A SONG FOR SARAH
Sarah Geronimo has come a long way. Starting her career out performing in shopping malls and college campuses, she has since enjoyed a meteoric rise to superstardom. At 23, the possibilities seem endless for this down-to-earth singing sensation
Art direction by SUKI SALVADOR. Makeup by LALA FLORES. Hair by JAY WEE. Styled by ELDZ MEIJA, styling associates PARIS ROXAS and KIYOSHI MAKITA. Sittings editors PEEWEE REYES-ISIDRO, KIM REYES-PALANCA, MICA SANTOS, SARAH SANTIAGO. Special thanks to KAYE TINGA. Shot on location at WAREHOUSE 17, located at La Fuerza Compound Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati.
“I can’t imagine doing anything else... singing and performing is what I really have always wanted to do.”
SARAH GERONIMO ARRIVES ON TIME. “She’s here,” says an inanimate voice as a car pulls in. We meet at Warehouse 17, a spacious boutique with modern Asian furniture and an ambient soundtrack located somewhere in the outer reaches of Makati. Sarah walks in unassumingly, clad in a crisp white shirt and jeans. Her bodyguard, an intimidating, expressionless figure in a barong, follows a few steps behind. She smiles disarmingly when I am introduced to her, shakes my hand, and unabashedly refers to me as ‘sir’— a rather odd sense of propriety, somewhat unexpected from a national pop icon.
The hoopla commences. Sarah sits in a high chair in front of a lit-up mirror. She is for the most part quiet but grinning broadly and occasionally singing under her breath. It is an endearing sight. Her wardrobe for the shoot, a rack of finely-detailed gowns by some of the most influential Filipino designers, flown in from as far away as Dubai, is carefully scrutinized by stylists and Sarah’s doting mother, Divina. Two separate camera crews for ABS-CBN and Sarah’s TV show aptly titled Sarah G. Live! enter and begin filming; art directors rearrange furniture while hungry staff members pinch some of the complimentary food. Her artist Lala Flores, a former ramp model herself, meticulously applies top-ofthe-line cosmetics to Sarah’s now noticeably stoic face.
It is no surprise that pop princess Sarah Geronimo is unaffected by the ruckus that surrounds her. Most people her age are fresh college grads that are either unemployed or working mediocre desk jobs. At 23, Sarah is a showbiz veteran. She made her singing debut at two years old in a shopping mall. By age four, she had become a member of the popular children’s television show Pen-Pen de
Sarapen. And two years later, she performed for Pope John Paul II during his famous visit to the Philippines. But it wasn’t until 2002 when 14-year-old Sarah truly shot to countrywide stardom. She won the Star for a
Night competition hosted by Regine Velasquez with her poignant rendition of Celine Dion’s ballad ‘To Love You More.’ The victory earned her one million pesos and a contract with Viva Artists Agency. She released her first album, Popstar: A Dream Come True later that year.
It seems that at such a young age, a career path had already been forged for the precocious Sarah. “Hindi ko ma-imagine sarili ko na iba ang ginagawa ko (I can’t imagine doing anything else),” she explains, now madeup and looking stunningly doll-like. “Siguro I’d just be a typical college student pa din. Pero ayun, singing
talaga yung gusto ko, performing (I guess I’d just be a typical college student otherwise. But there you go, singing and performing is what I really have always wanted to do).”
Under the tutelage of the Center for Pop Music Philippines, a performing arts school set up to train Filipino kids for pop stardom, Sarah’s audience grew. She started performing in campuses, shopping malls and became a regular fixture on national television, in shows like Ang TV and NEXT. Not a bad start to life for the daughter of working-class parents from Santa Cruz, Manila. “Happy naman yung childhood, natatandaan ko pag nagbabakasyon kami, pumupunta kami sa probinsya namin sa Pampanga, naglalaro kami ng mga pinsan ko. (My childhood was happy. I remember going to our province, Pampanga, and playing with my cousins),” she says of her formative years, growing animated at the pleasant memories our conversation brings up. “Tapos naalala ko noon na umiiyak ako pag pinapauwi ako kasi meron akong parang racket. Kasi bata palang ako may racket na ko, hindi gig, pero mga auditions ganyan. Malungkot ako nun, every time na pinu-pull out nila ako para kumanta. (I remember crying when I had to go home to do auditions or gigs. Ever since I was a kid, the gigs were nonstop. And I became sad every time I had to leave the province to sing),” she reflects. She didn’t, however, let this sentimentality get in the way of her lofty aspirations. “Sobra akong determined na mag-practice, bumabangon ako ng 8 am, ganyan, to practice
my singing, so yun gusto ko din talaga itong showbiz, itong entertainment, to be a singer, to be an actress. Naalala ko noong umaarte ako, nag-mamakeup ako, ginagamit ko yung make-up ni mommy. Sinusuot
ko yung mga heels niya, high heels. (I was very determined to practice. I would get up at 8 am to practice my singing. I really wanted to be in showbiz, to be a singer, and an actress. I remember when I was acting, I was putting on makeup. I was using my mom’s makeup and her high heels).”
