Kuh, Jaya and Pops have some great advice for career longevity

MANILA, Philippines — Not everyone gets to still perform and sell out shows after years in the music business. Fresh from their first-ever concert teamup, Pops Fernandez, Jaya and Kuh Ledesma, know a thing or two about career resilience and longevity.

The three seasoned singers recently had a virtual thanksgiving following a successful show 3 Divas at the Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino in Coachella, California, the first Pinoys to be headliners in the US venue, last Nov. 12. The three, who boast of decades in the industry and have no plans yet of slowing down, were asked for some pieces of advice to “their younger selves,” which the new generation of artists could learn from as well.

Pops, who began her music career at 16 when she signed a contract with OctoArts Records in 1981, said, “Our business is very difficult. It may look glamorous, larger than life, very glittery and sparkly, but behind the scenes, there are a lot of challenges. And when they come your way, sometimes you question yourself. But I think the most important thing to remember, it’s talent that’s obviously given to you for a certain reason and a certain purpose.”

She also believes that whenever artists are on stage, they have to be true to themselves. “More than anybody else, you have to love what you do. You have to love being onstage. You have to love that song that you’re singing because people will see through you,” Pops said.

“And lasting in the business for a long time means you don’t just love what you do. You have to have so much passion and dedication for it. Why? Precisely because it only seems very glittery and glamorous when you’re up on stage. But behind the scenes, there are times, na hindi mo sinasadya, when things happen. Sometimes, personal challenges might affect your professionalism. So you really have to love it. Again, why? Because people will see through you and you cannot fool them. And you definitely cannot fool yourself.”

To stay long in the industry is to always educate oneself, she further said. “Times change and I think somehow we also have to go with the flow. We will definitely have our own style, personality and image on stage, but it would help if we also try to learn something new and different to better ourselves and our craft.”

Kuh, for her part, has been in the business for 48 years and she was already considered a late-bloomer when she joined. “Whether you’re in show business or not, challenges will come and nothing is easy in life, and we never should think that money grows on trees. Everything must be done with dedication and hard work.”

She echoed Pops in saying that one must always have a desire to learn. “See what’s going on, but not necessarily you will copy them but know what is good from the other artists.”

Another realization after years in the business is that “it’s not all about money.” Working with people you love to be with is more important for her. “When we are asked to do combinations (on stage), I would rather really just choose the people that I work with, because I don’t want to be sad, I want to be happy with the people I’m with,” she said.

She further said that what brings success is “really spending a lot of time in prayer.”

Kuh recalled that when she was starting out she had “challenges with my father who never took care of us… that was a big thing that happened in my life that was very painful” but that fortunately, she had the support of her friends and husband at that time. Along the way, as she experienced bigger career challenges, including producing shows where she ended up being “pained” by other artists, she realized she had to lean on something bigger than everything else. She found that in having a “personal relationship” with God.

The three seasoned performers share the same stage for the first time in 3 Divas.

“Realizing that there is Somebody in control, you know, in control of our ticket sales, in control of our show, even the sound system, we lift that all to the Lord para siya ang bahala to make things happen for us,” Kuh said.

Jaya also reinforced Kuh’s thoughts on the role of faith in navigating one’s career. “(The industry) is a very heartbreaking type of place. This environment is rough. A lot of young artists and upcoming singers message me on Messenger, asking for advice (because) nahihirapan sila to penetrate. Sabi nila, how were you able to do it? Sabi ko, hindi naman ako maganda, hindi naman ako kakaiba, (so) it’s not about you, it’s about who’s placing you there. You have to know the God that creates everyone and everything, and get to know Him first in order for you to know where you’re supposed to go.”

She also advised the young gen to stay humble. “Take what’s coming at you, learn from that. Surround yourself with the right people so they’ll give you the right advice,” Jaya added.

Kuh, Jaya and Pops have been friends for a long time but never performed on one stage until 3 Divas.

However, the now US-based Jaya said that she and Pops were always in touch via Zoom over the pandemic, along with their other showbiz friends, Regine Velasquez and Zsa Zsa Padilla. They called themselves the Hanash girls. “Mayaman si Regine, so siya ang pinagbabayad namin ng Zoom,” Jaya quipped.

Kuh and Pops, on the other hand, did Divas to Divas years back, touring around 30 cities in the US. Jaya also shared the stage with Kuh via Power of Two in 1999. “I was still very new at that time and I didn’t know a lot of things. I was able to get a lot of knowledge from Kuh when we were onstage,” Jaya shared.

Kuh couldn’t also forget that concert because at that time, her marriage had just failed and “I was so broken.” The concert had to be postponed for some days and “I think Jaya was a little bit or very disappointed.” Nevertheless, their combination clicked onstage and eventually, their relationship became “really sweet and better” due to shared faith.

It was Vic “Enteng” Perez of VP Entertainment who thought of combining Kuh, Jaya and Pops in one concert. When it finally happened, he got emotional. “Naiyak ako nung nakita ko it was already executed. Salamat sa Diyos nangyari and it was successful. Everyone was saying it was a fabulous show,” he said.

That’s why they’re repeating the show in 2023 to be staged in key cities in the US, such as Los Angeles, San Diego, Northern California, New York, Chicago, Maryland and Las Vegas. They are also looking at bringing it here in the country in May 2023.