@40 to forever
What a journey it has been so far for Lea Salonga!
Like that line from song “Tomorrow,” the sun did come out and every day too for Lea Salonga in the 40 years she’s spent so far under the spotlight.
Lea was barely seven years old when she did “Annie,” her first musical. She eventually hit it big worldwide through “Miss Sagon” that brought her to London, and by doing the singing voice of two lead Disney characters namely Mulan and Princess Jasmine in “Aladdin.”
Here is a Pinoy icon with a long-list of achievements spanning four decades.
“I don’t know that any performer ever thinks they’re gonna have a career this long!” she said at a press conference. “It’s (show business) a very fickle business. I think I was one of the lucky ones that the business has chosen to kind of have around.”
Lea thanks her mother, Ligaya, for guiding her down the right career and life paths.
It was Ligaya who urged Lea to audition for her breakthrough role as Kim in “Miss Saigon.” She was studying pre-med course at the time and was primed to become a doctor after school.
“My first reaction was, ‘What about school? What about my life? What about all of this?’ And my mom said, you don’t have the role yet… Audition first and if you get it then we’ll talk,” the Tony award-winning actress recalled.
Lea, as we all know, got the role. Her mom accompanied her to London, and years later, as she celebrates her 40th anniversary in the business, Ligaya is still ever-present, supporting her all the way.
“She still checks my costumes. She checks my dresses (and) if something’s wrong with my costume, she’ll find somebody to scream at,” she said, laughing. “But seriously, I’m gonna thank my mom because, you know, it’s pretty obvious. Without her unwavering belief in what I can do, I don’t think I’m gonna be this artist I am right now. Thanks to her naggings, to her non-stop reminders and, of course, the diligence and the discipline.”
Be like Lea
At 47, where does Lea get all the energy for everything she does? And that voice – she still hits the same notes she did years ago as Jasmine in “Aladdin.” Her secret: Discipline. “There are times that my throat is in pain because I’m the person who eats what I like, who drinks what I like. But the thing is, you need to have discipline. If you know you have rehearsals the following day, you should know that you can’t be eating this, you can’t be drinking this. You need vocal rest. “It’s like you live your life, enjoy the fruits of life but you just have to know when and how much. Me, I’m not getting any younger, so the more clean I live, the better I feel.” Above all, Lea said, her every performance has to have heart. “You cannot fake a heart. If you put your heart in it (singing), whether your technique is fine or not, you will be okay,” she noted. Also worth mentioning is that Lea maintains her youthful looks as if she’s only in her 20’s. “It’s all about external and internal care. But for me, I think there’s a part of it that is genetic,” she said, smiling.
Full plate
Lea will hold a twonight concert as part of her 40th year celebration in the industry. She promises a repertoire that’s all about her amazing musical history.
As in past concerts, Lea will wear Rajo Laurel as a tradition of sorts. “I made my theater debut with him. We were on the same show, so it’s very fitting that every anniversary, I have to get him.”
Directed by Bobby Garcia, with musical direction by her brother Gerard Salonga, and featuring the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra, “Lea Salonga – The 40th Anniversary Concert” is on Oct. 19 and 20 at the PICC’s Plenary Hall.
In other aspects of her career, Lea revealed she just finished shooting the independent American film “Yellow Rose.”
“I’m done shooting. I can announce it. It’s happening,” Lea enthused.
Two other Filipinas are part of the movie. They are Eva Noblezada and Princess Punzalan.
“Princess Punzalan plays Eva’s mother. I play Princess sister, so I’m the kind of person she ends up going to, when things starts to fall apart for the two of them,” she explained.
Lea admitted accepting the project was a move that required a lot of careful thought.
“I have no idea like what am I gonna do or if I still know how to act for a film,” she noted. “Because acting for theater and acting for film are two different monsters and I’m not gonna claim to be the best movie actor. I’m thankful to the director of that film (Diane Paragas) who was very helpful for what we actually needed.”
The release date of the movie is yet to be revealed.
As usual, we asked Lea about the possibility of her having a reunion movie with former leading man Aga Muhlach. The two starred in two movies in the ’90s, “Sana Maulit Muli” and “Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal.”
“It’s a conversation he and I have been having for the last 10 years, since my 30th anniversary,” she said, reiterating that it will only boil down to having “the right script,” as well as timing.
New music from Lea? Her fans can hear her voice on a track off Gary Valenciano’s pet project album “Awit At Laro.”
You cannot fake a heart. If you put your heart in it (singing), whether your technique is fine or not, you will be okay.