What Yeng Constantino learned from Raimund Marasigan

Yeng Constantino is grateful for having worked with the busy-as-a-bee Raimund Marasigan, who produced her third album “Lapit.”

She credits him as a pivotal factor in her ongoing development as a singer-songwriter: “Nung nakatrabaho ko si Raimund talagang na-influence niya ko to pursue music with passion, not as work.”

Yeng, season 1 winner of the reality talent search “Pinoy Dream Academy,” values as well her time spent with other rock musicians: “What I like about them is their being genuine. They write their songs because they experienced it. They don’t go with the trend.”

Music consumers, Yeng says, have grown wise and could sense if a particular artist is just winging it. “Alam nila kung totoo o hindi ang sinasabi mo sa mga kanta,” she points out. She makes money from entertaining people, so all the more she insists that “hindi kailangang mawala yung ‘puso’ sa ginagawa ko.”

To prove her point, the 22-year-old wants her fans and also the curious to check out her concert, titled “Rak en Rol Jamming With Yeng Constantino,” on August 5 at the Aliw Theater, Pasay City.

Guest performers include her “Music Uplate Live” cohost and current 6cyclemind front man Tutti Caringal, rapper Gloc-9, actor-TV host-singer Sam Milby and, of course, Raimund.

The former drummer of The Eraserheads, current front man of Sandwich and member of Pedicab, among other affiliations, also figures among Yeng’s role models: “Si Raimund at ang father ko, si Joselito.”

And when asked to name the best songs she has heard, guess what’s her first choice: “‘Procrastinator’ by Sandwich.” Pocholo Concepcion