Regine Velasquez (Photo by Glaiza Jarloc/Sunnex)
ASIA’S Songbird Regine Velasquez believes that it takes more than just sheer talent to achieve a successful career in the entertainment business.
Interviewed at the recently concluded Buglasan Festival in Dumaguete City, Velasquez recalled that at the beginning of her music career, she was different from her contemporaries.
Most of the singers during her time came from the United States and have a good command of the English language.
Velasquez, on the other hand, was honest in saying that she prefers to speak and perform in Filipino.
“Nung time na pumasok ako, lahat sila Inglesera. Taga Bulacan ako at hindi ‘yun ang first language ko. They just let me, nag Tagalog ako, and doon ako actually nagkaroon ng character.”
She added that her former manager, Ronnie Henares, made her sing and nothing more.
“When I was starting, Ronnie made me do nothing else but sing. Because that’s what I am, I’m a singer. Yun ang ginawa ko lang. That’s all I did and I remember I was so busy.”
“I’m glad I started that way kasi at least nabuo ko sa isip ng mga tao na I’m a singer first more than anything else. It added na lang na I can act and I can host.”
She made a name for herself locally and abroad. She did numerous concerts in the local and international scene and even released three albums in the whole of the Asia-Pacific region.
Velasquez said that she never thought that she will become successful in the entertainment business. She said she never thought about it.
“Basta ang gusto ko noon makapag concert lang ako sa Folk Arts Theater, magkaroon lang ako ng major concert. Then nun nakuha ko na yung Araneta Coliseum, hindi na ako tumigil. I just kept going.”
But the climb to the top was no walk in the park, she said.
The singer said talent will open doors to endless possibilities, but at the end of the day, hard work, patience and one’s willingness to learn will play a big part in any artist’s successful career.
“I didn’t just get here by not doing anything. I had to work talaga. You don’t just get that [status]. I was trained to sing sa mga bars [music lounges]. Before kami isabak sa contest ang dami muna naming kinantahan.”
“Now, it takes them [new singers] a while. Sometimes if you watch them in concerts, it’s not the same and parang may kulang, because they don’t have that training… that background. Sanay sila na 2-3 songs ang kakantahin nila unlike na 2-3 hours kang nakatayo at kumakanta.”
Velasquez’s told the new generation of singers is to keep practicing, hone their skills and never stop learning.
“It’s a gift and somehow its fate [to be successful]. It added that you have a certain charm with the audience. But at the end of the day, it’s the combination of talent and hard work that will make an artist successful,” she ended. (Sunnex)
