Carlos’ music takes a ‘U-turn’

The late John Lennon’s enduring appeal to “give peace a chance” is the same one that Carlos Agassi is making in his new album aptly titled Kapayapaan which he himself produced, released by Star Records.

With this as his fourth album, Carlos’ music takes an abrupt U-turn towards politics, something that he has been avoiding (like the plague?), in vain.

Kapayapaan is composed of seven songs (plus one music video) which Carlos himself composed, but with parts written by his guest performers — the carrier single with Allan Mitchell Salonga of Daddy’s Home, P.I.N.O.Y. also with Allan, NAIA with Gloc-9 and again Allan, Muling Tanggapin also with Gloc-9 and Allan, Get Down, Freaking Hot Momma Part 1 and Freaking Hot Momma Part 2.

“Actually,” said Carlos, “I did the album five years ago. After my third album Alay Ko, also my collaboration with Allan and Gloc-9, I took a leave from showbiz. I took a different direction.”

Carlos Agassi maintains his beautiful physique by regular workouts (at his small gym at home) and a diet that, he says, ‘changes as I grow older’

For more than two months, Carlos lived in  Santa Monica, California, where he took a course in Nutrition & Fitness. Back home, he focused on helping manage the family’s manpower agency (Quintrix) and the family-owned Rowena Resort in Los Baños, Laguna. For Quintrix, Carlos interviews applicants (engineers, nurses, carpenters, maids, etc.) for work in Saudi.

“I’m always being steered back into showbiz,” added Carlos. “The applicants always ask me, ‘Kelan ka babalik sa showbiz?’ And I’m always invited to perform before an audience…hosting, rapping, judging beauty contests and playing basketball and similar events. My fans have been telling me that they miss seeing me rap and act.”

In-between minding the family business, Carlos found time to shoot movies, including direk Wenn Deramas’ Praybeyt Benjamin, direk Cathy Garcia-Molina’s My Amnesia Girl, and direk Mae Cruz’s Every Breath You Take. He was also hired (with Joem Bascon) as endorser of Guitar underwear.

“Yes, I must admit that I was kind of frustrated with showbiz. It’s hard kasi if you don’t have the security of a regular job. Maganda sana kung kapag pag-gising mo in the morning, you are sure that you have work to do and you have regular income every two weeks. But things don’t happen that way in showbiz. I’m not getting any younger, you know.”

Now at 32, Carlos practically grew up in showbiz. In high school, he started appearing in commercials when he was a high school senior and college freshman. When he was 16, he did 24 commercials in 10 months. Next stop was ABS-CBN’s Star Circle (Batch 4) in which his batch mates included Piolo Pascual, Paolo Contis, Cheska Garcia and Bojo Molina.

At 24, Carlos had his first brush with harsh reality…too soon.

“I was eating the same food and working out the same way,” he said, “but I noticed that my abs were not as good as they used to be. Then I learned that when you age, your metabolism slows down, so you have to change your diet and the way you work out. So I studied about body changes.”

That’s when he decided to train friends at a small gym that he maintains at home.

“Now,” explained Carlos who is, to use a cliché, as fit as a fiddle, “I change my diet every two weeks according to the changing needs of my body. I change my workout, too. For example, for 14 days I go into strength-developing workout and conditioning. After that, I go into more power training.”

Half-Iranian (biological father’s side; he has a stepfather) and half-Filipino, Carlos was born and raised in the Philippines. He has two brothers, Michael (one-time actor, now married) and Aaron (taking up Medicine in San Jose, California); and a sister, Mika.

“I weighed 10.10 lbs. when my mom delivered me in Makati Med,” recalled Carlos. “My mom entered me in a commercial contest called Biggest & Cutest Baby and I won. That led to my doing commercials when I became a teenager.”

Asked about his love life, Carlos smiled.

“Very happy.”

He has been steady for a year now with half-British model Margo Midwinter who didn’t even know that Carlos is an actor when their paths crossed at a grocery.

With his Kapayapaan album, Carlos hopes that his career will be put back on track.

“Showbiz has become part of my system,” he said. “I just can’t turn my back on it.”

(Note: You can contact Carlos Agassi through Instagram Carlos Agassi and his Twitter Account @amiragassi and Facebook official Fan Page Carlos Agassi. Kapayapaan will be available in record stores nationwide starting Nov. 4; the songs can be downloaded on Mymusicstore.com.ph.)

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