Singers, Stars, Siblings

Although both Eva Marie and Richard Poon are known in their respective fields, not a lot of people know they are siblings. Eva is a theater actress and a former band singer who is now an established wedding hostess and singer. Richard, on the other hand, is one of the fastest rising singers today, touted as the “Chinese Buble” and this generation’s Jose Mari Chan. 

It has been a difficult journey for Richard and Eva in the pursuit of their ambition, torn between fulfilling their duties to the family and chasing their dreams, seeking what their hearts truly want.

Growing up in a strict and traditional Chinese family, Richard and Eva understood that love for family is tied to assuming the reins of their family business one day.

Both admit that leaving their responsibilities to the family was the most difficult choice they had to make. In order to pursue their dreams, they lived independently and try to make it on their own.

Surprisingly, Richard and Eva realized quite late that they love singing and were serious about pursuing it as a career. As children, they loved listening to music, but never thought they had natural singing voices.

They inherited their talents from their mother, Eva, a singer and a champion in a national singing contest in Taiwan. But Richard also gives credit to their father, a music buff and a former Hong Kong basketball star who is now a restaurateur, chef and owner of the iconic Mister Poon.

“It was our father who taught us how to sing. When we were kids, he would teach me and my brother to vocalize. In the family car, we would listen to standard songs,” recalls Eva.

Still, they never entertained thoughts of becoming singers. In Uno High School, the siblings’ routines were school-house-school. They never joined any glee or music club or sang in school presentations. 

As teenagers, Richard and Eva knew their responsibility to the family – to eventually assume command of the family business, Mister Poon. “It was what our father and grandfather wanted us to do,” Eva says. When they were young, Richard says they were always reminded of someday taking over the family business, and they were quite prepared to for this. But when Eva entered college, the lure of theater and singing beckoned.

In La Salle, where Eva took up English Literature, it was by accident that she got into theater and singing. Urged by a friend, she auditioned for a play, passing with flying colors and becoming a member of the school’s theater guild, Dulaang Agno.

From there, Eva hasn’t looked back. One project led to another, and soon she was acting for Bulwagang Gantimpala, a professional theater company of which she was a member from 1993 to 2000. It was around this time that Eva decided to leave home to pursue her passion, something that her father and grandfather were strongly against.

After her stint in Bulwagang Gantimpala, Eva became a vocalist for Union band and was managed by Wyngard Tracy. She stayed with Union for a year and a half. “After Union, I was a session singer for two years, I sang with Parliament Syndicate, Elements, Livewire, Tribe of Evil, Escape, Freeverse,” relates Eva.

Then she joined the popular pop band Pido with Take One. They came out with an album but after two years, she quit the band. Today, Eva is one of the most respected wedding hostesses in the country.

“I was the black sheep in the family, I was the rebel,” Eva admits. “I left the home early and I’ve been living on my own for quite a while now. It was difficult but I managed and I survived. I learned a lot of lessons along the way and these all made me a better person.”

Cut out from financial support from her father, Eva rented an apartment and learned to take care of herself. She also learned to manage her finances and to be responsible. Her schedule was hectic but she was enjoying every minute of it. One day, she would go to Davao for a commitment, fly out the next day and head up to Baguio by bus for six hours for another gig.

“All my struggles as an artist, I think it was worth it. I was able to do what I love to do and that counts a lot for me,” says Eva. 

If Eva left home early to pursue her dream, Richard stayed on with their father to manage Mister Poon. “I was grateful and heartened that Richard took the pressure of taking over our restaurant as expected. For me, it was a big thing,” says Eva. After graduating from La Salle with a Business Management degree, Richard initially wanted to work for a corporation.

“I really wanted to go corporate, kasi feeling ko lumaki kami sa Chinese na negosyo, eh iba kasi yung corporate, may boss ka, memo, computers, so gusto ko sana maiba. Tapos na-guilty ako kasi yung ate ko, hindi sya into the family business and I saw how my dad was getting older, so I felt I needed to step in and help him,” Richard explains.

At Mister Poon, his father taught him the rigors of running the business, from the dirty work in the kitchen to taking orders from customers. “I started really from scratch. My first job was as the dishwasher. I had no formal training, but every thing I needed to know in cooking delicious Chinese cuisine, I learned it first hand from my dad,” Richard says.

After working at the restaurant, he would fetch Eva in her gigs. Back then, Richard was known in the band circles as the “brother of Eva Poon.” 

As he worked at Mister Poon, music wasn’t far from his mind. After working for the family business for six years, in 2000, he too decided to leave home. “I finally left the house and felt I had to go on my way. I felt my relationship with my dad in the business was negatively affecting our personal relationship,” Richard says.

A lot of his relatives were not pleased with his decision to abandon his family responsibilities. “Wala daw akong utang na loob. I don’t take it against them. My relatives meant well, kaya lang minsan sa Chinese family, love for family is synonymous to staying in the family business. They were hoping I would come back. But I knew I had to go. Now, I think my relatives agree that I might have made a good decision,” Richard shares.

First, he joined an acoustic band, U turn, in 2001, releasing two albums in four years. When the group disbanded, Richard planned to form a new band, but his good friend and manager Erickson Raymundo thought otherwise, suggesting instead that he go solo and sing standards. Richard vehemently disagreed.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I was strong enough to go solo, and I didn’t like the idea of singing standards. I always thought standards were not for young people,” Richard recalls.

But in a charity event, “Erick asked me to sing some standards and I agreed reluctantly. I performed three songs and I was surprised by the reception. ‘Wow, you sounded better, bagay sa iyo ang standards.’ So that opened my mind,” says Richard. Today, girls swoon over Richard in a suit or tux, crooning 50s and 60s music.

In singing standards, he also found a higher goal, to let the younger generation experience the beauty of timeless classics.

“The nice thing is the people who come to my concerts are from different generations, mga mag-ama, mga pamilya. That’s the nice thing about singing standards – it bridges the gap between young and old, it blurs the lines of generations,” Richard says.

Looking back, he says all these things must have happened because of divine providence. “I had no idea na aabot ito sa ganito. But I believe this is no accident – it’s destiny,” he says.

Richard gives credit to Eva for inspiring him to stand up for his dreams and for supporting him. “To me, she’s one of the best performers I have ever seen. Watching her dazzle crowds has always inspired me,” says Richard.

Eva is very happy with Richard’s career. She remembers crying when she saw Richard serenading the contestants of Miss Earth, proof that he has made it in the music industry. “My brother deserved to go solo, and his success is long overdue,” she says.

Richard has just released his 13-track album “Richard Poon, I’ll Take Care of You” and is also a regular guest of ABS-CBN’s Sunday afternoon musical show ASAP 08. He recently held his first solo concert at the Music Museum to a jampacked crowd, which included his mother, who flew in from Taiwan just for the concert.

Richard is also a songwriter. He wrote “Lalala” for the movie “Paano Kita Iibigin” starring Piolo Pascual and Regine Velasquez. His composition “Kahit Di Mo Napapansin” is included in the latest soundtrack of the hit ABS-CBN series “My Girl” starring Kim Chiu.

Whether known as “the brother of Eva” or “the sister of Richard,” these Poons may have attained success in their respective careers in different times in their lives, but there is no doubt about their bond as brother and sister.