I’ll admit that I have had my moments when I have been dumfounded because someone famous has been in my immediate vicinity. There aren’t many who can reduce me to the point where I can’t string a sentence together, but there are few. This year more than most I’ve found myself in the company of people who would leave many speechless. When it comes to Filipino artists however I find myself more immune than usual to the “Star Factor”.

 

Part British reserve and part the desire not to want to bother people, I often acknowledge the presence of the famous but do little else. Sometimes quietly jumping inside that I’m that close to someone whose work I’ve admired, I can usually get away with the delusion. It would be difficult for me to say that I would even be able to recognise even the most famous of Filipino stars if they were stood in front of me. That’s probably true for a lot of Filipinos born abroad.

 

This past month I’ve been lucky enough to be in the same space as some of the Philippines most famous and most talented home-grown artists. The Heartthrobs 2009  and Sarah Geronimo concert  were two of the hottest tickets in town. Why wouldn’t they be? At Heartthrobs you had Pokwang, Bea Alonzo, Sam Milby, John Lloyd Cruz and of course the big draw of Piolo Pascual. Sarah Geronimo too, a household name alone, but supported by Billy Crawford. These were star-studded events that I was lucky enough to cover, although I was afraid at the start that the whole experience would be somewhat wasted on me.

 

I knew the names, well some of them. I’d been curious for a long time to see Piolo Pascual in something other than the typical romance movies that dominate Filipino cinema. I love Pokwang, ever since seeing her in the Judy Ann Santos vehicle, ‘Ysabella’, I’ve wanted to see her in more. I knew of Sarah Geronimo because I love the song ‘Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang’. In fact, Billy Crawford is the only person I know outside of Filipino entertainment because I remember seeing him on MTV when I was younger and paying attention because he was one of the only “famous” Filipinos around.

 

 

A lot of the people I spoke to, at both events, were there to cheer on the supporting acts. Young British-born Filipinos hoping to one day have a career on a par with the performers people had paid to see. I hadn’t realised the wealth of Filipino talent trying to make themselves known, from Tru Colourz who made it the final 24 of this year’s X-Factor to Natalie Chua. These kids with unbelievable voices took to the stage like true professionals. I am certain that seeing a packed venue where all the entertainers are Filipino helped them to believe that their own success was possible.

 

I knew that the Heartthrobs event was important, not only because of who was there but also because it was taking place at the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane. Here we were, some 20 or so years since Miss Saigon opened at this theatre seeing Filipino artists – and only Filipino artists, performing. When they first cast Miss Saigon the Philippines was the last place they went to. Not only did they find Lea Salonga and Monique Wilson, but also a vast majority of the rest of the cast. That show changed the lives of every Filipino actor who had dreams of making it in the rest of the world.

 

Some of the performers at Heartthrobs reminisced that the last time they were on that stage was when they themselves had appeared in Miss Saigon. There was a feeling that things had come full circle, and this place the most fitting of venues. Despite not knowing much about the people on stage I found myself caught in the excitement and enthusiasm of the crowd. It was then that I started to understand what it all meant.

 

 

In the time between seeing people queue up on Drury Lane to go to the Heartthrobs event and Sarah Geronimo’s last set I finally got it. It is the recognition, knowing that the people you are seeing on that stage performing are just like you (albeit a lot more talented) that makes events such as these important for people – even those of us who aren’t so familiar with Filipino culture. That they were able to generate this amount of fervour, from even the youngest of audience members – as attested by the screaming girl of no more than 10yrs sat next to me, helped me to realise why these events are important.

 

For those of us who aren’t so familiar with the people on the billboards and ads back home in the Philippines, and also for those that are, having the chance to experience an event on this scale somehow legitimises the artists who are of Filipino origin. They are no longer people who are just famous back home or only within the Filipino community. They can fill international venues. They can have crowds of people screaming for them that may not be able to fully understand the language of some of the songs they are singing. They can achieve the same level of success as any other artist.

 

I hope to be able to attend more events like this. My friends have already decided that they’re going to educate me on Filipino entertainment by lending me Filipino movies and trying to get me to subscribe to The Filipino Channel. Perhaps when next year’s events come along, I will be very proud to be in the audience and though I may not quite be star struck, I’ll at least know that I have very good reason to be.

Posted on 12 December 2009 by Gemma in Entertainment, Events, Music

Tagged bea alonzo, billy crawford, john lloyd cruz, kcc productions, london, piolo pascual, pokwang, sam milby, sarah geronimo