The secret of Martin Nievera’s staying power

CONCERT King Martin Nievera. EDWIN BACASMAS

As one of the industry’s seasoned pop vocalists, Martin Nievera often gets asked by younger music artists for all sorts of advice—from how to take care of their voice to how to establish rapport with their audience during a concert.

But aside from the technical aspects of singing and performing, there’s one thing that Martin tries to remind younger singers to do: “Stop and smell the roses.”

“More than anything, they shouldn’t forget to enjoy what they’re doing. Show biz is a fickle industry. Before you know it, everything has already come and gone,” Martin told the Inquirer in a recent interview for the coming concert, “Royals,” which he will headline with Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, Erik Santos and Angeline Quinto at SM Mall of Asia Arena on Feb. 13.

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“Sometimes, people show me old clips of my performances. There were a lot of people watching me, and they were all screaming. Sometimes, I think,   ‘Wow, where did it all go? Ang bilis naman,’” the balladeer, who’s been in the business for more than 30 years, added.

“So, enjoy every write-up, good or bad. Savor the sold-out gigs and learn from the not-so successful ones.”

Getting in the industry is difficult, but staying is a lot tougher, the 53-year-old recording artist pointed out. Thus, he said, one must always try to improve or reinvent his or her craft. “You have to be hungry for growth. You can’t afford to  be complacent,” he said.

Such are the things he always tells Erik and Angeline, who have made no secret of their admiration and respect for  Martin and Regine. There’s no better compliment, he said, than hearing other artists tell him that he’s one of their idols  growing up.

“All I cared about when I was young was singing. I never imagined that I would become someone else’s peg or gauge.

“It’s an honor; it feels great. But it’s also a lot of pressure. It makes me want to strive harder myself, and prove that I’m as good as they think, especially now that I get to work with some of them,” he said.

In “Royals,” Martin and his coartists will perform a diverse set list that features songs from Rick Astley to Adele, and a whole lot of original Filipino music.

“Some will be mellow, others will be powerful. The common denominator of the songs, of course, is that they will center on love,” he said.

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