What makes Richard Poon durable
Eleven years in the business and Richard Poon is still very much around while some of his contemporaries have been eclipsed by the influx of younger artists.
“You see,” Richard told
Funfare in an exclusive interview, “when you are just starting, you have too much to prove. But once you’ve made it, you have to deal with sustainability. The transition… from unknown to known…can be challenging and can cause some people to be depressed. I’m thankful that I didn’t experience depression. First, I have a good manager (Erickson Raymundo, head of
Cornerstone & Spring Films) and second, I know where I’m strong and where I’m weak, and I don’t stray into where I’m weak. I stay where I’m strong and that’s the big band.” That’s what Richard will perform in
RP10 The Repeat on Dec. 6 (Friday night) at the Newport Performing Arts Theater of Resorts World Manila (RWM), an updated version of the concert last year that marked his 10th anniversary in showbiz. Directed by John Prats for Noble Five Entertainment, Inc., the concert will have as guests Sitti and Ice Seguerra. Richard’s 21-piece big-band orchestra will surprise the audience with new flavors to the standards, exciting arrangements for contemporary and OPM hits. (For tickets, call Ticketworld at 8891-9999.)
The concert was supposed to be titled
RP11 but then Richard decided to retain the original title after a Chinese lady who watched the concert liked it so much that she (and partners) decided to produce the repeat.
“Big band singing is different from doing pop,” explained Richard who has been at it way back when he wasn’t even in showbiz. “It’s just like talking,” he added and started clicking his singer and launching into a few lines from The Way You Look Tonight…Some day when I’m awfully low, when the world is cold I will feel the
glow just thinking of you… “It’s something like you are talking to the audience.”
Richard bears in mind tips from his Taiwanese mother who is an opera singer whom he sought when he performed in a concert with Jose Mari Chan a few years ago. In a duet of the Joe Mari hit Beautiful Girl, Joe Mari told Richard to do the Chinese version.
“I asked for advice from my mom and my dad (Who died last year. – RFL) about the pronunciation…you know,
‘Tama ba ito?’…because I didn’t want to disappoint the Chinese in the audience. My mom told me, ‘Even if your pronunciation is not very accurate, don’t forget the feeling.’ Kasi kahit malinis ka kumanta pero hindi mo nararamdaman ang message ng song, butas ka.” In hindsight, Richard was grateful that he made peace with his dad before he died. The dad used to own and manage the Mr. Poon restaurant where Richard served as cook for six years.
“I left the family in 2000,” confessed Richard without elaborating. “But when you prove that you can make it by yourself, he will appreciate it. I’m happy that before he died, my dad had watched all my concerts. He would ask for tickets from me.”
Since then, Richard has starred in several concerts both here and abroad and released 10 albums (120 songs in all).
Asked what his three favorites among his songs, Richard named I’ll
Take Care, Kahit Maputi and The Last Time (the No. 1 most requested song during weddings), plus Take You Home, a lovely and melodic inspirational song that he wrote 16 years ago.
Being married to doctor-actress Maricar Reyes is among the things Richard is proud of.