Pops Fernandez
Retirement was something Pops Fernandez had already considered.
In an interview with the Inquirer earlier this year, she admitted that, after 40 years in the biz, there are times when she gets tired and feels like she has already done everything she wants as a performer; that she has already gotten her fill of doing concerts and traveling the world.
But after two successful concert series in the United States this year, Pops—who had been “semiretired” for the past couple of years—seems to be singing a different tune these days.
“I have been away [from the live music scene] for a long time. I haven’t sung in a while… So In my mind, I’m ready to retire. But when you’re onstage again and feel the energy of the audience, you can’t help but feel drawn back in,” she said at a recent video conference. “And lately, I have been getting opportunities to do shows.”
Unexpected blessings
Coming off the success of “3 Divas”—a concert she coheadlined with Kuh Ledesma and Jaya in California—Pops couldn’t be more thankful about the “unexpected blessings” she has been receiving. “I feel grateful that I’m being given chances to perform again. And not just perform — I get to perform, still, with the best of the best,” she said.
“When unexpected blessings come our way, we should make the most out of it,” said the 55-year-old artist, who’s dubbed as the Philippines’ “Concert Queen.”
Due to the “overwhelming response” to “3 Divas,” the producer VP Entertainment, is now planning to bring the show on tour in the United States and in the Philippines. “We’re looking forward to a possible tour and making the shows even bigger,” Pops said. “God has been so good.”
Despite being able to rehearse together only three days before the show, everything went smoothly.
“Thank God for technology, we were able to send music to any part of the world. We were able to rehearse and we knew all our music and songs. But we had to do it separately (Kuh and Pops are based in the Philippines; Jaya, in the United States). We saw each other only a few days before the show. But when we saw each other, we were able to do our vocal blendings,” she said.
And because they’re real-life friends, the rapport among the three came naturally to them.
Thriving in show biz
“It was my first time working with Jaya and I wasn’t sure what kind of number we could do together. But she was so much fun and energetic onstage. She’s up for anything… We all have different styles that complement each other. And we were able to showcase that,” she related. “We were blessed with a warm and fantastic audience.”
On the subject of longevity, Pops cited three things that she believes has helped her stay and thrive in show biz for as long as she has: passion, honesty and adaptability.
“It’s a tough business. It may look glamorous, larger than life, sparkly and glittery. But there are lots of challenges offstage. And when those come your way, you start questioning yourself. But you just have to remind yourself that you’re given a talent for a reason and a purpose. Being in this business means not only loving what you do, but having the dedication to continue doing it,” she said.
Another thing she has learned from performing and facing all sorts of people is that you can’t fool your audience—or yourself. “Whenever you’re onstage you have to be true to yourself and love being onstage. You have to love the song you’re singing. People will see through you,” she pointed out.
The entertainment industry is an ever-changing space, and one must learn to “go with the flow” without compromising his or her core as an artist. “You can’t be complacent. I believe in always learning and educating myself. Times change; you have to go with the flow. You may have your own personality, brand or image, but it will help to learn something new to better our craft,” she said. INQ