As Kuh Ledesma prepares to celebrate her 40th anniversary in show biz later this year, she’s reminded of just how fleeting time is. Thus, the seasoned singer makes sure to make the most of every performance she does.
“When I look back, I realize that everything seems like it happened just yesterday—time is short. And that’s why I’d love to be able to share my life … with every performance I do,” Kuh said in an interview after participating in a recent Inquirer Read-Along session.
“I always inject one of the most beautiful things that has happened to me, which is having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” she added.
As part of her 40th year celebration, Kuh hopes to mount a two-night concert.
“I want to have a big show and invite all the people I’ve worked with. But there are too many. So maybe I can do one night, with all-male guests and another with the women,” said the seasoned artist, who also plans on releasing a photo book chronicling her career.
Tomorrow, Kuh will coheadline a show titled “My Unforgettable Valentine” with fellow icon Basil Valdez at the Dusit Thani Hotel (call 891-9999). “Basil and I have been friends for a very long time,” she said of the balladeer.
One of her most memorable collaborations with Basil, she said, was the ballet musical “Rama Hari” in the early 1980s. “I was just starting then. And to be given a chance to do that with someone as big as Basil—especially during that period—was unforgettable,” she recalled.
She added, “His voice is amazing. I recently found an old record of his, ‘Ngayon at Kailanman,’ and it was really beautiful.”
As part of Kuh and Basil’s coming show, they will perform classics by the recently departed composer Michel Legrand, whom she had the honor of sharing the stage with in a Valentine show in 2002. They did a medley of songs from the romantic drama, “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.”
“It was such a wonderful experience. He was quite strict. I didn’t know the songs then, which were given to me only a day before the show. So I stayed up all night to study,” she said. “It was such an honor, to be able to sing with an amazing composer like him … He was very gracious.”
Some of Kuh’s favorites from Legrand include “What are You Doing the Rest of Your Life,” “Summer Me, Winter Me” and “Pieces of Dreams.”
“It’s something that doesn’t happen every day. I watch the videos on YouTube, and I really, really love it,” Kuh added. “He always performed with an orchestra, and so the melodies are always rich. The songs are romantic, and we Filipinos love that.”