang mag kapatid ko."
Her sister Maricar, 19, is a business administration student at St. Paul College, Manila; brother Jojo ,16, high school senior at La Consolacion, Bulacan; and twin sisters Dianne and Deca, 13 are in first year high school at La Consolacion. "They make lambing to me whenever they need something in school or maybe want something," Regine says, stressing the difference between "need" and " want" .
She has no regrets that at 20 she has felt neither the throbbings of passionate love nor the pain of unrequited love. "I think my maturity came from the experiences I had with my family," she says confidently. "I'm still very young. Love can wait. For now, my concerns are my family's needs. I might go back to school when Maricar graduates and is able to help in sending the other children to school."
Regine still dreams of enrolling in a fine arts course someday. When not singing on TV or concertizing, she indulges in her favorite pastime...sketching. She's hand painting shirts now, and explains that she herself did the t-shirt she was wearing when we arrived. She fetches the tee and shows the painting of a woman's face whose long hair sensuously covers her left eye. She colored the hair orange and lips neon pink. "I like sketching and painting women's faces. The contours of the eyes and lips are just beautiful. They're so nice to draw," she explains.
She tells the story behind her new haircut: "I had it shortened to ear length on my 18th birthday. I was supposed to have a concert then but a foreign band, The Jets, came over and I was advised against staging my concert on the same date which was my birthday. In rebellion, I cut my hair, which was already down to my chest, very short."
But after that act of rebellion came, the stories in the tabloids and movie columns that her face had undergone cosmetic surgery. So why didn't they make your nose better, I kid her. She laughs."You've seen me before, do you see any change?" Oh, but I don't mind those intrigues. I try to tell them it's just my make up, that now I already know how to blend with colors or enhance my features but then they say I'm being defensive.
Inside her room clothes are strewn here and there, the improvised shelves over her bed are stacked with encyclopedia volues and innumerable little stuffed dolls. She plans to clean all the dolls for Christmas and distribute them to orphanages. "Not that I've outgrown my love for them. Actually, they're so precious to me because they were gifts from my good friends. But doesn't that fact make the dolls more special and worthy of being given as gifts to orphaned and abandoned kids?"
Regine disputes rumors that she is auditioning for the role of Kin in Ms. Saigon. "I'm afraid I might not be able to endure the rehearsals. I developed nodules in my throat before and they had to be taken out by surgery. And with my hair, I might be considered for the part of soldier," she says, laughing at herself.
We keep quiet as she teats us to an a capella rendition of her favorite song, "On My Way To You" by Barbara Streisand. Softly, at first, like a wind song but full of intense and emotions. I remember that day in Mindoro when she sang that Whitney Houston song, except this time, her father doesn't interrupt. He listens as intently as we do.
Mang Gerry's girl has definitely grown up. And how!
Sun. Inquirer Magazine
July 8, 1990
She was 15 when I first met her on board a ferryboat bound for Calapan, Mindoro. She was a wisp of a girl, so thin and pale I was half-afraid she would break, like a fragile China doll.
Yes, she said, she was the girl who had won that singing contest on television the year before. She was on her way to perform in a stage show at a school gym somewhere in Mindoro, she explained in a tiny, quivering voice. She was scheduled to sing two songs for a talent fee of P1,500 and she was excited. Her hair, done in outdated curls, framed her made-up face and her loose, nondescript clothes overwhelmed her petite figure. She looked like a very old 15-year-old.
Her almond eyes squinted into slits as she looked out into the open sea like an expectant lover. She was alone in that corner of the deck, but nearby stood a scraggly, dark-complexioned man of about 40. Her father, someone said. He taught her how to sing, another commented. I wanted to hold her steady lest she will fall into the water or the strong wind blow away her tiny body. But her father beat me to it by reminding her not to stay too close to the railing. On the opposite of the deck, Janice de Belen Roderick Paulate and some other celebrities were engaged in small talk.
In Mindoro, my friends and I found ourselves staying in the room next to her in a cheap, elevatorless hotel. We invited her to join us and teasingly urged her to sing. Without much ado she obliged, and soon, her melancholy voice, no longer small and unsure filled the cramped hotel room.
