BITING THE R2K BUG
One on One with R2K's REGINE VELASQUEZ
By Lionel Zivan S.Valdellon

published in PhilMusic.Com : Jan 16, 2000

In 1999, Regine Velasquez under Viva Records released R2K, a double-disc album that featured a 16-track album and a 6-track collection of music videos produced exclusively for the album. It was nothing short of phenomenal. Industry insiders were floored by the idea that a local artist could now do something this ambitious. Fans have been buying the album like anything, gladdened by Regine's return to pop revivals (after the more R&B-flavored last album, Drawn). Two US tours and a 7-minute Millennium number later, and she's hotter than ever. We caught up with Regine to ask her what Y2K has in store for her.

ON PROMOTIONS

What are your immediate plans?
I'm supposed to promote my album. 'Cause December I wasn't able to promote it intensively. I just launched it. I'd like to promote it because it helps the album. But I didn't have to do that because it was really selling well. Plus I got very busy so sabay-sabay ang mga ginagawa ko. I also had to do the milennium thing…

When was your 7-minute song recorded? They had to close off the whole Ayala?
Siguro mga 2nd or 3rd week of December. Before Christmas. Sinara nila ang Ayala, kaya traffic.
___ Itong January, the plan talaga is to promote R2K na. Para ma-sustain din siya. Kasi eventually magda-die down yung pagkamalakas niya. Maraming lalabas na bagong albums. Para masustain at least until next year.

You're promoting the album nationwide?
Yeah. Well, Manila-concentrated and probably we'll go to key cities like Cebu, Davao… Kasi sa first album ko (under Viva) nag-launch kami sa Cebu. Ang promotion mo naman talaga, mainly sa Manila lang eh, radio tours, mall tours, TV guestings…tapos nagka-catch up naman ang ibang cities.

ON HAIR AND MOVIES

Are you changing your image in the near future?
Gusto ko na ngang putulin ang buhok ko at naiirita na ako sa buhok na ito. Naa-alibadbaran na ako dito (laughs). Matagal akong nag-long hair… kaya lang Viva doesn't want me to cut it. Because I'm shooting a movie. By February, hopefully, we'll be able to start sa bagong pelikula namin. And usually kasi pag mahaba daw ang buhok, mas madaling bigyan ng character. As if, 'no? Pagka daw kasi maikli ang buhok, pang-sosyal. Di ka na pwedeng maging mahirap.

Sinong leading man mo?
Medyo definite na ata… si Robin (Padilla). It was supposed to be Cesar (Montano) but that didn't push through. So now…

When is it slated to come out?
Hopefully around April or May. Romance, comedy.

Another rags-to-riches type of story?
Ah no. Ngayon yata, di naman ako poor. Sabi ko, "Hwag n'yo naman akong gawing mahirap. Gawin ny'o naman akong mayaman para pwede akong pumorma." Kasi pag movies ko, alam mo bang iniisip ko mga outfits ko? Ganito ang image ko sa character na ito.

Do you enjoy doing movies?
Nowadays only. I never used to enjoy it because the first time I saw myself on the big screen, I thought I looked stupid. (laughs) I vowed I would never do movies again.

What was that first movie?
Pik Pak Boom (laughs). Talagang the first time I saw myself, I went, "That's it? That's me? I look so stupid." Sabi ko: "Never again. Not until I learn how to act." I really didn't make any movies after those 3 movies I did-actually extra-extra lang naman ako doon.
___ The first movie I did afterwards Wanted: Perfect Mother. They really had to force me. Ayoko talaga gawin. So nag-workshop ako, just for that particular movie.

