MANILA, Philippines — Regine Velasquez made sure she flattered David Archuleta, a self-confessed Songbird fan, by meeting up with the “American Idol” runner-up before he left for the US.
Together with husband Ogie Alcasid, whose “Nandito Ako” is covered by Archuleta for a TV5 series’ theme, Regine told Bulletin Entertainment how the international singer handled the surprise.
“Nakakatuwa at nakakaliw ang reaction ni David. He was really happy to see us at parang hindi s’ya makapaniwala when we visited him (Jan. 29) at a studio in Ortigas,” Regine said, Jan. 30, in a media huddle at El Buono Pizza restaurant in Quezon City for the concert “Mr. & Mrs. A” set Feb. 14 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Apparently, David has always been a fan who first appreciated Regine through her version of Mariah Carey’s “Butterfly” on YouTube. The young pop singer went on to research more about the Pinay belter and has since expressed wanting to meet Regine when he visits the Philippines.
“Eh, kasi gusto niya daw kami ma-meet. Parang ganun. Kinuwento niya sa akin when he was 16 daw, first time niyang nakita ako sa Internet, sa YouTube, parang isa ako sa parang nasa unahan featured artist so klinik niya ako and I was singing ‘Butterfly.’ Ever since daw, he kept on playing it paulit-ulit daw niyang pinapakinggan yung version ko hanggang nag-research na siya, na kay Mariah Carey nga yun, ‘tapos paulit-ulit din niyang pinakinggan yung kay Mariah hanggang sa naging favorite daw niya yung ‘Butterfly,’” Regine shared.
An interested David watched more Regine videos. “‘Tapos, he kept watching daw other videos of mine. Even before ‘Idol,’ natutuwa na daw siya sa akin. Actually, nung nakita namin siya, sobra siyang excited, parang na-shock siya! Tuwang-tuwa kami sa excitement nya at hiyang-hiya naman s’ya sa’min but he has such a nice voice,” she added.
David follows Regine’s music, acting and personal life that he asked for baby Nate. “Sabi niya, ‘Yeah I know [you recently gave birth] where’s the baby?’ ‘Tapos ipinakita ko yung pictures; mahiyain siya, ang cute-cute niya! He looked stunned when we got there.”
Since David interpreted Ogie’s song, they jammed the OPM classic and “Wherever You Are.”
Regine praised David’s take on “Nandito Ako.”
“Si David, hiyang-hiya siya kasi siyempre, original si Ogie. Tuwang-tuwa siya at ang ganda ng version niya, parang Pinoy. Sabi ko sa kanya, ‘Who taught you how to sing in Filipino.’ Kasi ang ganda ng pronunciation niya ng Tagalog. Sabi nung RM [road manager] niya, ‘No one, no one taught him.’ Meron daw siyang coach when he was going to record it, pero konting-konti lang yung kinorek. Pinakinggan lang daw niya nang pinakinggan yung original. Ang galing!”
David also asked the couple for acting tips. “Nakakatuwa nga, eh, kasi he also knows na Ogie and I are actors here. So, nanghihingi siya ng advice kung paano bang maging ano, kasi sabi niya, parang siya daw, self-conscious siya, parang hindi niya iisipin na umarte. Pero ngayon daw, na-e-enjoy na niya.”
In Regine’s forthcoming show with Ogie, she joked about the show being just another Valentine concert. “Wala lang, wala namang difference itong show na ito sa iba, kantahan din naman yun!”
Then, she went serious: “First of all, we haven’t been working in a concert together in a long while, after nag-asawa kami. Yung last concert namin, hindi pa kami umaaamin nun, e, di ba? Yung ‘Songbird and the Songwriter’ back in 2004 so ang tagal na. Exciting ngayon, kasi nga, it was my idea to do a concert talaga. Yung husband ko, sabi niya, ‘Are you sure? Kasi kakapanganak mo pa lang.’ Sabi ko, ‘But I want to talaga kasi I miss it.’ That’s the whole idea, na after giving birth, ‘tapos mag-asawa na kami, we have a child, parang yun ang kaibahan, kasi it’s exciting and then we’re working together na mas personal ngayon, eh, unlike before yung concert namin, parang... wala lang.
“I hope that our audience will appreciate it kasi, yun na nga, mas makikita nila yung other side of Ogie and myself.”
The concert will have Baby Nate in a special number. Guests include Vice Ganda, Kyla, Erik Santos, Marcelito Pomoy, Angeline Quinto. When asked how Regine, also the show’s co-producer arrived at such a lineup, she said, “Sila yung hot these days.”
“Mr. & Mrs. A” is for the benefit of PGH’s Medical Social Service Outreach Program for cancer-stricken kids.