Clockwise: Katrina Velarde, Sam Concepcion, Janine Teñoso and Daryl Ong
In the coming digital concert “Four Hearts” of Sam Concepcion, Janine Teñoso, Daryl Ong and Katrina Velarde, music will serve as a springboard for earnest discussions about love, and how the COVID-19 pandemic changed and challenged the way people navigate relationships.
“The show isn’t only about music. We will really sit down and talk about how the pandemic has changed our lives and mind-set on love. I think a lot of people will be able to relate with, because we’re all yearning for connection—whether romantic love or love for family,” Sam said in a recent virtual conference for the show, which will go live on Aug. 28.
Because he’s single right now, he may not be the best person to dispense love advice, Sam jested. Still, he’s more than willing to talk about his experiences and the lessons he has learned throughout the years.
“I may not have the answers to all the questions, but I can talk about my experiences about life or love,” he added. “And we will all tackle these things while using music to help express ourselves and drive the conversations forward.”
Daryl plans to perform songs that best reflect his life’s ups and downs in the past year.
“That’s why this show is very personal for me. How do you maintain your relationships with the significant people in your life? A lot of things happened to me amid the pandemic—my mother was hospitalized and underwent an operation, I got engaged. So the songs I will be singing will be related to those,” he said.
One of the songs he plans to perform is his new original song, “Lagda.” “I created it together with Thyro Alfaro and Mike Shapiro (Katrina’s spouse). We had already recorded the music, before I sat on the lyrics. I realized that it could very well be a wedding song, about signing and making a vow of forever before God. I want to make sure I include that on my list,” he said.
Like the concept of her latest EP “Kwento sa Silid,” loving one’s self is a topic Janine wants to discuss in the concert. “I want to remind people that it’s OK to be alone amid everything going on right now; that it’s OK to process the challenges you’re going through,” she said. “We will communicate those through our songs.”
For Daryl, the biggest hurdle in maintaining relationships right now is the distance. “My sibling works in Subic and it took one year before we finally saw each other. That’s the tough part, being away from your loved ones. Yes you can make video calls but being together in person, bonding or eating out is still different,” he said.
For Sam, it’s the uncertainty of it all
“Nothing is certain—that we already know. But the pandemic made it feel more real. And looking at the future, we still don’t know what will happen. How do we move forward? How do we make things better? How do we take care of our relationships with our loved ones? And how do we do all that while trying to survive?” he said.
Aside from the fractured physical connections with family and friends, Katrina also laments the absence of live shows and the adrenaline rush that comes from performing before a crowd.
“My bread and butter is singing and doing gigs. And that’s what was lost aside from my connection with my loved ones. We’re robbed of that feeling of doing shows and interacting with our fans. It’s sad but I hope things can go back to the way they are,” Katrina said.
But still, the four singers remain thankful that they’re still able to do what they love, even only through virtual means, just like “Four Hearts,” which will be available on the online platforms KTX for Philippine audiences, and iWantTFC and TFC IPTV for those living in other territories.
Organized by Viva Live and directed by Paolo Valenciano, the concert will have Katrina, Sam, Daryl and Janine together at one venue. “It’s interesting to have us four in one show. We have different backgrounds, so I believe that will make for good musical chemistry,” Sam said. “We work on making each other shine.”
“At least we still get to feel some normalcy through efforts like this. We’re still able to do what we love, which is singing. It’s sad that we can’t do it with a live audience, but I have faith that we will go back to normal,” he added. INQ