Regine recalls meeting with Legrand

Asia’s Songbird can’t really contain her excitement on her newest collaboration.

After all, this is the same music genius who has previously worked with her two idols: world-class divas Barbra Streisand and Kuh Ledesma.

So when Regine finally met the man behind the music, she was thrilled, to put it mildly.

When Regine was introduced to Michel Legrand, they instantly hit it off.

"He is so grandfatherly," Regine pipes up. "So cute. So funny. After I sang for him, he grabbed my face, held my cheeks, and told me, ‘Wonderful! Wonderful!’ He is so nice! And he even sang for me in French!"

Regine met Michel in France last year, in preparation for their new album, which will be produced by Maxi-Media International (the same team behind their landmark Valentine concerts, Songbird Sings Legrand).

"We had the piano sessions somewhere in Europe, in his country home," Regine recalls. "He wanted to know my key, so he’d be guided in arranging the songs."

Among all of Legrand’s timeless hits, Regine singles out the songs from the Yentl soundtrack (Papa, Can You Hear Me, No Matter What Happens, and A Piece of Sky), as well as the classic What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Live as her personal favorites.

"But I was amazed to discover that he wrote a lot more songs that I didn’t even know he composed," Regine beams. "Like Michael Jackson’s Happy. And the ’80s hit Something New in My Life. I think that he is one of the most brilliant composers in the world. That’s why I am very much honored to be given the chance to work with him."

Michel is just as effusive in describing Regine as an artist. Regine joins the likes of Barbra Streisand and Sarah Vaughn in the stellar list of Michel’s "musical sisters."

"Everyone is special," Michel intones. "Everyone has his own character, his own talent. So every-time I meet someone who is gifted, that makes me truly happy and I start to feel alive. And I tell myself: She’s a sister. Certainly, Regine is one of my sisters. A younger sister, though!"

Philippe Giboust, Michel’s manager, confirms: "Michel was interested to meet her. And when they finally met, the feeling between them was so strong. It was immediate!"

That was exactly how Michel felt the first time he heard Regine sing, live and in person.

"Oh, I loved it!" Michel enthuses. "I love it!" From the very first note, he was certain that he made the right choice for a musical union. "I said, ‘That’s for me! Let’s get married... musically!’ "

It was a match made in musical heaven.

"He’s a joy to work with," Regine chimes in. "For our album, he has like four million songs that we could choose from."

It was a mind-boggling decision-making process, for sure.

"But he knows pretty well what I can and cannot do," Regine relates. "He knows what would fit me. He knows my style. Even my range! He’s really a maestro!"

For this much-anticipated collaboration, Michel is calling all the shots and is leaving no stone unturned to make the Songbird soar.

"He is playing the piano," Regine gushes. "He is composing the songs. He is arranging the songs. He is producing the entire album! What else can I hope for?"

Regine gives us a peek into the songs chosen for the album, the ones that made the final cut from among the four million or so choices.

"He told me that he was going to make a medley of songs from Yentl," Regine reports. "There’s also this song that was used in the movie Breezy, called Breezy’s Song. And, of course, the theme of Summer of ’42. His classics. But he also picked some new songs for me, songs that no one else has recorded before, like Loving Me, Loving You, Loving Me."

As of last count, they have about 15 songs in the prospective hit list.

"That’s quite a lot," Regine remarks. "But Michel said that it’s better to do more and edit later. I was kinda expecting that he would do less. That’s less work for him, after all. But he wanted to do more. That makes me happy because that means that he’s really excited about this project."

Obviously, Michel is just as enthusiastic about the album as Regine is.

"I can’t really hope for anything more," Regine beams. "This is a huge project for me. To be able to work with Michel Legrand! I guess, from my end, I’m just hoping that I’ll be able to sing the songs the way they ought to be sung. And hopefully, he will also like the way I will interpret the songs."

This new album, which will be released all over Asia, and hopefully also in Europe and the US, marks a turning point in the career of the homegrown Songbird.

"I pray that a lot of people will like the album," Regine exclaims. "I hope everybody will enjoy the music as much as we enjoyed creating it."

With this album, Regine has a Legrand classic in the making.

To give Filipinos a preview of Regine’s musical partnership with Michel Legrand, Maxi-Media International has come up with a special two-night Valentine concert, Songbird Sings Legrand, at the PICC Plenary Hall on Feb. 14 and 15.

With this concert, Regine has another Legrand classic in the making.

(Songbird Sings Legrand is a production of Maxi-Media International. For tickets, call Maxi-Media at 551-8999 or 551-777; Ticketworld outlets in major National Bookstore branches (891-5610); Tower Records Makati and Alabang; and PICC Ticketron at 551-6923 or 551-6902.)