Joy to the (music) world! - CONVERSATIONS with Ricky F. Lo

The first time I heard Joy Enriquez sing, I thought she was a Filipina. I thought she was Jocelyn Enriquez, the Filipina now making noticeable waves in the US music scene where she’s mistaken for, quite ironically, a Latina.

The occasion was the cocktails that followed the international press preview of Anna and the King, starring Jodie Foster and Chow Yun Fat, at a cozy restaurant in Los Angeles sometime in December, 1999. The evening was capped by the rendition of the movie’s theme song, How Can I Not Love You, by "a sensational singing discovery" and she was none other than Joy Enriquez.

Last week, more than a year later, I met Joy Enriquez again, this time in Singapore where she launched her debut self-titled album (released locally by BMG Pilipinas Inc., featuring 11 songs crafted by some of pop music’s best producers like Babyface, Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins, Soulshock & Karlin and Ian Prince) which carries, you guessed it, that now popular song which Joy sings with all heart and soul as if it’s the song of her life.

Joy in person is what her name stands for – a lot of joy. She’s bubbly and exciting and warm and friendly and charming as most Latin singers are, effervescent and enthusiastic as she answered every question – even the "personal" ones – during this exclusive Conversation.

That same night, Joy gave a sample of her stuff at a disco off Orchard Road for the benefit of the hundred or so entertainment print/TV journalists invited to the album launching. After doing How Can I Not Love You, Joy launched into a couple of dance numbers which set in motion that famous "Latin fire." So high was Joy’s energy level that, later on at the reception, she danced some more in the crowded space, twirling and turning and twisting, tantalizing in her sexy gyrations, showing everybody that she’s good not only to listen to but also to watch in perpetual Latin motion.

Make way for this new Joy to the (music) world!

You look very Filipina; your name sounds very Filipino, too. I could have mistaken you for a kababayan (compatriot).

(Smiling) "It’s funny but a lot of people are telling me the same thing. They think I am Filipino. I don’t know but somewhere down the line, maybe there’s a Filipino in our ancestry. You can see it in the eyes of my mother, too, and in the shape of her face. I should tell you that my best friend is a Filipino; her name is Corina Souza, from Manila."

How nice. How long have you known her?

"Five years. I met her at the mall when I used to work there."

Hasn’t Corina invited you to the Philippines, maybe as part of the promo for your album?

"In fact, she has! She told me, ‘You really have to go to the Philippines!’ Now, I really want to go. She just came back from a vacation in the Philippines and she was telling me how much she enjoyed it and how beautiful the country is, and how much I would enjoy it, too. I really want to go, I really want to go back."

Go back?

(Bursts into laughter) "I mean, I really want to go, not go back because I haven’t really been there. But it seems that I’ve been there because of all the stories Corina has been telling me. I’ve become so familiar with the Philippines."

Oh, such as what stories?

"Oh, about the beautiful beaches; she told me that I could go boating, you know."

By the way, how did you get to sing the theme song of Anna and the King?

"Babyface produced the song and he had asked the producer of the movie if he could let his artist – which was me – go ahead and demo it. The producer had some divas lined up but Babyface insisted, ‘No, I want my own artist!’ And that was it. So we went to the studio to demo How Can I Not Love You and then Babyface took the song personally to the producer and, after listening to it, the producer just loved it! It was a great opportunity for me."

Of course, before Anna and The King, you did the vocals for the song When You Believe in Barbra Streisand’s movie Prince of Egypt.

"Yeah, it was with Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, Babyface also produced that."

I’m curious... Is there a story behind How Can I Not Love You?

"Yeah. The movie is about two people who can’t be together. When I had the song in my hand and Babyface was teaching me the lyrics and the melody, I really had this feeling inside me that, you know, I’ve been there before, I’ve felt the same feelings before. You know, you love somebody but it’s not gonna work out. The lyrics are just so passionate that I can’t help putting myself in the song. I really fell into the song so deeply."

What are your favorite lines from the song?

"The first lines..." (Proceeds to sing)... "Cannot touch, cannot feel, cannot be together..." Those are really strong words, you know. You love each other but you cannot touch, you cannot feel and you cannot be together."

Unconsummated love.

"Exactly. It’s about unconsummated love."

Could you tell us more about your album.

"It has a little bit of everything. Expect a little bit of emotional passion when you listen to the ballads sung straight from my heart. When I sing them, they put me back into situations I’ve been through, places that I’ve been...family...friends...relationships...you know. There are also songs that are excessive. Definitely, I have that side that says, ‘I don’t want you, I don’t need you.’ I have songs like that. There are also songs that make you want to get up and party, get up and shake the party."

What’s the song on the album that best describes Joy Enriquez?

"Oh, yeah, Just When I Needed You. It’s about family, it’s about God. I’m very motivated by my family which helped me get where I am today. That song expresses that love and that character in me."

So you’re family-centered, God-centered.

"Very!"

You’re Catholic?

"Very!"

How much of you is Latin and how much is American?

"Hmmmm. American? Maybe 50 percent because I live in America. I eat American food and I live in American surroundings because I was born and raised in California. Fifty percent of me is Latin because it’s in my blood. That 50 percent of me allows me to sing the way I sing. Latin is my roots."

