Fe de los Reyes
In 1993, just as when her solo music career was gaining momentum, singer-comedienne Fe de los Reyes made the difficult decision of packing up her bags and relocating to the United States.
Fe, one of the original members of the ‘80s show band Music and Magic, was then 35 years old and hoping to start her own family. And she did get what she wanted. She’s a mother of four daughters with her IT engineer and contractor husband.
But now that her youngest child is about to graduate college and her husband is mulling retirement, Fe expects to have more time for herself hereon. And that means finally being able to stay in the Philippines longer to mount a proper, more focused music and television comeback.
“I have fewer obligations nowadays, so I have more time for other personal endeavors. I plan to fly to the Philippines more often and stay longer, because there have been a lot of offers and opportunities in show biz—gigs, television shows, concerts. But the thing is, I have to be here for a longer period. ‘Di pwedeng pasulput-sulpot lang,” she said at a press conference.
While he has been living in the United States for the past 30 years, Fe never completely left the entertainment industry. She starred in musical theater productions and comedies. She went on tours. She was also cast in movies, like the upcoming Filipino-American production “Asian Persuasion,” which features Dante Basco, Paolo Montalban, Kevin Kreider and KC Concepcion.
Upbeat song
Every so often, she performs in concerts in the Philippines, the most recent of which was “All About Love”—a two-night musical event she coheadlined with her dear friends Kuh Ledesma and Odette Quesada last December.
“I never left the carnival. When you’re born in the carnival, you will always come running back. I feel blessed. I now have a family, and my life revolved around it in the States, but show biz is still there for me,” she said. “It’s great to see that the world is opening up again after the pandemic.”
Fe recently released a digital single called, “Hoy, Ikaw na Naman” under RJA Productions. The light and upbeat song was written by acclaimed songwriter Cecile Azarcon, another close friend of Fe’s. “It’s such an honor to record a Cecile Azarcon song,” Fe said. “I actually first sang it live back in 2017. And now, Cecile decided to give it to me. She said, ‘Go on, release it as a single.’ I’m so happy!”
She couldn’t have asked for a better comeback single. It’s kikay and sweet” but with “a touch of aggressiveness”—a fitting vehicle to showcase her singing chops and comedic flair. “It’s about a woman getting pursued and being coy about it. Gusto din niya, pero may konting pakipot. Dahan-dahan lang,” she related. “I guess there’s a bit of novelty in it because it’s recorded by a comedian! I told Cecile, ‘Are you sure you want me to record the song?’ And she said, ‘Yes, bagay sa ‘yo,’” she related.
While she tries to stay in touch with today’s pop music—with a bit of help from her children—Fe wouldn’t dare hop on trends and make any drastic changes about her music.
“I won’t try to be anyone else. I will always be Fe. I’m aware of what’s popular now. There are so many good young artists. But I’m 64, and I won’t force something that doesn’t suit me. I believe people will still love me for who I am,” she said.
Aside from music, television projects and series are also in the offing. “People had been talking to me about doing a TV series, but I couldn’t commit. But now I’m ready,” said Fe, who hopes to land a villain role in a soap opera.
“I will probably get comedic roles, or get asked to play a tita or lola. But what I really want to do is play a contravida. I want to play a character that people will loathe. I feel like it would be a challenge. But I welcome anything as long as it’s something good,” Fe said. INQ