Maja Salvador respects Janice de Belen

MAJA Salvador doesn’t let personal issues get in the way of work.

Maja Salvador doesn’t feel the need to divulge the reason behind her breakup with Gerald Anderson, saying that she values their two-year relationship. She’s okay; he’s okay, Maja said. And that’s good enough for her.

“What has ended has ended, and we shouldn’t dwell on it,” she said at a recent press conference for her second album, “Maja in Love” (Ivory Music). “I’m very happy right now … You just have to accept things.”

In any case, show biz kibitzers are having a field day.

Rumor has it that Maja and Gerald called it quits because of the actor’s alleged romance with seasoned actress Janice de Belen, his costar in the ABS-CBN series “Budoy” in 2011.

“I love Janice and I respect her. She’s like a mommy to me,” Maja said, denying the gossip for the nth time. Maja played Janice’s daughter in the soap “Ina, Kapatid, Anak” three years ago.

Janice recently denied the gossip as well.

Maja insisted that her “Bridges of Love” costar Paulo Avelino isn’t to blame, either. “Paulo has nothing to do with it. We’re friends and everything is strictly professional between us,” she said.

What could be gleaned from Maja’s safe, if vague, statements was that Gerald might have initiated the breakup. “I don’t really know what his reasons are or what he’s going through right now. Let’s just pray that he fixes whatever needs fixing,” she related.

Meanwhile, Maja said she would rather focus on her career. “I can work freely and I appreciate all the good things that have been happening to me,” she told the Inquirer. “I don’t let my personal issues get in the way of my work.”

Of the numerous, if unlikely, TV-movie personalities who dabble in music today, Maja is one of the few who have managed to come up with radio-friendly material, such as the sultry and groovy Jonathan Ong-produced ditties, “Dahan-Dahan” and “Halika Na.”

Not a singer

She is aware of her limitations and, despite having already released two records, remains reluctant to call herself a singer.

“Maybe you can call me a recording artist. I know I’m not the best of vocalists, but I’m happy that I’m able to contribute to the music industry,” she said.

She is partial to pop-RnB and upbeat tunes. “Anything you can dance to. ”

Maja, who sang and danced to Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears hits as a kid, said that performing is now on top of her list of priorities, along with acting.

“I turn into a different person onstage. There’s a sense of freedom I don’t usually feel on a TV or movie set,” she admitted.

The carrier single of her six-track album is titled “Bakit Ganito ang Pag-Ibig”—a tad ironic, Maja pointed out, because she herself doesn’t question love and why it often fails. “Falling in love is a great feeling, though,” she conceded.

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