Gigi de Lana. Image: Screengrab from YouTube/Luis Manzano
Gigi de Lana admitted she was still thinking about performing for fans even after she and her bandmates figured in a car crash in La Union last May.
The “Tawag ng Tanghalan” alum and members of her band, The Gigi Vibes, sustained minor injuries after getting into a car accident last May 14, when they were traveling from Aurora to Ilocos Norte. Despite this, they forged ahead with their performance in Ilocos Norte, only for the singer to faint in the middle of her set.
During an interview with TV host Luis Manzano, which was uploaded on the latter’s YouTube channel last Tuesday, Aug. 15, the singer was asked if she ever had thoughts of death during the incident.
“Actually, iniisip ko lang ‘yung performance ko n’un,” she said, which caught Manzano by surprise. “Gan’un ako. Iniisip ko ‘yung performance, ‘yung mga taong naghintay and ‘yung na-travel namin, sayang. Siyempre, ‘yung bayad. Promise!”
(I was actually thinking about our performance at that time. That’s how I am. I was thinking about our performance and all the people who were waiting for us, and how far we have traveled just to get there, that’s such a waste. Of course, our pay too. Promise!)
De Lana said she didn’t want to miss out on the event as that would be such a waste of time, even though she was already feeling “weak” prior to the performance in Ilocos Norte.
“Sayang ‘yung time. ‘Yung tipong kaya ko pang kumanta, ‘Gan’un ‘yung iniisip ko. Before pa ako umakyat ng stage, nanghihina na ako n’un,” she said. (It was a waste of time because I can still sing. Those were my thoughts at that time. But before I stepped onstage, I was already feeling weak.)
“Pero sabi ko, ‘Ngayon pa ba ako aatras? Nandito na kami.’ So tinuloy ko po, akala ko po okay kasi adrenaline. Then, n’ung bigla akong kumanta… akala ko masakit ang ulo ko or shock [from the accident] pero para akong nanlamig. Biglang nawawalan na ako ng pandinig then nahimatay na ako,” she continued.
(But I told myself, “Should I back down now when we’re already here? So I went ahead, and I thought I was okay because of the adrenaline rush. Then when I started singing, I thought I was having a headache or I just suffered a shock from the accident. Then I felt cold and started to lose my sense of hearing. That’s when I passed out.)
The singer, however, pointed out that she was still worried about the effects of her losing consciousness at the event, as she noted that she chose not to be brought to the hospital.
“Nag-calm down naman po ako. Pero cinancel naman ‘yung show. Nagpa-dextrose na lang po ako sa hotel,” she said. (When I calmed down, we had the show canceled. They just put me on dextrose at the hotel.)
De Lana said she gave herself time to process the incident, eventually realizing the value of taking a break and to not push herself at work all the time.
“Na-realize ko ‘yung rest. Kailangan naming mag-rest and hindi mo kailangan i-push ang sarili mo sa limit [everyday]… and dapat mag-isip kami nang mas maayos pagdating sa lahat ng decisions. Hindi lang naman buhay ko ang nakasalalay, pati buhay din ng maraming tao,” she said.
(I realized the value of taking a rest. Rest is a must. You don’t have to push yourself to the limit everyday. I also realized that we have to think about our decisions more carefully. Not only my life is at stake, but also others as well.)
De Lana started her entertainment career as a contestant of “Tawag ng Tanghalan” in 2016, a singing contest under the roof of noontime show “It’s Showtime.”
Earlier this year, she caught the attention of netizens after defending herself for wearing revealing outfits at a concert, where she called out naysayers for being “hypocrites.”