"All at once, I looked around and found that you were with another love," she sang the Whitney Houston number, cautiously at first, sounding like a wind song. There her voice rose to an awe-inspiring crescendo. "Ever since I met you, you're the only love I know." A rap on the door rudely interrupted our mini-concert. Her father peeped in. "I heard someone singing, was that you, Chona?" he asked. "Hindi po, Siya po," she lied, pointing a finger at me. But Papa knew better. "Kailangan i-conserve mo ang boses mo para sa show mamaya," he scolded her. She fell silent, her head bowed in embarrassment. "Sige, ha," she bade us goodbye in a voice we couldn't reconcile with that of our impromptu entertainer.
The next time I met the girl named Chona was at a decent sing along bar along West Avenue in 1986. Her voice effortlessly glided through the difficult notes of the EDSA revolution song "Mag-kaisa." The show was a regular stint for her, her father said. Commuting from Bulacan to Manila had been a problem initially, but they mad friends with a taxi driver to whom they became suki. They paid him P200 pesos for waiting and taking them home to Bulacan every time Chona had a performance.
The next time I saw Regina Asuncion Velasquez she was performing at a small, art decoish cafe/bar. She was no longer Chona but Regine. A singer/TV host had re-christened her, saying her nickname sounded too parochial for someone so young.
The shy provinciana, now a year older, felt burdened by the high-sounding moniker. She must act like a Regine now and leave chokingly boring Chona behind. Her new manager, Ronnie Henares, who had discovered her in that sing-along joint, felt that her repertoire and general appearance should change along her name. Her outmoded clothes were thrown into a baul (native chest) and sweatshirts, high-cut rubber shoes and jeans became her regular fashion fare.
Her straight, shoulder length hair was left as it was, with no spraynet to hold it in place, while she danced to more upbeat songs. She was a teenager, for heaven's sake, no matter that she was the breadwinner for a family of six.
Gone was the dark colored eye shadow she used to put on her narrow lids, that mad her cat like yes look bruised and heavy. No more cheekbone highlighter that gave her an emancipated look. The new light make-up emphasized rather than hid her small face. The girl was beautiful, after all.
She was also gaining quite a following. The young habitues of the cafe and a sprinkling of yuppies and middle-aged music lovers filled the place to standing room capacity. The entrance fee had been raised - a sure sign of her growing celebrity. Mang Gerry, her father, remained zealous guardian. "From manager to alalay," he said, laughing away his demotion.
"I've got a crush on you," she belted out on a disco number, her wiry limbs, camouflaged by thick clothing, gracefully maneuvering the stage floor. I didn't know she could dance so well. Between songs she gave spiels in Taglish contorting her face when someone from the audience commented or grunted a request. She hated having to talk, but "Regine" sounded like the name of a glib-tongued girl.I did not just "see" Regine the next time, I sought her out for an interview. She was 17 by then, and among her fans was Larry Henares, who immortalized her in his column. She had just recorded her first single, "Urong Sulong," which was thinking of going back to school the following year.
It was Mang Gerry who did most of the talking that time. Regine, surprisingly, still had much of the reticent Chona in her. One thing brought a glow to her eyes though the second hand Toyota car she had just acquired. "I bought that with my sweat and blood," she proudly says.
It's been three years since that last interview, but the girl who greets us as we alight from Primeline's delivery jeep is still pale and thin. "Magandang tanghali po," Regine says, her naked face made even more startling by her cropped crown. The gamine charm shows through the maong jeans and handpainted T-shirt. She looks more 15 than 20. But more Regine now than Chona.
We have come all the way from Manila to San Juan (Balagtas, Bulacan), a barrio by the river where Regine has spent most of her growing-up years. If not for her accommodating townmates who led us from one narrow thoroughfare to another, we would not have found her house. A gray Hi Ace is parked outside her studio type apartment across the family's house. The receiving area, separated from her bedroom by a makeshift wall, bears much of her provincial character. No one would suspect that a celebrity lives in this carelessly trimmed house. It looks more like the house of a movie fan with its mounted faded posters of Regine's past concerts intermingling with inexpensive paintings of nature. The concert posters have documented Regine's metamorphosis, so to speak. In one, for instance, she seems naive and uncaring. She transforms into a sensuous young lady in another. And from pastel-colored attire she graduates to a more intense black and red.
A red Sto. Nino statuette stands atop an old piano. The sala set, flower printed and brightly colored is the ultimate assault on a modern decorator's sensibilities.It's been a year since Regine moved into her own place, for no special reason, but just so she would have enough space for all her growing number of things wardrobe, appliances and friends. But there seems to be no effort to make the apartment look more stylish and sophisticated, or at least presentable.