Do you categorize yourself as a "Latin singer"? Or simply an artist regardless of nationality?

"Simply an artist. But the Latin part of me gives me the passion."

Who are your role models?

"One is Gloria Estefan. She’s probably my biggest inspiration. She really is, because where she has come from and how she handled herself in the situations she has been in...wow... she’s just admirable! She’s a great role model not only to me and her family but to all young people, Latin and everybody! She’s a movement, she has a whole Latin movement going on. She helped open doors for other artists, not only Latin artists but all artists."

What type of songs do you feel most at-home doing?

"Ballads, definitely! When I do ballads, I close my eyes and give it my all – my heart and my soul. I have the audience for three minutes when I’m singing live and you can hear a needle drop."

Is there one song by any singer which you consider your favorite, most memorable?

"Gosh! Any song by Karen Carpenter or by Barbra Streisand. Yes, People."

Why People?

"Because it’s about people. You know, people who need people are the luckiest people in the world. The lyrics of the song are just great; they’re very true. The song hits you in the heart."

Have you always wanted to be a singer since you were a child? Haven’t you dreamed of being somebody else?

"I thought of becoming a psychologist when I was going to school. But always, always, I knew that I would be a singer. I knew that I was going to touch a lot of hearts by singing."

Did you realize that you would be a singer for the rest of your life when you won 11 times in Star Search?

"Even before that."

Star Search is where some of today’s young singers have started, including somebody from the Philippines named Josephine "Banig" Roberto (whatever happened to her?).

"Britney Spears is one of them, and Christina Aguilera."

How did you get into Star Search?

"I auditioned with more than a thousand other kids in Glendale, California. I was only about 12 then. The audition was done in a mall. Twelve hundred kids one day and 1200 kids the next day. Each one of us had 30 seconds to sing a song. I got up onstage, I sang my song and they didn’t call me for days. I kinda got over that; I went back to school. A couple of years went by. I was singing at a piano bar in Hollywood and a talent scout approached me. I was singing at the right place at the right time. The talent scout told me, ‘I want you to audition for Star Search.’ So I auditioned. My Dad was with me, my Mom was with me, my sister was with me. The next thing I knew I was there on Star Search, singing!"

What songs did you sing?

"The first time, I did Celine Dion’s Power of Love. And the second time, a Mariah Carey song."

Could you tell us more about your childhood, what sort of family you come from?

"I come from a little town called Whittier in California. It’s a small town; everybody knows everybody. A very community-oriented little town. I was involved in talent shows and plays. One of my most memorable experiences was during graduation when I was five years old. While everybody was singing with a group, I asked to sing solo, I insisted that I sing solo. I come from a closely-knit family. Wherever I go, my family goes with me. My Mom gave 100 percent of herself to supporting me. She’s the one who pushes me, you know, ‘You’ve got to do that; you’ve got to do this!’ She’s a stage mom! (Laughs) She’s the one who constantly reminds me, ‘You’re gifted; God has given you a gift of singing and you have to use it; you have to make the whole world aware of it.’ And here I am, using that gift."

What about your family?

"My family has its own business – interior design – and it has been at it for 20 years now."

Far from performing arts.

"Yeah, quite far! But in their own way, it seems very close. My family has their own business, they know how to manage, they know how to coordinate things and how to work with people. My family is very business-like in that way. They thrive on a small family business, hands on. That was the way we children have been raised, through that small business. So I grew up having that mentality. So when I get a deal, I’m very business-like. My Dad (Randy Enriquez) is with me because he’s my manager, my sister is my little manager and my mother (Elena Reyes) is there for me, too. It’s all in the family."

How many brothers and sisters do you have?

"I have an older sister, Tiffany, and a younger brother."

Are you the only one in the family who sings?

"Tiffany sings, too, and she’s been playing the piano since she was five years old. She majored in music in college. My little brother sings and so does my mother. We all sing together. We are a singing family. Music is part of the family. We always go to church where we sing together. Music is an integral part of our family."

A religious family.

"We’re with the church choir. Back home from church, we continue to sing. My sister would play the piano and we would sing together."

Does your being religious help you in your craft?

"It does, definitely! I wouldn’t be here today if not for God. It was God who gave me the gift of music and I have to honor Him everyday with the gift that He gave me. That’s the only way. He can take it away from me anytime He wants to. I take good care of my voice and I make good use of it because it came from God."

Talking about more earthly things...What about your lovelife? What about boys?

"No time for boys, not right now. No boyfriend. Right now, my love is my music. I’ve been heart-broken."

So soon?

"Come on, I’m 20! I’ve been there, done that, so I know what I’m singing about. I was boy-crazy and I’ve been into relationships. I’m singing from experience."

What sort of boys do you find attractive?

"Right now, I’m into shy guys. I really am! That’s why I wrote the song Tell Me How You Feel, included in my album."

Are you the dominant type?

"I’m very aggressive; I know what I want. But I’m very protective, too."

Are you as joyful as your name suggests?

"Oh, yeah, I am. Very joyful! If you ask me to describe myself, I would say that I am a happy person, outgoing and very caring. I care a lot about people; I want to make people around me happy – and joyful."