He topped the first season of ABS-CBN’s talent search Star in a Million. He has waxed a best-selling, chart-topping debut album, This is the Moment, under Star Records (with the album’s carrier single Pagbigyang Muli staying on top of DWRR’s hit chart for 22 weeks making it a strong contender for Song of the Year and its second single Di Ko Kaya unshakeable at No. 2 for several weeks now).
He has wowed concert-goers in Manila (at Araneta Coliseum), in the provinces (Cebu and Bacolod), and in the US (San Francisco Civic Center). He has romped away with two major awards, from the Awit and Aliw as the year’s breakthrough male singing star.
So what’s next for the fast-rising young man?
A lot, it seems. It’s because the hunger is in him. He is very excited and seems unrelenting in honing and perfecting his craft. He has even enrolled in voice lessons under Teacher Deo of Ryan Cayabyab Music Studio.
"I really want to learn new techniques," Erik explains. "I really wish to know how to use my voice properly." This is in preparation for his next big project, a back-to-back concert with the Tanging Ina Diva Ai-Ai de las Alas and the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra on Nov. 27 at the Araneta Coliseum. "The main reason why I’m taking voice proficiency classes is to prepare for this major concert," he owns up.
He is leaving nothing to chance to ensure that he is in tip-top shape, vocally. "The show’s concept is really different," Erik assures fans. "It’s totally unlike other concerts. I am really looking forward to it."
Moreover, the show will afford him another golden opportunity to share the stage with his Backroom sister Ai-Ai de las Alas. "We’ve worked together a number of times," he remarks. "She really gives all-out support to me every time we have a show–whether I am just her guest (Klownz) or she’s the guesting in my show (Zirkoh)."
Ai-Ai and Erik have developed a fine-tuned onstage rapport. "We really hit it off," Erik professes. "We really click. And all her jokes are a big hit with the audience. We have great chemistry."
To top if off, the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Rodel Colmenar will back them up at their Araneta show billed as The Prince of Pop and The Comedy Concert Queen – Two Solos, One Concert on Nov. 27. "We will be having an 80-piece orchestra," he pipes in. "That’s another reason why I am so thrilled about this show."
Erik is no stranger to the Araneta Coliseum, with its 20,000 seating capacity (The first time he sang at the country’s most popular concert venue was as a guest, with Sarah Geronimo, in the recent Ogie Alcasid-Regine Velaquez concert.)
Still, Erik gets a special kind of high every time he saunters on the Araneta stage. "On the first Night of the Champions, I was so nervous," Erik recalls. "It was as if it was my first time to perform at the Araneta because we were actually carrying the show. That was scary." Before going up the stage, he felt numb all over.
"I couldn’t feel anything," he remembers. "We were talking backstage and telling each other that the mood was different that night. Rachelle Ann (Go) was saying everything was happening too fast for us. That was why we should be thankful for all our blessings."
Erik was the first to take centerstage that night. "At first, I was shaking, but by the middle of the song, I was able to calm down. I became more at ease with the crowd, more comfortable about being onstage."
The Night of the Champions repeat was just as memorable for the three champs: Sarah, Rachelle Ann and Erik. "It was really unforgettable because all three of us were actually sick that night," he looks back, not-so-fondly.
"We had fever, cough, and colds. Still, we were able to finish the show. We were able to entertain people who bought tickets that night."
Which takes a lot of passion and perseverance. Even when they took the Champion concert on the road, the triumphant trio remained just as tightly knit and loyal to each other.
"We really bonded because of the shows," Erik confirms. "Aside from A.S.A.P. Mania and the Araneta concerts, we also did provincial shows and the US tour together."
Since it was their first time to fly and sing abroad, the champs became even closer in San Francisco. "It was so much fun," Erik remarks. "It wasn’t all work. We also had the chance to relax and go sight-seeing. We became more solid as a group."
That is precisely what makes this new breed of singers different, according to their Champions directors Bobby Garcia and Bong Quintana. There’s not a whiff of competitiveness in the air. "When we’re together, we don’t talk about those things," Erik attests. "We don’t let competition and rivalry affect our friendship. That’s why onstage we really support each other. We highlight each other’s strengths and make up for each other’s weaknesses. We don’t upstage one another. That’s the reason why our concert series was such a big success. Concert-goers themselves see how much we support one another."
That’s probably the same reason why Erik, a generous, down-to-earth performer (on-and off-stage), will have an endless stream of ovations and encores long after he makes the final bow.