By Nico Erle Ciriaco
AFTER a period of mourning over the loss of her longtime partner, Comedy King Dolphy, Zsa Zsa Padilla bounces back and moves on with renewed zeal. She will take centerstage once again with Beginnings, her anniversary concert that goes onstage next month.
Slated on July 31 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater (NPAT) of Newport Mall within the sprawling Resorts World Manila (RWM) complex, Zsa Zsa will be celebrating her 32nd year as an artist. Enjoying a storied career in show business, marked by successful forays in recording, concerts, television, and films both independent and mainstream, she undertakes another career milestone this year.
“The title of the concert, Beginnings, comes from a line in the Randy Crawford song ‘One Hello’ and it says a lot as another chapter of my life begins. Over the past few years, it became so emotional for me to sing, so I stopped doing concerts for a while.
“I had to deal with the loss of a loved one. I was with Dolphy for 23 fruitful years. It was truly a blessing. He was the type of person who we gathered around. He would invite family members frequently and we bonded. Before his passing, he was ill for four years. We all had to cope with his demise,” shared the 51-year-old singer-actress, who seems to not have aged since she started hogging the spotlight in the early 1980s.
Named after her third album with PolyEast Records, Beginnings will see Zsa Zsa in her elemental best performing delightful easy-listening songs with a repertoire that includes songs from the 1970s and 1980s, as well as duets with Martin Nievera. Also sharing the stage with her and Martin is daughter Karylle. Covers of songs such as “Quizaz, Quizaz, Quizaz,” “If I Could” by Regina Belle, “Quando, Quando, Quando,” “All of Me” by John Legend, “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “You” by The Carpenters, as well as OPM and foreign medleys and most of Zsa Zsa’s original hits. All the songs will be performed with a trio backup vocals together with a 13-piece big band, all under the musical direction of Homer Flores.
“We worked hard on the arrangements of the songs. I see this project as giving back to my roots. These are the songs that my audience want to hear me sing. I’m so happy that when I started my singing career, I essayed OPM songs penned by the great composers like George Canseco (‘Hiram’) and Willy Cruz (‘Kahit Na’) that were widely accepted by listeners everywhere,” she said.
Since her singing debut back in 1983, Zsa Zsa has produced a string of hits that include “Hiram,” “Mambobola” and “Ikaw Lamang,” to name a few. With a voice that has stood as one of the most distinct in the Filipino music landscape for the past three decades, she remains on top of her game.
“The last studio album I did was personal to me. Although it was filled with original OPM songs, I had just lost a great love. So when I listen to it now, I find it a bit sad and, yes, at times angry. I was still grieving and I never thought it would be possible to love again,” said Zsa Zsa on her 2013 album with PolyEast, Palagi.
Having found love anew, Zsa Zsa is once again driven to produce chart-topping hits with the recent releases from her latest album.
“Never stop believing in the power of second chances. Thank you for being with me in this new chapter of my life,” said the misty-eyed chanteuse.
****For more information on shows and events happening at RWM, visit www.rwmanila.com, or call the Tourist/Visitor hotline (02) 908-8833.