Photos by Jed Aries Yu
“NGAYON, babalik ulit kami to find a new breed of singers,” said Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez, who has been single-handedly taking a new kind of music into the future.
Celebrating 30 years in show business, she is back on television to host “The Clash,” a reality-based singing competition aired twice a week on GMA 7 soon.
“Hindi ko na-realize when you come from amateur singing contests, you carry it with you. Sa kahit na anong aspeto ng buhay mo, ano man ang mangyari sayo, merong naiwan sa ‘yo na competitiveness,” she continued during the media conference at Pino! Restaurant last Feb.17, Saturday, before she attended the audition at the Gaisano Island Mall in Mactan.
Cebu was the first of the nationwide leg of auditions in key cities like Davao, Baguio, and Metro Manila.
The triumvirate of Filipino pop stars —Lani Misalucha, Christian Bautista, and Ai-Ai delas Alas—draw the rules as they sit as the board of judges.
Forget all the advice.
Forget the special tutors, camps, coaches, and therapists because no two bottles are exactly alike.
We served up five questions for Regine Velasquez on why this show proves she’s still one of music’s biggest names, the golden girl with the golden brand of power.
Is “The Clash” searching for the next Regine Velasquez?
Di kasi talaga ako naniniwala sa may sinusundan ka, kasi wala kang katulad. Individually, iba iba tayo ginawa—iba iba din ang shape ng iyung career
sa industriya. Maraming nag sasabi na sino ang susunod kay Kuh Ledesma.
They didn’t find the next whoever.
Up to now, wala nama’ng pumapalit kay Sharon Cuneta because … wala talaga. Isa lang yun, eh—isa lang si Kuh Ledesma.
You’ll never find anyone like her. It’s like that because you make your own mark in the industry.
Ako, wala naman akong sinundan, eh. Yung mga susunod na generation, they will also make their own mark.
They will build their own throne; they don’t need someone else’s throne. We are very blessed that we are still here, still able to do concerts.
What’s the big twist?
It’s not a “normal” singing competition that you compete with everyone.
The concept of this one is you choose who you want to compete with.
Kung sa tingin mo, kaya mo to, pipiliin mo. Kung gusto mong i-challenge, piliin mo yung magaling—pagka may pressure, iba yung energy mo.
I don’t even think there’s a show na para siyang pinag bo-boxing.
GMA kasi has produced a lot of singing contests in the past. Some of them, I had the privilege of hosting pero meron na din silang ginawa before me.
For awhile, na hinto yung paghanap ng singers, ngayon babalik ulit kami to find a new breed of singers, may ibang generation na, eh. Although nandyan pa rin ang mga dati na gumaling pa through experience and time pwede pa rin silang mag-audition.
What does it take to be the first “The Clash” winner?
Not necessarily (biritan). I have noticed now the new generation of music is different from five years ago.
Five years ago, everyone was making birit. Pero it seems like komokonti na yun at nag-rerelax tayo ng konti at we want to hear good singing naman. I think ang importante ay yung presence mo sa stage. Siyempre yung voice and how you perform is equally important.
Humahanap tayo siyempre ng next big star, and hopefully, he or she can crossover to doing movies or soap (opera) or acting. Multi-media na kasi ang labanan ngayon. Di lang naman sa pagkanta lang.
What’s exciting about this contest is linakihan natin ang limitation. Kasi dati, meron tayo’ng age — ito kasi, kahit sino basta magaling ka lang kumanta. We’re trying to look for a star
That is the ultimate goal of the station, but we’re looking for somebody who can really sing.
How does this change the singing competition landscape in show business?
Sa akin, as a former singing contest baby, I can say ngayon kasi, pag sumali ka ng singing contest, you’re being prepared. So di ka lang sumasali ng contest, you actually gain knowledge. You gain experience. They train you.
Noo’ng sumali ako, sinabak lang ako — o sige kumanta ka. It’s not like that anymore. Kung baga, sa ngayon, when you’re joining a singing contest, you gain so much more. Hindi mo na iisipin na mananalo ka, so iba na din ang attitude sa mga sumasali ngayon.
When they finish a singing contest, ang dami nilang pwedeng gawin after. Meron na silang pag lalagyan after unlike before na wala talaga.
Are the aspirants more competitive now?
Hindi ko alam. Kasi nung nag-start ako, competitive din sila eh. Like ako, hindi ko na realize when you come from amateur singing contests, you carry it with you. Sa kahit na ano’ng aspeto ng buhay mo mangyari sayo, merong naiwan sayo na competitiveness.
Pareho din before — if you’re competing you always have that blood in you even if you are already a professional and doing concerts.
I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. I guess being in this business, okay naman to have that.