Sarah ends 2018 on high note

Sarah Geronimo has never done a New Year’s Eve show before. She was brought up with the belief that Dec. 31 is a time for the family to be together and not to be at work. She might do a short bit early in the evening but will make sure she will do a Cinderella and will be home by midnight.

But since her 2018 turned out to be particularly exciting and the coming 2019 already shows the promise of another fulfilling year, Sarah decided to change her mind and go to work and as well as celebrate this coming New Year’s Eve. So she will be at the Grand Ballroom of the Marriot Hotel in Resorts World Manila to say goodbye to the old and to ring in the New Year.

Why not celebrate, just a few weeks ago, she received two trophies from the daf Big Apple Music Awards (BAMA) of Europe. Sarah wasn’t able to attend the awards show but organizers graciously sent her the trophies she won. Sarah was named Best Filipino Artist and Most Popular BAMA 2018 Artist.

Based in Hamburg, Germany, daf BAMA, which is in the business of concert and video production, champions cultural diversity and honors accomplishments in music by artists from around Europe, Asia and Africa. Anybody can nominate the contenders and there are no judges as fans can vote for their favorites online.

There was also the ASEAN show in Tokyo, Japan. Sarah represented the Philippines in the ASEAN-Japan Music Festival that commemorated the 45th anniversary of the ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation organization. ASEAN’s finest artists gathered together for the first time at the NHK Hall last Oct. 4 in a grand musical celebration attended by no less than Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and members of the royal family.

Sarah proudly stood on equal footing with her ASEAN counterparts from Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia and other countries and wowed the audience with her rendition of Tala, one of the dance cuts in her The Great Unknown album. Performed to a pulsating tribal beat, the song showed off the unique combination of ethnic rhythms and Western-influenced pop music that the Philippines is famous for.

Of course, there was also Miss Granny. The Filipino version of the well-loved Korean flick gave Sarah not just another box-office hit but also a chance to show off her acting chops in a big way. In her most demanding role to date, she played a 70-year-old woman that a magic camera returned to her 20-year-old self. She was really enjoyable to watch. 

Directed by Joyce Bernal, Miss Granny is a drama that featured a soundtrack that also gave Sarah her latest big sellers. These are her revival of the Efren Montes hit from the ‘70s, Kiss Me, Kiss Me and the original theme of the picture, the power ballad Isa Pang Araw.

Of course, there was also This Is Me, her big concert of the year at the Araneta Coliseum last March. It marked her 15th anniversary since she won the Star For A Night singing contest on IBC-13 and embarked on one of the most successful careers ever as a singer and actress in local show business. 

So Sarah indeed has cause or I should say causes for celebrating. And those do not include all new and exciting things lined up for her during the coming year. A movie, another concert, new songs, etc., etc.

Besides, it will not be really work if you consider the fact that her family will be around any way. So, if you’re a Sarah fan or somebody who enjoys a good show and wants to have fun on New Year’s Eve, check out the Grand Countdown to 2019 at the Grand Ballroom of the Marriot Hotel in Resorts World Manila. 

It will be an enchanting evening to welcome the New Year with the whole family complete with the Holy Mass at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and then the musical show with guest singers and acrobats and then as the star of the night, Sarah.