ON REVIVALS, NEW ALBUMS, & BEING A PRODUCER

How do you feel about revivals? Seeing as you probably started the whole bit with your Retro album.
As singers, it's not that we're not interested in doing new songs. Of course we are. It's just that it's so hard to find them. I know that a lot of composers are complaining. But it's really hard to find good songs these days.
___ I'm happy about what GMA-7 is doing, because they have the Metropop. Parang nabibigyang chance ang maraming composers. But then again actually you notice it naman also, the ones who join are all the same people. The same composers who've been writing songs forever, and we need new talent. So you can't actually blame the singers for reviving songs.
___ It's really hard to produce good original songs, and if we do come out with them, people naman don't buy it. I came out with an almost-all original album which was Drawn. O.K. yung sales niya but not as big as R2K na mostly revivials. Kasi pati nasa trend din iyon. People really want songs that are known already and that they're fmailiar with. And you can't blame them. They're attached to the old songs already. They hold memories. Kami naman, we also want to give them what they want to hear. As much as I want to give them new things all the time, ang hirap balansehin.
___ What I'm doing now is trying to balance that. Like last album was almost all originals so ngayon naman old songs. And then next time naman new ulit.
___ Drawn was really more R&B/Pop but I actually liked that album very much. Because all the songs were made for me. I was lucky because I was able to meet and work with (Drawn's producer) Mark Feist who writes beautiful songs.

What's the target date for the release of that new album?
November 2000. 'Cause I have to give R2K time naman.

And then sometime in 2001, you're doing the rumored Velasquez Sings Ledesma album? We heard you might do an album of remakes of Kuh Ledesma's hits, how true is that?
Yeah. Hopefully we'll be able to do that. Hopefully mag-materialize siya, but right now it's still talking-talking pa lang. And then siguro next project ko afterwards, I'd probably produce another album.
___ I'm supposed to produce one song for Antoinette Taus, 'cause I wanted for her to revive one of my songs, "The One I Love", from the very very first album I had with Viva. I think the song would fit her very well, ang cute cute ng song. And I'm excited for this 'cause I'm producing another artist, not myself.

Yes, you're credited on R2K as producer? What's producing like?
Iba ang excitement ng pag-pro-produce eh. You have control. I don't wanna sound like I'm a control freak, but (laughs)…as an artist kasi, I started very young. Everybody had a say on what I should and shouldn't do. It was just later on that I realized that I should also have a say on what I do because after all, it's my life, it's my career and I'm getting old (laughs)! I'm 29, I'll be 30 next year.
___ The first time I produced my album sabi ko, "This is nice." Because I get to voice out everything that's in my head. And when it's finally there, maganda siya. 'Tsaka hindi naman ako yung type na iba-bias ko sarili ko. I ask people naman and get their opinions, "Am I doing the right thing? Is this correct? Does it sound good?" Pero masarap that the ideas you have in your head, you are able to relate them and see them come into reality.

ON THE MILLENNIUM NUMBER

How do you feel about being called the MILLENNIUM DIVA after your 7-minute TV exposure?
I'm a diva? Maybe I'm a millennium (laughs). How do I feel? Pressured. It's very flattering but it's just a title that adds pressure (laughs).

Is it true they paid you 500,000 pesos?
No I did that for free.

So where did the gossip come from?
I don't know with them! I did that for free you can even ask Channel 7. I asked for more! Are you kidding me? But they couldn't, mahal kasi yung buong presentation na iyon. So I did it for free because that was my contribution for the global Millennium day broadcast.
___ It was the least I could do, I mean, it was a worldwide thing and a lot of people all over the world would be able to see that we have talents, that we can do this and make presentations like this. And we have good artists and singers here. I was very lucky and I was really happy I was chosen. So, sabi ko nga, the least I could do was to do it for free. And I didn't mind doing it for free, it was just one song anyway. So I really hated it when they said I asked for 500,000. I actually asked for more. (laughs)

Seriously?
Yeah! Cause it's a worldwide thing. Hello?! If they were going to make money, I could have asked for more. If I was interested just in money I would've asked for more than 500,000. Kikitain ko dito (sa Pilipinas), madali lang iyan. Pero kung gusto kong mag-presyo, more pa dapat dahil international iyon! Common sense! Parang gusto kong sabihin sa mga nag-umpisa ng rumor na iyan, common sense naman!
___ Pero di naman iyon eh. There are things that you do not for money, not even for exposure. I did it because it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. And it was such a big deal to be part of it. I mean, did you see who else performed in that millennium thingy? Parang ako pa dapat nagbayad.

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