Martin and Regine: Together at Last

   There is reason why Maxi-Media USA is proud to have been able to clinch the deal to put together two of the Philippines’ biggest musical stars in one megaproject which will tour the US next year.  Not only are Martin Nievera and Regine Velasquez the biggest draws in Manila’s burgeoning concert scene, the two are among the busiest and most in-demand showbiz personalities over there today.  To put them together in one show is no mean feat, let alone an seven-city tour of the USA.

   The pictorial alone was in itself a nerve-wracking “mini-event” that took many bookings, and cancellations and rescheduling to accomplish.  No, neither of the two stars were being “difficult” or acting like a primadonna --- their schedules were just too conflicting, it was almost impossible to put them together in one place at the same time. 

   Just to give you an idea how busy these two stars are:

   Martin is currently in the thick of preparations for his traditional Christmas concert produced by Maxi-Media. This year, he is coincidentally celebrating 20 years in show business, so he aptly titled his show, CHASING TIME : The XX’mas Concert (Celebrating 20 Years of Martin Nievera).  The show follows on the heels of his 28-show series at Onstage Greenbelt (two shows shy of his 30-night record last year) also produced by Maxi-Media. The series had its final repeat in mid-November.  A first, by the way for any local artist who performed 3 full-length concerts in a span of 24 hours (he did a concert in Dagupan City the night prior, drove back to Manila, performed a matinee at Onstage the following day then did his last  show two hours later --- all in front of SRO crowds).  There, indeed,  is reason why he remains to be “The Concert King”.  Martin has only recently released a new album also called “Chasing Time”, which already went on Gold based on advanced orders alone.  He is busy promoting his new CD, touring major cities in the Philippines.  He was able to squeeze-in a concert in Singapore, and a trip to London to promote his concert there next year.  Add to this, his nightly talk show on ABS-CBN and one would wonder where Martin gets his energy to sustain himself.

   Regine on the other hand, has just started her own series Onstage Greenbelt for Maxi-Media.  “Songbird Sings”, a mini retrospective of her own hits and recorded songs is currently the hottest concert ticket of the season, with SOLD-out performances every Friday and Saturday until the end of December.  She also recently performed in Beijing along with other international artists and our very own Gary Valenciano and Donita Rose, in a benefit concert for the UNICEF. 

    In between these engagements, she is busy recording her next CD for Viva Records, reportedly,  a very special compilation of movie themesongs, shooting an MTV, producing an album for a new, up-and-coming artist and preparing for her next film assignment, which will reunite her with one of the country’s finest actors, Christopher de Leon.  On television, Regine still hosts her weekly talent search “Star for A Night” and is one of the mainstays in SOP, a Sunday musical variety show on GMA-7.

   With this kind of schedules, one can understand why a simple pictorial becomes a logistic challenge.  But, persistence paid off and the photoshoot finally happened.    And once the two got together in front of the camera and ace photographer Ronnie Salvacion started clicking away, Martin and Regine had so much natural chemistry that the photoshoot was a real breeze.