The rest, as they say, is history. It will require a real concerted effort to find someone so accomplished at her age—or any age for that matter. She has released ten critically-acclaimed albums, with another one on the way this year. Her many concerts fill up venues both here and abroad. She’s had a number of successful TV shows with media giant ABS-CBN. Finally, she has captivated Filipino audiences throughout the world with her winning movie performances, a list that includes films like smash-hit You Changed My Life with John Lloyd Cruz, and of course the quirky romcom
Catch Me I’m In Love alongside Gerald Anderson— their onscreen chemistry, not to mention Gerald’s televised admission that he is indeed ‘courting’ her, has led to growing speculation that the two are dating.
Sarah, however, is apparently not so quick to
“For me, being famous is like being Michael Jackson. That’s when I can say that I’m famous, when there are already so many people watching you and they cry whenever they see you. That’s my idea of fame.”
settle down, claiming that she is not in a relationship. “Single pa din ako. Walang ligaw. Hindi, siyempre na-appreciate ko naman yung effort niya na talagang nag-pa-interview pa siya, na yun nga, yung nanliligaw talaga siya. (Well, I’m still single. No romance. But I do appreciate Gerald’s effort—that he really had himself interviewed to let people know that he is officially courting me),” she says. “Kumbaga, doon muna kami.
Hindi siya ‘just friends.’ Pero yun nga ayaw po naming madaliin kasi siyempre para sakin hindi naman birobiro ang relationship. Hindi lang yan parang may masabi ka lang na boyfriend or may mayayakap ka lang. Basta, big deal sa akin ang isang relasyon. So kelangan po talagang makilala muna
yung isa’t isa ng mabuti (In other words, it’s not that we’re just friends but we don’t want to rush things because we take relationships seriously. It’s not just for the sake of having a boyfriend. For me, having a relationship is a big deal so it’s important we get to know each other more).” Sorry guys, you have your work cut out for you.
It’s hard to gauge Sarah’s success solely on commercial achievements. As her warm smile would suggest, she is a naturally amiable and kindhearted person. Filipinos relate to her in the same compassionate way because she has remained one of us, largely unaffected by newfound fame and wealth; no nouveau-riche veneer of pretension nor excess flashiness. She still speaks straight Tagalog and maintains a very close relationship with her parents, claiming “lagi akong may kasama talaga, either mommy ko or daddy ko (either mom or dad is always by my side)” when making public appearances. Sarah is one of those local celebrities who seem to be unanimously liked, in the same way congressman Pacquiao is—the underdog that has overcome the odds, yet we still care about. But she remains unconvinced. “Na nag-wowonder ka lang bakit ganon. Kasi kilala ko naman yung sarili ko. Ito lang naman ako pero ayun thankful ako kung ano man yung nakikita nila sakin (I wonder why I have that effect on people. Because I know myself, I know that this is just the plain me. I’m just thankful for whatever these people see in me),” she explains. “Para kasi sakin pag sikat, parang Michael Jackson, yun
yung masasabi kong time na sikat ka. Yung sobrang daming taong nanunuod sayo. Yung naiiyak sila pag
nakikita ka. Yun yung idea ko ng pagiging sikat. (For me, being famous is like being Michael Jackson. That’s when I can say that I’m famous, when there are already so many people watching you and they cry whenever they see you. That’s my idea of fame).” Humble as she may be, clearly she hasn’t been in her own audience.
She has had numerous concerts overseas from Dubai to North Asia. Last August, in the wake of the earthquake, tsunami and ensuing nuclear disaster that devastated Northeastern Japan, she performed to an enthusiastic, electrified crowd in Yokohama. Not only were her fans appreciative, the Japanese government was too. Tourism had been dealt quite a blow over there, and her appearance conveyed the message that Japan was still a safe place to visit, not just for Pinoys, but for anyone. “Everytime na nag-coconcert ako abroad, mas sabik ang mga tao,” she says. “Feeling kasi siguro nila kapag kaming mga artista yung pumunta dun mas pinaplano (People seem to be more excited and into it whenever I do concerts overseas. Maybe it’s because they feel that we really prepared for them, especially when it’s us “the artists” who go to them).”
She is not just a pop superstar; she is in a way an ambassador for the Philippines, a role model, and a true global pinoy. “Super grateful lang ako sa bawat proyektong naibibigay sakin. At yun nga, I represent my own country whenever I go abroad to do a concert para sa Filipino community ( I’m really grateful for every project given to me. And that’s the thing, I represent my country whenever I go abroad to do a concert for the Filipino community),” she elaborates. “Ayun, dream come true po ang makapag-perform ako sa ibang bansa
(It’s actually a dream come true for me to perform in other countries).”
It was a pleasure to meet and have a chat with Sarah Geronimo. She is what people might refer to as an atypical celebrity—mercifully devoid of any of the usual intrigue, scandal, and gossip so common in her industry, she is the kind of unpretentious celeb you actually root for.