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The continuing education of Christian Bautista

Author: Neil Ray Ramos
Column: Life & Entertainment

Christian Bautista is on top of his game.

The singer became popular with "The Way You Look At Me" a few years back and is now touted among the hottest male performers in South Asia.

He has appeared in concerts and TV specials in Singapore and Indonesia, received a slew of awards, starred in a movie, has a string of endorsements and is in the noontime show Asap.

Bautista has recently landed the lead role in the local staging of the Broadway classic, West Side Story.

Bautista says he is more than happy to have achieved so much in a short span of time but admits the work can get too tiring.

"There are days that I could wish nothing but to feel the warmth of my bed," he says, adding, "I don't even have [the] time for a hair cut!"

The long-haired singer who sports a goatie just like a real rock star will be even busier with the release of his new CD, Captured [Warner Music]. But he is not complaining.

Captured, according to Bautista, is a "great big learning process" for him. It is an album that, he says, many fans will surely enjoy because it allowed him "to stretch out a bit more in terms of musicality."

"I can't wait to perform these songs. We explored a variety of styles here, which I enjoyed so much... there's a bit of R & B, acoustic, straight pop [?], an upbeat number... lots really... and it's a great thing because at this point, I don't want to be stuck [in one style]," he says.

The crown, it seems, sits uneasy, on Bautista--dubbed "Asia's Pop Idol." He admits he has yet to do so much to prove he is worthy of the tag.

"I am not only competing with fellow Filipino artists but those from other countries, as well," he explains.

And with every album comes even greater pressure. "It's been a long time since I had a hit as big as 'The Way You Look At Me.' I need another big one. "

A good candidate for this, says Bautista, is the first promotional track in the album, "The One Who Won My Heart."

"It's got this catchy melody that sticks to [sic] the head long after the final refrain have [sic] faded," he says. "Another thing is that it hews close to 'The Way You Look At Me.'"

Other potential hits he cites include "Hope", the lyric of which is actually written by his brother Joshua. "It's simple but the lyric is so poetic and so deep," Bautista enthuses.

Another is the title track, which, he says, is actually a duet with Sitti. "I'm a big fan of her music," he says. Surprisingly, the song is not of the bossa nova kind.

"Sitti and I... we decided to do something totally different, something that would surprise the fans," the pop star says with a wink.

Other songwriters/singers that contributed to the album include Martin Nievera ("Forever In Your Eyes") and Ogie Alcasid ("Could Have Been The One").

So how was it working with the "big stars"?

"Honestly, I didn't [get the chance to work with them]. I just got to sing their songs that's all... but it's great 'cause they're really, really beautiful songs," says Bautista.

Of course, this is not to say that the other songs in the album are not good, as Bautista himself attests, "they are among the best of [sic] my career."

And he has yet to write songs of his own. "Ah, if and when I get to do that, that'd be like really special!"

Bautista shares that he is not quite keen on recording the stuff he has written. They are, he says, "not good enough."

"Well, I'm not in a hurry," he quips.

Bautista says immersing himself into so many singing activities is a boon for him artistically.

"Sure, it's tiring but I think of it as part of the learning process. In Asap I get to interact with so many great artists, including my idol Gary Valenciano--so... I think it a perfect avenue for learning. West Side Story, on the other hand, is another avenue for education as it requires me to relearn the discipline of theater."

Source: Manila Standard Today