On a magazine shelf she has a cheap photo album of showbiz stars Randy Santiago, Janno Gibbs, Bing Loyzaga, Lilet and an autograph of Maricel Soriano on a small piece of paper, among others. A stack of foreign fashion magazines -Vogue, Elle, Mademoiselle looks out of place among the albums and clippings. In those magazines lies the secret to her new found sophistication in fashion.
Atop the improvised divider are her trophies, most of which still bear her old name: Chona Velasquez. There are 67 of them, including her latest, the Asia Pacific grand trophy which she won in Hong Kong last month. "I joined 200 contests but won first place in only 67," she blurts out unexpectedly. Recently, the Lions Club of Hong Kong honored her with a three foot high trophy in ruby red and gold. "My father had a hard time carrying it," she says while putting on make up for the pictorial.
She has just returned from that Hong Kong trip and has barely unpacked. She is bothered that she wasn't told about the pictorial because she could have fixed herself before we arrived. "Sana nag-Easy Call kayo," she reprimands her PR. But there's actually very little on that face that needs covering, and she finishes jiffy .
"Can we have her pose by the river where you used to submerge her?" the SI photographer asks Mang Gerry. "It wasn't here where I used to submerge her but in Leyte, where my wife was born," Mang Gerry clarifies. "We moved to Bulacan only when Chona was already 10."
The Velasquezes led a mobile lifestyle in the early '70s. Mang Gerry's job as a constructor estimator required him and his family to move from one province to another. With the children's schooling interrupted so often, it is a wonder that Regine finished high school at all at St. Lawrence Academy in Bulacan. She attributes her good English diction to her years at St. Lawrence and to her favorite foreign singers, to whom she listens carefully. "I told her never to get the lyrics of the songs from song hits. Listen to the original singers and capture every word correctly," says her omnipresent singing coach.
"Si Chona!" a little girl excitedly says upon seeing Regine walk toward the ancient camachile tree for the pictorial. The child runs to her mother when I begin asking her about Regine. "Ninang niya si Chona, e," says Aling Leonila, Regine's neighbor and distant relative."Hindi naman nagbago yang batang 'yan. Gustong-gusto siya rito. Lahat nga yata ng bata rito ay inaanak niya," she continues.
Regine's neighbors remember when their mornings were not complete without hearing little Chona, then about 10, vocalizing. "Palagi niyang kinakanta nuon yung kay Eva Eugenio at kay Imelda Papin, they recall with amusement. Of course now she rehearses in air conditioned studios, although her barriomates are still occasionally treated to free mini concerts whenever she practices in her apartment. Right now she's more into jazz music.
Regine has never thought of moving to Manila. Not even now. She has all the love she needs in San Juan. And that, to her, is the most important thing. Certainly it couldn't have been by coincidence that almost every female in this rural neighborhood, whether young or old sports Regine's daring, boyish do. "I feel I have matured a lot since I started six years ago. Marami na akong na experience, Regine intimates. "That Hong Kong trip for me was a big deal. It contributed a lot to my growth.
"You see, I was scared at first of going there to compete. I felt I wasn't that good. Beside, it's like I've gotten tired of competing. All my life that was what I did. I was tired of the pressure," she says. It took her good friends and mentors Nanette Inventor and Ivy Violan to convince her. "They said, 'You were chosen by Channel 7 of all singers. That means they believe in you. That did it."
Before the contest proper Regine had been obsessed with winning. "I didn't think of anything else. I didn't realize that the reason I was there was no t just to compete but to interact with the other competitors who were from other countries, to make an impression of my country on them. When I got there, I forgot all about the contest and making friends with the other foreign contestants became a bigger challenge. At first it was difficult because some didn't even know how to speak English. Now two have already written me."
It was in that contest that she rendered what she considers the most difficult song she has ever sung: "I'm Telling You' from the Broadway play Dream Girls.
A mongrel comes along and waits for a pat on the head. "This is my dog Askar, Regine says as she runs her skinny fingers through the dog's tan-colored hair. "Askar means Asong Karaniwan."
It is only now, she confides, that she is able to savor the fruits of her labor. "Before, I always had to think of what was needed first before I would buy what I wanted. Now, I can get both. Ang pangarap ko ngayon ay ang mapatapos ang mag kapatid ko."
