Echo wants to shine as a singer
MANILA, Philippines—There are three things that preoccupy Jericho Rosales these days: Music, acting and directing.
While he’s still working hard to be recognized as a legitimate singer, his acting career has hit a new high.
Echo leads the cast of “Subject: I Love You,” an independent Hollywood film about the “I Love You” computer worm that originated in the Philippines and caused extensive damage worldwide, including the computer systems in the Pentagon, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and British Parliament.
Jericho plays Victor, a young man who gets entangled in the criminal investigation of the case while searching for the woman he loves.
Directed by Francis de la Torre, the film also stars apl.de.ap of The Black Eyed Peas, Gary Valenciano, Tirso Cruz III, Joel Torre, Briana Evigan (“Step Up 2”), Dean Cain (from the TV series “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”) Dante Basco (“Hook”) and Kristin Bauer (“True Blood”).
It’s one of the biggest roles he’s ever played, the 31-year-old Echo told the Inquirer at the press launch of Advil Softgel, the pain reliever he’s currently endorsing. “I auditioned for it,” he said. “My heart was leaping when I faced the panel. The audition piece was in English and I had to read and memorize some long lines.”
A phone call asking for his waistline, shoe and shirt size confirmed that he got the role. He was so happy that he jumped for joy while strolling at Rockwell.
He recalled getting nervous while throwing lines with apl.de.ap, who plays a calesa driver.
While shooting the film, Echo said he received an invitation to join the Screen Actors Guild, an American labor union. But he has yet to accept it, since doing so will prohibit him from accepting job offers in Manila.
This June, he will take a crash course in filmmaking at the New York Film Academy to develop his skills in directing and producing.
He has directed local music videos and conceptualized one of his concerts, dubbed “And I Love Her,” which revolved around an emotionally challenged pop-rock star.
Focus on music
For some time, acting took a back seat when he tried breaking into the music scene.
“It was painful. People didn’t understand and I had to prove myself. The producers and my followers got hurt. They thought I was turning my back on them,” Echo said.
He actually turned down a number of commercial endorsements, a couple of soap operas and movies so he could focus on music.
In October 2006, he went to Malaysia for the release of “Loose Fit,” his debut 14-track album he had written with his band, Jeans.
The album hit the charts in Malaysia. The actor-turned-musician said he found it difficult to sustain what he had achieved. He has since released two more albums, 2008’s “Jericho” and 2009’s “Change.”
He’s not exactly rootless. His mother and grandmother used to sing live at a radio station in Bicol. A brother is likewise a singer and a club DJ.
In 2007, he performed in a successful concert at the Music Museum.
Echo admitted that the demands of a show biz career can be physically draining.
He has gotten ill from tight schedules, lack of sleep, singing on late nights and going out of town to go surfing, his favorite sport.
Different kind of headache
But there’s a specific instance which gave him a different kind of headache: Getting booked at a rock concert.
“It was difficult,” he recounted. “I performed with such bands as Slapshock and Salamin.”
The crowd booed and gave him the finger, although he claimed everyone stopped the catcalls “when they heard my music.”
But he proudly added that he got a warm reception the next time he sang for a similar crowd. “I felt kilig when I got invited,” he said, recalling that he threw one of his favorite caps to the front-row audience. “It was fun. Nothing could match the experience.”
Although the verdict is still out, he believes this is his time “to shine as a musician.”
He has written two songs for the ABS-CBN teleseryes “Panday” and “Dahil May Isang Ikaw,” even if these songs were not used for some reason.
But he was successful in another project—writing and singing “Bumuhos Man Ang Ulan,” the theme in the teleserye “Green Rose.”
Eye-opener
His travel to Malaysia was an eye-opener, he said: “How I wish the Philippines can allocate enough budget for films and music to stop piracy.”
He cited Malaysia as an example, pointing out that it offers loans and funds for producers and directors who wanted to make good films.
“The Philippines can compete on a global scale. The world’s a stage and it’s high time that we shine,” he said.
