REGINE VELASQUEZ
ASIA’S SONGBIRD
IT’S EASY TO DEVELOP AFFECTATIONS WHEN YOU HAVE A CAREER THAT HAS SPANNED MORE THAN TWO DECADES, GARNERED COUNTLESS AWARDS, AND HAVE AMASSED A
LOYAL FOLLOWING. All the attention, the fortune that comes with it, and people crying at the mere sight of you can be quite blinding.
Regine Velasquez Alcasid, however, is no diva—at least not in the negative sense of the word. “The learning experience at my age and at this point in my career, di ba parang hindi mo alam na pwede ka pa rin palang matuto kahit
na [matanda] ka na,” says Regine. We love how she looks us straight in the eyes during conversation, how she laughs out loud spontaneously after saying something she deems too serious, and how unaffected she is of her status. A lot has changed for Asia’s Songbird— marriage, motherhood, and a renewed love for music. Although she’s been on the cover of MEGA’s June Pinoy Pride Issue the second time around, the first in 2010, Regine Velasquez-Alcasid has no desire to prove anything to anyone. She is just happy to still be around.
Regine grew up in a household strongly influenced by music. Her father would sing Frank Sinatra songs while her mother played the guitar. In fact, they say Regine sang along with the family long before she could read.
Her father played a crucial role in developing her vocal prowess. “He helped train her voice by having her sing while neck-deep in the ocean,” I once read. Regine had always been the diligent type; she worked harder than everyone else and had an insatiable appetite for learning. “I don’t even think na ganito kataas yung
boses ko before. Kaya lang talagang malakas lang yung
loob ko. I don’t like limiting myself. I was very masipag,” she says.
At the beginning of her career, Regine reveals, “her voice was not uso.” “I was the only one who sounded like this.
Buti nalang, thank God for Whitney Houston,” she says. “When she became popular…they would always ask me to sing her songs and that’s how I got noticed…that’s how I started.” Although Regine stresses that she is first a balladeer, she has no trouble trying or experimenting with different genres. In fact, she has even delved into rock and R&B. “Ang lagi ko kasing katuwiran, at least tinry
ko. Care ko kung hindi bagay. I’m always like that,” she says with laugh. And that’s exactly what makes someone standout from everyone else in the music industry, an artist who is unafraid to evolve. In her younger years Regine would painstakingly research different types of music just so she could introduce something new to her audiences. “As an artist you really need to grow.”
Regine Velasquez-Alcasid has come a long way from performing on amateur singing competitions. She rose to prominence after winning the 1989 Asia Pacific Singing Contest in Hong Kong, which launched her as Asia’s Songbird. The singer has also received worldwide recognition for many things, including being the first Asian to hold a solo concert at the Carnegie Hall in New York during its centennial-year concert series, for collaborating with international artists, like Brian McKnight, Ronan Keating, Jim Brickman, Michel Legrand, David Pomeranz, Jacky Cheung and David Archuleta and was nominated for three categories at the 2013 World Music Awards along with Sarah Geronimo. It seems that fate had always been on her side, even on the subject of romance. After seven years of being in a relationship, Regine Velasquez and Ogie Alcasid finally tied the knot in December 2010; she got pregnant with Nathaniel James (or Nate) the following year. “Getting married and having a baby will really change your life. I had no idea,” shares Regine. “Obviously, my priorities have changed. I’m more contented.” The new mom further explains that these days she and husband Ogie prefer to go straight home after a gig. “Gusto ko siya
abutan na gising pa siya.” Regine continues that in a recent trip to the US with Nate, she seemed more focused on her baby. “I didn’t shop for myself at all, my husband was so surprised. Parang I’m not interested. I just wanted to spend time with Nate.”
Regine’s pregnancy and nine-month long hiatus from music and show business was truly an enlightening experience for her. This was when she realized all she wanted to do was sing. While the songstress is also gifted in acting and hosting, she stresses that for now, she wants to focus on just singing.
In February 2012, Regine returned to TV to promote her first Valentine concert, Mr. & Mrs., with her husband. Smart Araneta Coliseum was packed with fans and friends. But what excited audiences more was the announcement of Regine’s Silver concert, which celebrates her 25th year in the industry. And it proved to be her most unforgettable concert to date.
“Well I lost my voice,” recalls Regine. “I never lose my voice. It’s actually so reliable that I’d get sick [and] everything else would fail me but never my voice. Never.”
But even when she felt it wasn’t going to be her best performance, she insisted the show must go on.
The singer’s commitment to her craft and her loyal friends and followers led to a free repeat concert, Silver
Rewind, in early 2013. Regine did all she possibly could to prepare; even losing the weight she gained during her pregnancy. But later disclosed that she hates going to the gym. As was expected, she delivered a great performance and received several standing ovations from the audience. She tells us, “My husband calls it a journey. I had this attitude [then] na, ‘I’m going to show them I still have it,’ ‘I’m still whatever.’ I totally missed the point of why I’m celebrating the whole 25 years.” Regine imparts that she had the wrong attitude. The concert was never about her or her fans coming to celebrate with the singer. “It’s really all about me thanking the Lord I’m still here. For the talent I’ve endured for 25 years.” She is also more than thankful for the support fans have given her throughout the years. But now she says her ‘thank you’ is not just for that. “They always say ‘you don’t have to prove anything to us anymore.’ And I really, really appreciate that because I also have to be realistic, I’m not as young as before when my voice was always perfect.”
While Regine is again taking a break to address a health concern that has been “destroying her voice,” she assures us that she will return to the music scene, with several concerts lined up and a new album (one that is dedicated to Nate) at that. “After giving birth, that’s all I wanted to do—to sing,” she says. Expect a series of concerts called The Theater where she, as the title suggests, will be singing songs from musicals; another Valentine concert (which we predict will be a sold-out spectacle); and so much more.
All her life Regine Velasquez-Alcasid has lived up to the expectations of others. But since motherhood, Asia’s Songbird has learned to relax a little. She’s not starting over. She has nothing to prove to her fans, to the new generation of singers that have surfaced from local TV or the web or anyone else. “I’m just glad [people] appreciate me still being here, still trying to give them entertainment. And for that I’m happy.”
Follow Regine on Instagram (@thervfriends and @ regine val ca sid) and on Twitter (@rvfriends official and@ reginevalcasid) or like her Facebook page (facebook.com/ rv friends official)
“My husband calls it a journey. I had this attitude [then] na, ‘I’m going to show them I still have it,’ ‘I’m still whatever.’ I totally missed the point of why I’m celebrating the whole 25 years”