Her sister Maricar, 19, is a business administration student at St. Paul College, Manila; brother Jojo ,16, high school senior at La Consolacion, Bulacan; and twin sisters Dianne and Deca, 13 are in first year high school at La Consolacion. "They make lambing to me whenever they need something in school or maybe want something," Regine says, stressing the difference between "need" and " want" .
She has no regrets that at 20 she has felt neither the throbbings of passionate love nor the pain of unrequited love. "I think my maturity came from the experiences I had with my family," she says confidently. "I'm still very young. Love can wait. For now, my concerns are my family's needs. I might go back to school when Maricar graduates and is able to help in sending the other children to school."
Regine still dreams of enrolling in a fine arts course someday. When not singing on TV or concertizing, she indulges in her favorite pastime...sketching. She's hand painting shirts now, and explains that she herself did the t-shirt she was wearing when we arrived. She fetches the tee and shows the painting of a woman's face whose long hair sensuously covers her left eye. She colored the hair orange and lips neon pink. "I like sketching and painting women's faces. The contours of the eyes and lips are just beautiful. They're so nice to draw," she explains.
She tells the story behind her new haircut: "I had it shortened to ear length on my 18th birthday. I was supposed to have a concert then but a foreign band, The Jets, came over and I was advised against staging my concert on the same date which was my birthday. In rebellion, I cut my hair, which was already down to my chest, very short."
But after that act of rebellion came, the stories in the tabloids and movie columns that her face had undergone cosmetic surgery. So why didn't they make your nose better, I kid her. She laughs."You've seen me before, do you see any change?" Oh, but I don't mind those intrigues. I try to tell them it's just my make up, that now I already know how to blend with colors or enhance my features but then they say I'm being defensive.
Inside her room clothes are strewn here and there, the improvised shelves over her bed are stacked with encyclopedia volues and innumerable little stuffed dolls. She plans to clean all the dolls for Christmas and distribute them to orphanages. "Not that I've outgrown my love for them. Actually, they're so precious to me because they were gifts from my good friends. But doesn't that fact make the dolls more special and worthy of being given as gifts to orphaned and abandoned kids?"
Regine disputes rumors that she is auditioning for the role of Kin in Ms. Saigon. "I'm afraid I might not be able to endure the rehearsals. I developed nodules in my throat before and they had to be taken out by surgery. And with my hair, I might be considered for the part of soldier," she says, laughing at herself.
We keep quiet as she teats us to an a capella rendition of her favorite song, "On My Way To You" by Barbara Streisand. Softly, at first, like a wind song but full of intense and emotions. I remember that day in Mindoro when she sang that Whitney Houston song, except this time, her father doesn't interrupt. He listens as intently as we do.
Mang Gerry's girl has definitely grown up. And how!
Friday, March 02, 1990
People: Regine Velasquez
Asiaweek
March 2, 1990
Just 19 and raring to go, Regine Velasquez wants it all. "I want to make a hit song, a hit movie, and more LPs. - in that order," she declares. "I want accomplishment soon." Not that her achievements to date are anything to sneeze at. Trained from the age of 6 by father Gerry to sing lustily while immersed up to her neck in the sea, Velasquez has already made a sizeable splash in the Philippines. She has cut two albums and matched against finalists from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan and New Zealand, walked away with the Grand Prize at the recent Asia-Pacific Singing Contest in Hong Kong. After sharing a Feb. 14 concert billing with mega-star Jose Mari Chan, the mermaid who came in from the cold senses that she is just hitting her stride: "That kind of success is what I've been dreaming of. Now, I want a bigger concert in a bigger venue." What about the Pacific Ocean?
March 2, 1990
Just 19 and raring to go, Regine Velasquez wants it all. "I want to make a hit song, a hit movie, and more LPs. - in that order," she declares. "I want accomplishment soon." Not that her achievements to date are anything to sneeze at. Trained from the age of 6 by father Gerry to sing lustily while immersed up to her neck in the sea, Velasquez has already made a sizeable splash in the Philippines. She has cut two albums and matched against finalists from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan and New Zealand, walked away with the Grand Prize at the recent Asia-Pacific Singing Contest in Hong Kong. After sharing a Feb. 14 concert billing with mega-star Jose Mari Chan, the mermaid who came in from the cold senses that she is just hitting her stride: "That kind of success is what I've been dreaming of. Now, I want a bigger concert in a bigger venue." What about the Pacific Ocean?
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