Pops proves she’s irreplaceable as Concert Queen
LOOKING back after more than 40 years in the entertainment business, singer-actress-TV host Pops Fernandez still feels blessed and grateful that she’s still around.
“Who would have thought that I will still be in the business more than 40 years?,” she admitted. “I am very grateful to everything that happened in my life and my career.”
The Concert Queen herself did not believe she could still pull off a full-length solo concert onstage at this time in her career.
“There was a time I thought tapos na ako in doing concerts.,” Pops told her full-house crowd at The Theater at Solaire, where she staged the first night of her Always Loved concert Friday night.
Yet, she still has to convince herself that she could still do it. She really didn’t perform solo onstage for a long while. Her last solo concert was Divalicious at the Araneta Coliseum 12 years ago.
She previously joined the likes of Kuh Ledesma and Jaya in successful US concerts and even Martin Nievera as well as The Hitmakers (Hajji Alejandro, Marco Sison, Nonoy Zuñiga and Rey Valera) on the local front, but never by her lonesome. Pops also bankrolled concerts of local artists.
Pops proved herself and many otherwise when she successfully staged not just one, but two nights of her Always Loved concert.
“It took me a long time, but I realized I should celebrate my 40-plus years somehow,” Pops said. “Not for me, but for the people, for the fans, for my audience. It was my way of thanking them.”
Pops gave her Always Loved concert audience a veritable treat of her “Concert Queen” title when she performed onstage anew. She dished out not just the songs identified with her, but even dance hits of artists then and now – from Paula Abdul and Cyndi Lauper to Taylor Swift.
What Pops concert will reel off without Concert King Martin Nievera? The latter joined Pops in the last stretch of Always Loved.
Martin performed his signature hits – On the Right Track, Please Don’t Throw My Love Away, Pain, Be My Lady, Say That You Love Me and You Are My Song.
They reminisced and relived with the audience how they fell in love and what happened between their life as a couple and un-couple, most of which the audience already knew. While those times were seriously dealt with then, they simply shrugged them off this time around. They even laughed about it.
“I have to leave you for you to become the woman that you are today – fierce, survivor, the Concert Queen,” Martin told Pops.
The audience was shrieking with excitement. Apparently, the solid Martin and Pops fans still have not lose hope for the erstwhile couple to be together again.
Martin and Pops did a duet of hit ballads that somewhat became associated with their relationship – Lately, Break It To Me Gently, You Have No Right (To Ask Me How I Feel), If Ever You’re In My Arms Again.
They once became the toast of the local entertainment scene, undoubtedly, until their love was no more. Yet, they became the best of friends that allows them to still perform together onstage.
“I’m only 28,” Pops teased even after admitting she can’t wait to see her first grandchild with eldest son, Robin, who is now a dad. “Lolli-Pops” is how Pops wants to be eventually called by her apo.
Then, Pops and Martin did another medley of duets – Each Day With You, You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, King and Queen of Hearts.
“She could have been the Taylor Swift of the eighties,” Martin described Pops. “The woman who set the path for many singers of today. The Concert Queen.”
Other guest artists in Always Loved were Joey Albert, who did her popular 1984 duet with Pops in Points of View. Randy Santiago who rendered a dance medley and Erik Santos who was called from the audience to sing the haunting ballad, Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang” with Pops.
From her opening dance medley – Paula Abdul’s Straight Up, Party Time to Jennifer Lopez’s Let’s Get Loud and Swing Out Sister’s Break Out – Pops set the party mood and performed non-stop all throughout the end.
Pops came to a point in her life where she opted to semi-retire and started producing concerts of other artists.
“But I realized, I could do concerts again,” she admitted. “When I collaborated with other artists in the US, I got to miss performing live onstage. Once you’re back onstage and you get to sing live again, that was really where I want to be.
“I got excited again. I decided I still want to work some more. While I still can. While I still have the energy. Why not?”
“I will do solo concerts again because that has been my trademark,” Pops stressed. No wonder, she still firmly holds her enviable title, Concert Queen.
