Martin Nievera embraces happier days in latest single ‘Smile Again’
Prime balladeer Martin Nievera couldn’t be more grateful to his devoted fans, who have been there for 40 years. He has maintained a very good relationship with his fans and has seemed to be blissful for all of their support. Throughout his career, Martin remained down to earth, and he never let fame go to his head.
Asked about the crazy stuff his loving fans have done to him, Martin said: “The craziest things they have done to me without my knowledge is when they surprised me, say, for my birthday or how many times during the pandemic nagpa-Facebook live kami ng sister ko. Akala mo ABS-CBN nagpoproduce sila ng video, lahat kumakanta, na-gi-greet sa akin.
My fans now are so showbiz. They know how to surprise me, the showbiz way.”
“But what fascinates me the most is how dedicated they are. I’ve been through so much. I can almost imagine I was talking to someone who was there for 40 years, he or she won’t be able to count the memories. Same here. I cannot enumerate and count the memories,” said Martin, during a Zoom to promote his latest single “Smile Again” under Vicor Music on May 18. Martin thanked Vicor Music for taking the risk to come up with a happy song, despite the fact that his fans would want him to sing sad or emotional songs. “Vicor knows that my niche is the love songs, sad songs, the emotional songs. They stayed with me, they supported my desire to write something happier. The melody is sad, but the lyrics are happy. That’s a very big risk for a singer like myself but Vicor was right there behind me to push my desire to be happy,” he said.
Martin said that he got the inspiration for his lyrics, from singing a particular classic.
“I’ve always ended a show (during those shows online during the pandemic) with the (Charlie Chaplin) song ‘Smile.’ A serious song, written by a comedian, reminding everybody that there will be happier days to come.” Martin found inspiration in the situation we’ve all been in the past two years.
“I think If I were to speak for everybody, what everyone’s been going through, in their quiet time, and believe me we’ve had a lot of those, they’re thinking of happier days that once was, and happier days that are to come, sana!” he said. Martin said he thought of the title “Smile Again” and “After I had that title, everything was easy.” “I just wrote all of the beautiful thoughts that come to my mind and thinking in third person, I thought of how other people can relate to this song and (that’s how) I realized the words that I chose. I think everyone can relate to that, everyone wants some reason, big or small, to smile again.”
Martin added: “It’s so funny, when there was no pandemic, I was down. But during the pandemic, I think I was the most positive. What kept my mind busy was doing things I took for granted way before when I was so busy trying to be famous, you know, trying to be a singer and making some hit songs and hit concerts. I forgot that that God put me on this Earth, not to make money, not to be famous, but to be a singer, to sing.”
‘There are dreamers like myself who can put themselves out of a negative situation and find something good in it all. Like being able to do the things I haven’t been able to do before, or to appreciate the life that I have now. So, when Homer Flores sent me the melody and the music…”
“The old meaning of ‘positive’ is what I wanted to bring back,” Martin claims. “I’m one of those singers who sings about the ‘sad’ love songs, the ‘I can’t make it’ love songs, the ‘I want you back’ type of songs. This time, I wanted to finally have a song that was positive.” Then came “Smile Again.”
Reinvention
Martin admitted that he tried to reinvent himself on several occasions to stay relevant in the music scene. Yet, he just embraced the fact that his fans appreciate him more with his older songs. His songs have become the soundtrack of their lives. Martin says he's simply beyond fortunate for the resume' he's built and the perspective he's gained.
“That’s the struggle of an artist like me. I’m trying hard to reinvent myself. All of my 40 years, or every other year, I try to reinvent myself. Only to find out na ang hinahanap ng tao all over the world yung mga dati kong kanta. Mga hits ko noon. I know you grew up with my songs.
“I am realizing now how important whatever song I’ve made, whether it’s a hit or not, I’ve finding out my songs have become the soundtrack of someone’s life. I have to sing that song. But many times I would scratch my head in frustration, ‘Be My Lady’ na naman? I mean, how else can I sing ‘Be My Lady?’ You rap it? Hindi bagay? Reggae?
Ang hinahanap ng tao yung mga songs na recorded by Martin Nievera in the last 40 years. We don’t care about the next 40 years. We want to hear the last 40 years. So I have learned to embrace that. The only thing you can get over with singer’s block is to embrace the fact that you represent a certain niche in the industry.
“Once you’re okay with that, and you’re fine with singing your older songs, or that same songs over and over again, for as long as it’s changing someone’s life, you won’t get the singer’s block. You’ll be happy, you’ll be inspired, you’ll be grateful that the person thinks of you and that song in a very important part of their life. That’s very important, and the singer doesn’t really realize that until they are reaching 20, 30 or 40 years in the business,” Martin added.
‘The old meaning of ‘positive’ is what I wanted to bring back,’