Do Ogie and Odette write better songs when happy or heartbroken?

MANILA, Philippines — Ogie Alcasid and Odette Quesada’s first-ever collab concert for Valentine’s Day was the idea of the former’s wife, Regine Velasquez.

Odette and Ogie are headlining Love, Q&A to be held on Feb. 14 and 15, 8 p.m. at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Pasay City. Before the two-night concert, they will bring their show to NUSTAR Convention Center in Cebu City on Feb. 13. The concerts are presented by the venues with NY Entourage Productions.

“I went to watch Iconic (the joint concert of Sharon Cuneta and Regine Velasquez) in San Jose, California, and she (Regine) came up to me and said, you know, ‘I want you and Ogie to do a concert together and I already have the perfect title for it — Q&A,’” Odette recalled how Regine was instrumental in making the collab happen.

The US-based singer-songwriter further said, “I’m excited to do a show with Ogie because we’re both singer-songwriters so it’s kind of unique in a way.”

In a previous interview, Ogie joked that he felt honored to share the stage with Odette, whose songs he “grew up with,” including the graduation staple, Farewell.

“Alam ko naman na grumaduate siya sa kanta ko with Farewell, but you know, bata pa rin naman ako nuon eh. When I started, I was still a teenager, so konti lang (age difference). Mas malaki pa agwat ng height natin,” Odette jokingly reacted.

“Yun lang,” quipped Ogie.

But in a more serious tone, for Ogie, “it’s such a treat, a blessing” to work with Odette because “I think, it seldom happens among collabs. It’s always singers or bands.”

Meanwhile, they were asked by The STAR if they could write songs better when in love or heartbroken.

Ogie, who composed such OPM ballads as Kailangan Kita, Pangarap Ko Ang Ibigin Ka, Pangako, Mahal Kita Wala Ng Iba, said: “We always say that songwriting is self-expression. It’s telling your story, right? Regardless if you’re happy or broken or needing someone or whatever, it is you telling your story.

“Is it hard? Of course, it’s hard. But as a songwriter, I feel like it’s a release. Nilabas mo na yun sa mundo and then, it’s done. What’s hard is when you invent a story. Ano kaya nararamdaman ni ganito or ganyan? That’s the hard part.”

Odette said she wrote many of her hits as a teenager, adding, “I wasn’t even in love.”

“I wrote A long, Long Time Ago, a song which Kuh Ledesma sang based on an interview she gave about a former love of hers na hindi sila nagkatuluyan. I wrote the song and I gave it to her,” she recalled.

“With Till I Met You, I just overheard a bus ride conversation between two kolehiyalas behind me and one of them uttered, ‘I never knew what love was until I met this guy.’

“Don’t Know What To Do was based on an interview with Merce Henares on ‘Good Morning Philippines’... She was interviewing Michael Johnson, the singer of Bluer Than Blue, ‘How would you best describe yourself?’ He said, ‘I’m a hopeless romantic.’ That line really (stood out). I turned off the TV and started writing the song.”

“So, little prompts. Kung hihintayin ko yung love baka hanggang ngayon hindi pa nag-uumpisa career ko,” she jokingly said.

(Tickets are available on SM Tickets and TicketWorld.)