OPM icon Rey Valera continues to pass on his musical legacy to the next generation as he entrusts two of his creations to rising performers Isha Ponti and Andrea Gutierrez for their upcoming concert collaboration.
In a recent media conference, Ponti and Gutierrez shared that they will be performing one of Valera’s classics and a new composition at their concert, ‘The Next Ones,’ to be held on Dec. 13 at the Music Museum.
Gutierrez is set to debut her version of Valera’s beloved hit ‘Walang Kapalit.’ She is the first female artist personally chosen by the OPM singer to reinterpret the classic ballad, which has long been a staple in Filipino love song history.
‘Noong nalaman ko una akong babae magko-cover ng ‘Walang Kapalit,’ naisip ko totoo po ba? May trust po siya. Overwhelmed and thankful, binigyan niya ako ng hit song. I cried. Nung nag-record kami, nandoon siya, hands-on. Every line, tinutulungan ako,’ Gutierrez recalled.
(When I first found out that I am the first-ever girl to cover ‘Walang Kapalit,’ I thought, is it true? He trusts me. I was overwhelmed and thankful that he gave me a hit song. I cried. When we did the recording, he was there, he helped me with every line.)
Ponti, on the other hand, will perform for the first time an original song composed by Valera especially for her.
‘Noong sinabi na gagawan ko ng kanta, akala ko joke. Akala ko biruan. Tas bigla ako in-email . Nakita ko may lyrics na, may minus one, inaral ko agad,’ she shared. ‘Noong una, I thought it was a sad song, but the thing is, it is a graduation song. The pressure was building up. But super saya.’
(When he said he’d write a song for me, I thought it was a joke. I thought it was nothing serious. Then suddenly, I got an email. I saw that the lyrics were already there, there was a minus one, so I immediately studied it. At first, I thought it was a sad song, but the thing is, it is a graduation song. The pressure was building up. But it was super fun.)
Gutierrez and Ponti said that ‘The Next Ones’ concert is about them showcasing their talent as the new generation of singers while they pay tribute to music veterans including Valera, who will make an appearance as a guest performer.
Valera is a celebrated hitmaker behind such OPM classics as ‘Kahit Maputi Na ang Buhok Ko,’ ‘Pangako sa ‘Yo,’ and ‘Naaalala Ka.’