Myrtle topbills virtual show, celebrates showbiz anniversary

The pandemic indubitably stirs up intense internal reflection about what is most important in life. It can also lead to questioning on whether what we do adds significance in our day-to-day existence. In the case of Myrtle Sarrosa, her priorities definitely changed and she saw the value of each and every waking day.

“Since the pandemic, I truly learned a lot while being here at home because suddenly, I have all the time to meditate, to read, to learn and to understand life,” began Myrtle as she ruminated on life during the height of the pandemic. “And because of my experiences, like my grandmother when she passed away, we weren’t able to go to her burial in Davao. It was a very hard experience and then I also lost my stylist-friend because of COVID so it taught me a lot of lessons about life na parang nothing in life is permanent.”

Myrtle admitted that pre-pandemic, she would always focus on her career achievements. “All that became secondary. What’s important to me now is my health, my parents, the health of family and my relationship with my friends.”

“To be completely honest, hindi ko masyado naging worry ang career for the reason that showbiz for me has always been a passion. There was work but I prioritized the safety and wellness of my family, especially my mom and dad because knowing how our world in showbiz is surrounded by people aside from the fact that a few months back we only had rapid test. That’s why, I only accepted work recently when swab tests became available. At least now, I could also assure the safety of my family.”

Speaking of work, Myrtle is returning to the performing stage with a virtual concert titled MYRTLE: Still Love Me on Nov. 28, 8 p.m. Its title was culled from one of the songs she wrote back in 2016.

It was her concert director who suggested using the song as title for its fitting meaning to the show theme. Myrtle agreed as she looked back to all that she had been through in her career for the past eight years.

“The story of the song Still Love Me is despite all the changes (that happened) like in my case — from management (she’s now a Kapuso) to you know, you see me singing, doing cosplay, acting and then, songwriting to studying again — I’m thankful that people still show me love and support despite everything I did in my career,” said the multihyphenate Myrtle who is also celebrating her eighth year in the entertainment industry.

In the concert, Myrtle will be singing her own compositions in most parts of the concert.

“Mas naging vulnerable ako in sharing the songs that I wrote to other people. Seventy percent of the songs (in the line-up) are my compositions.”

For those not familiar, it was Myrtle who composed Haplos released as Maja Salvador’s single and Magkaibang Mundo for Jennylyn Mercado.

Myrtle stressed that music can elevate an individual’s mood, resulting in a more positive outlook and happy mood.

“Music has the healing factor, especially these days that people are confined at home most of the time and for me, personally, music calms me at night. When I cannot sleep, I listen to meditation music and when I wake up in the morning and I’m not feeling good, nakikinig ako ng BTS (laughs) and then parang ang happy na ng mood ko. So, music really affects our mood and helps us during this time.”

(Tickets to MYRTLE: Still Love Me are available online via Ticket2Me.net.)