STARDOM IS HARD WORK!

These familiar faces show up on our TV screens, movie houses, and thousands of magazine covers. In the pantheon of modern-day gods, they’ve been idolized, immortalized, and become sources of inspiration to thousands of devoted fans.

But celebrity status did not come overnight. A life that sparkles with the glitz and glam was frequently earned by blood, sweat, and tears. Like the non-showbiz career people, the stars have paid their dues and keep on sharpening their skills. That’s how they can burn even brighter.

Once in a while, JobsDB.com will chat up-close and personal with these celebrities. Though not all of us have been bitten by the acting and concert bug, the values and lessons in their success story are pretty universal.

Jay-R: SUCCESS IS “BEING HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU’RE DOING”
Interview by Cora Llamas

Everybody knows his face by now as it animates almost every corner of the major highway in the capital. And that voice---it’s one that sends his fans swooning, screaming, singing, or all of them at the same time. He has been called no less than the successor to Mr. Gary Valenciano. His concerts are packed with crowds and his records are selling hot off the presses. But Jay-R is not another overnight success; his is a story of the poor Fil-Am boy in the US who comes to find success back home in the Philippines.

Tell us about this new musical that you’re doing.

Footloose is based on the 1985 movie starring Kevin Bacon. I play Ren McCormick, he’s this kid from the city who finds out that dancing has been banned in this little town.

Why’d you decide to appear in this musical considering your busy schedule?

For the training in acting, singing and dancing. I really love the dancing.

Tell us how your career started. Did you always want to sing?

Our family, which was based in California, is musical. My dad played the piano. I joined the band of my uncle from the ages of 17 to 21. As a boy, when I first heard this R and B singer, I knew that that was what I wanted to do.

What was life in California like?

Mahirap lang po kami. Wala po kaming pera dati although my parents are comfortable now. They’re very hard-working. I remember that I didn’t have a lot of toys growing up. That’s why I embrace what I have now.

My parents didn’t allow us to work while we were in high school so we could focus on our studies. But after high school, I worked as a data entry encoder.

What prompted you to return to the Philippines?

I did an album in the US. Universal Records heard it, liked it, and flew me to the Philippines. I met with GMA-7. That started it.

Who are your musical inspirations?

Gary Valenciano is a major influence. Others were Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, and Gladys Knight and the Pips.

What inspires you in composing your music?

I can hear South Border on the radio – they’re friendly competition – and I wonder if I can do something like that. Or I have a bad day. When I’m doing a song on love, I really put my soul into it even though I don’t have a girlfriend. I put myself into that situation.

Tell me what your typical day is like.

It’s full of interviews, recordings, tapings, rehearsals. If I get home twelve midnight, that’s early. Most of the time, I come home at 8 a.m., then there’s a call time at twelve noon. Sometimes, I do two days na walang tulugan.

How do you manage?

I take a lot of vitamins.

How do you stay on top of your game?

I practice a lot. In a day, sometimes, I do the whole song. Or sometimes, I just do one line.

What would you advise young kids who want to follow in your footsteps?

Practice. See everything. Don’t be one-sided. Be open to everything. It’s not all about the money. It’s about being happy in what you’re doing.

[Footloose the Musical will run at the Meralco Theater on September 2, 3, 9, 10, 16,17, 23, 24 at 8 p.m. and on September 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25 at 3 p.m. For tickets, contact Ticketworld at 891-9999 or at www.ticketworld.com.ph or call 635-4478 or 631-7252.]

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