Keeping up that Christian spirit

MANILA, Philippines – Christian Bautista may have thousands of fans. His albums may have topped charts in the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore. But he’s putty in the hands of his girlfriend, telco executive Kat Ramnani. The Filipino-Indian-Irish-American beauty has captured Christian’s heart to the point that he doesn’t mind doing little things just for her.

Christian lets go of his driver now and then to fetch Kat wherever she may be. The singer, who is used to fans chasing him for autographs, doesn’t mind getting a wrench and fixing a faulty lock in Kat’s home.

“Acts of service is my love language,” Christian tells the media after signing another two-year exclusive contract with GMA 7, his home studio for the past three years.

The romantic balladeer isn’t the type who showers his girl with flowers and chocolates. For him, nothing beats simple acts of service that make his girl feel loved.  

It’s working, so far.

After keeping the relationship under wraps, Christian finally admitted he and Kat have been seeing each other exclusively for less than a year now.

His eyes light up when he talks about her.

“It was in a Breakout Game (a test of intelligence and quick thinking where players follow clues and solve puzzles to run to a room while under time pressure),” recalls Christian of their first meeting. “We were with friends and we went there to play. I didn’t expect to see her.”

When he first met Kat, her magazine photo and an article about her flashed in Christian’s mind. But that didn’t impress him as much as Kat’s knack for problem solving did.

“I learned how to strategize from her. She’s smart,” he explains.

Christian discovered Kat’s other endearing qualities along the way.

“She’s fun to be with and loves sports as well.”

Most of all, she understands him. As head of a telco giant’s music content, Kat knows the nature of Christian’s work. She knows about his irregular hours, the leading ladies Christian teams up with, etc. And she lets him be.

Kat knows Christian isn’t thinking of hearts and flowers when he says Jennylyn Mercado is his dream leading lady.

But the romantic balladeer is dead serious when he sings of what he describes as mature love in his albums.

At 34, Christian knows singing about campus romance and feeling giddy at the sight of one’s crush is so awkward that it’s out of the question.

So he’d rather croon about feelings that fit his age, like how to keep the fire burning when the first blush of romance is gone and reality sets in.

Christian would rather sing of love that passes the test of time, place and all else in between.

“It’s about how you keep the music playing,” he says.

Speaking of maturity, Christian’s new fantasy series Encantadia sees him playing the role of a father who literally and figuratively fights for what he believes in. It sees him in action scenes he hasn’t done before.  

Christian admits Encantadia is one of the reasons he decided to remain a Kapuso.

“I’m happy to be part of it. I really had to do my best sa audition, to fit the role. I want it talaga. There are more guests coming, more twists. The fact that a star from Game of Thrones (Conan Stevens) is in Encantadia, that’s a big thing.”

He has other reasons to be happy.

GMA Entertainment TV’s SVP Lilybeth Rasonable relates that the network is preparing a talent show for Christian, who also looks forward to “hosting, judging and mentoring (singing talents).”

Outside GMA, Christian is poised to star in the hit musical Jersey Boys, which tells the story of American singer Frankie Valli.

The busy weeks ahead may leave him little time to do his little acts of service for Kat. But he knows she understands.

Absence, as the saying goes, will make their hearts grow fonder. It will make their beach escapades more exciting. And it will make Christian sing more songs about love that waits, hopes and beats the odds.