Regine gets a No. 1 Istorya

It has been a while since I last checked the hit lists. It just seemed so frivolous thinking of big selling songs during this time of COVID-19. But then, music has turned out to be such an important factor for mankind’s resilience during these difficult times.

Music is entertainment. It is something to while away the time with, a pleasurable hobby that makes the lockdown bearable. Truth to tell, music lovers are so spoiled these days. They get almost everything from the web. Think Ryan Cayabyab in a daily Musikahan, an all-star cast Stephen Sondheim concert, an entire Ben&Ben gig, the entirety of Ang Huling El Bimbo and many more.

YouTube has all those and many more. When I say more, I mean the music videos with which the site began its existence some years ago. You want to watch a video of a particular song? You go to YouTube. And how nice it was to go and check YouTube’s daily hit list last Friday, May 1, and find that the No. 1 tune is Istorya by Regine Velasquez-Alcasid. Wow! The Songbird has a new hit.

The song is a cover of a hit song by The Juans from three years ago. It is a composition by the band’s frontman Carl Guevarra. It is a rock ballad filled with the most dramatic hugot lines. It is not really the kind of new recording one would expect nowadays. But amidst the deluge of new music that seeks to inspire listeners into battle against the virus, Regine heard the hurting cry of the broken-hearted and brought out Istorya.

“Sa istorya na tumatakbo sa aking isipan/ Ikaw ay nariyan at kasama mo akong nangangarap/ na balang araw ay aabutin mga bituin habang pasan kita/ buong mundo’y aangkinin para sa ‘ting dalawa/ Hinding-hindi ka bibitiw kahit sa’n magpunta/ Pero ngayon/ Nasa’n na/ nasa’n na/ Sabi mo hindi ka bibitiw / Pero nasa’n na...”

Regine has always had this knack for taking old songs and then recording cover versions that become extraordinarily successful. She totally makes them her own that people most of the time forget that those songs had already been recorded by other artists.

There were Narito Ako that was first recorded by Maricris Bermont and On the Wings of Love by Jeffrey Osborne early in her career. Then there were also Tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling Ka by Basil Valdez and Araw-Gabi that was first sung by Nonoy Zuniga.

It is obvious that although she is considered a pop/MOR artist, Regine has not spared the rock bands from her poaching. She used her pipes to great advantage in I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith. A recent example was Tadhana, originally by Up Dharma Down. Many doubtless remember her Harana from Rivermaya. And now here is her latest, Istorya by The Juans.

It was Regine who personally decided to include Istorya in her concert repertoire. She heard The Juans sing it. She liked it and so she sang it. Her fans absolutely loved her rendition. So did top Viva honcho Vic del Rosario, who urged her to do the studio recording. And so, the song marked Regine’s return to Viva four years after her monumental 30th year in show business celebration. The event included the release of the three-disc set R.30 album and the R.30 sold-out two-night concert at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Regine turned 50 years old last April 22. She has been singing professionally for 35 years. That may seem like a long time but nothing has changed about her commitment to singing. She may digress for a while with a movie or a TV show but she always goes back to singing.

And mind you, the much-loved Songbird lets no cobwebs linger on her choice of songs. Regine always has something current in her song list. That was how Istorya came about. Now, would you believe that at present the tune she has set her heart on is Sino from the Grandma album by Unique. She must be preparing for her next No. 1.