Erik Santos INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
Singer Erik Santos insists there’s no bad blood between him and Boy Abunda, his former manager. But tabloid reports say Boy is sulking over Erik’s decision to move out of his stable and find another manager.
“I’m aware na may tampo siya sa akin. I just want to tell him how much I love and respect him as a person, a father and a friend,” Erik told Inquirer Entertainment during the launch of his latest album, “Awit Para Sa ’Yo” (Star Records). “I owe Tito Boy a lot. I was able to fulfill my dream of becoming a singer because of him and Backroom.”
Erik ended his seven-year business relationship with Backroom Inc. in August. He is now comanaged by ABS-CBN’s Star Magic and Cornerstone Talent Management Center headed by Erickson Raymundo.
“There were a lot of changes in the management of Backroom since Tito Boy left it (to spend more time with his ailing mom),” Erik explained. “I’m not saying I didn’t like the changes. It’s just that I have other considerations, both personal and professional. I had to make difficult but necessary decisions.”
Erik said he made sure to personally meet with Backroom management to ask its consent. “I also spoke with Tito Boy about it on the phone,” said Erik. “It’s not true that he has no knowledge of my leaving Backroom. I respect him so much as a manager that it’s impossible for me not to ask for his blessing.”
The 28-year-old singer-TV host said he joined Star Magic because its boss, Johnny Manahan, has been his director in the Sunday variety show “ASAP” for the last seven years. Raymundo, owner of Cornerstone, has been his friend for four years now, Erik said.
The singer recalled that it was Boy who, after hearing him sing, guided his entry into the biz and suggested that “before I try recording, I should first join ‘Star in a Million.’”
Erik, born Rhoderick Ramos Santos, eventually bagged the grand prize on the first season of the talent search in 2004. He released his first record, “This is the Moment,” on the same year and became a regular host of “ASAP.”
“My focus will still be recording and concerts,” he said. However, he admitted to experiencing “rough times” now that he’s still in a “transition period.”
Erik dedicated the song “Muling Buksan ang Puso” from his new album to his Tito Boy. “It’s his favorite. It will be the theme song for the teleserye ‘Alta.’”
The 14-track album has 10 original tunes, including “Hanggang Kailan Kita Mamahalin,” which Erik wrote himself.
E-mail mcruz@inquirer.com.ph