After chaos and drama, Martin and Pops come full circle

Pops Fernandez (left) and Martin Nievera

I had a blast at the recent birthday bash of my soul sister, Pops Fernandez, at M Dining. It was the eve of her nth debut. Pipay (Pops’ nickname) refuses to feel her age. She doesn’t look it anyway. So, the birthday girl declared that she’s forever 28.

It was an intimate affair devoid of anything show biz. Only Pops’ closest friends and family were present. It was heart-warming to see Martin Nievera at the fête. After all the chaos and drama, Martin and Pops have come full circle. Mart serenaded Pops with “Say That You Love Me.” They now know that friendship can be the best kind of love.

Then, the Concert King and Queen performed a duet of Atlantic Starr’s “Always.” It’s probably their way of saying that even though their journey to forever was thwarted, they’ll always be in each other’s corner. An impromptu miniconcert followed, as Ogie Alcasid, Zia Quizon, Erik Santos, Robin and Ram Nievera gamely jammed along. Afterwards, we all danced like crazy to ’80s disco hits.

It was a double revelry for Pops because of her brother Edwin’s second lease on life. Being the “ulirang kapatid” that she is, Pipay looks after her bro. Although he is still wheelchair-bound, Ed partied on.

Speaking of siblings, Martin’s twin sister, Vicki, told me that she remains a solid supporter of the ex-couple.

We also got to chat with Dawn Zulueta at the party. She’s on hiatus after working nonstop the past months. The actress is relishing the joys of motherhood before she goes back to the show biz grind.

The highlight of the evening was the super fun Mannequin Challenge, which we documented on Instagram and Facebook.

Aside from Pops’ birthday, I also celebrated our lifelong friendship (more than three decades and counting). Fame has not changed her a bit. I just can’t decide whether Pops is better as a performer or as a friend, because she excels in being both.

Jose Mari Chan’s  ‘ChristMush’

So nice of Jose Mari Chan to send me an autographed copy of his CD, “Coming Home To Christmas.” His megahit, “Christmas in Our Hearts,” could very well be the “Pambansang Pamasko” song. For some “ChristMush” amid the holiday rush, leave it to Jose Mari Chan’s timeless music to spread holiday cheer.

My chat with Tito Joe:

What’s the story behind “Christmas In Our Hearts?” In 1988, Chari Zarate wrote a poem as the Jubilee song in Assumption. She requested me to set her poem to music. Two years later, with the success of my “Constant Change” album, Universal Records suggested releasing my first-ever Christmas CD. So, I put together fave Christmas songs of the past.

Suddenly, I remembered my melody for Chari’s poem, which was catchy enough for a Christmas sing-along.

Then, I met budding lyricist Rina Cañiza. The timing was perfect. I asked her to work on my melody. That’s when we gave birth to “Christmas In Our Hearts.”

The next step was to get a singer to sing a duet with me. My first choice was Lea Salonga, and my next choice was Monique Wilson, but that did not materialize. So I ended up recording with my daughter, Liza. It was a perfect combination!

Tell us about your “Coming Home To Christmas” CD. I thought of making a sequel to my first Christmas album. The title cut is my tribute to our countrymen working abroad, missing their families during the holidays. Among the 22 tracks in the CD is a duet with my 10-year-old granddaughter, Ramona Ysabel. Then, there’s a song quintet, which I sing with four of my children, as well as a Christmas love song for my wife, Mary Ann.