Ronan Keating hopes to ‘see Cebu properly this time’
CEBU, Philippines — Ronan Keating has been to Cebu “many times”, but like plenty of jet-setting performers, he rarely has the luxury to sight-see on a work trip. The Irish lad of Boyzone fame hopes to change that when he returns here this month – his first time as a solo artist.
“I’ve been to a lot of cities around the world, and unfortunately we would land, go to the hotel, go to sound check, back to the hotel, then to the gig, then the airport, then on to the next city. You don’t get time to enjoy the cities,” Keating, 47, lamented during a Zoom interview with Cebu media.
“My wife and I, we made a decision when we got together that we were going to start spending time and seeing places more. So my goal, I hope, is that I get to see Cebu properly this time. Really get to see it and enjoy it.”
Trying out the cuisine is on top of his list.
“If somebody can tell me ‘You only have this amount of time, you need to go see this and do this…’ I love to eat, I love to try new food and be adventurous. When I’m in Singapore, I love their chili mud crab. Obviously you go to Japan, they have great sushi. So a bit of local knowledge would be great.”
Known for his classics “When You Say Nothing at All,” “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” and “Life Is A Rollercoaster”, among others, Keating will be in town for his pre-Valentine’s concert “Ronan Keating: A Valentine’s Special”, this February 12 (Wednesday), at the Grand Ballroom of Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.
The show produced by L-Squared Productions Inc. will feature a mix of Boyzone hits and Keating’s solo music “that’ll take you down memory lane into the noughties all the way up to today,” he promised.
Expressing gratitude for the love Filipinos have shown over his 31 years in the industry, Keating said the loyalty has not gone unnoticed. As eager as his fans are to see him in the flesh, he is as equally excited to perform here and he’s counting on the Cebu crowd to “know every single word.”
“I remember this: in the ‘90s, when we got off the plane long haul from London and we landed in Cebu the day of the concert, right? This was 1996. We went straight to sound check, and I fell asleep on stage because of jet lag. It was so shocking. The full band was performing and I’m asleep. I remember waking up in the middle of one of the songs, I was on the floor,” said Keating.
“Somebody kicked me and said ‘Get up!’ It was the first time I really, really understood what jetlag was. It was awful. I’ll never forget it. I went back to the hotel and slept and we put on the show and it was incredible. I can’t wait to perform there again.”
Keating was recently in the Philippines in 2019 for “Boyzone’s Thank You and Goodnight Tour” at the Mall of Asia Arena – part of the farewell tour of the boy band of 25 years that sold 25 million records worldwide.
“2019 doesn’t feel that long ago with Boyzone, and I remember that tour, it was our farewell. It was a tough time. The band was starting to crumble, things were starting to fall apart. I remember we had a great tour, but there were some tough times there within the band as well. So I’m excited about coming back and performing these songs because Boyzone may be no more, but when I stand on stage now, I carry the flag for Boyzone.”
Apart from Boyband’s songs finding such passionate fans in a country that adores ballads and love stories, the Philippines is especially fond for Keating and his former band mates – Michael Graham, Keith Duffy, Stephen Gately, and Shane Lynch – because here was where they really started to get a sense of how big Boyzone had become.
“There were thousands of people at the airport and they’d follow us to the hotel. It was like being in the Beatles or something crazy like that. We got our first taste of that in the Philippines,” recalled Keating.
“I remember so well Boyzone doing the signing session at Megamall. We had so much fun! We were a bunch of kids, you know? We were 16, 17, 18 years of age. To feel the love and adoration that we were shown by fans in the Philippines was just off the charts. Things were starting to warm up in the UK and so on, but it really started to take off when we went to Asia.”
This year is special for Keating, as it’s been 25 years since he released his first solo album “Ronan.” To mark the milestone, he is re-working some stuff that’s set to come out in the summer. After that, he plans to hit the road anew – travelling, performing, and touring.
“Then I want to start finding a new sound. I don’t know what it is yet. I’m kind of playing around with stuff,” he said. “I listen to everything that’s on the radio and on the charts. I’m honest with myself on what I love and what matters to me. It’s a work in progress.”
He puts emphasis on putting in the ‘work’ and everything being a ‘work in progress’ for the new breed of artists who might be impatiently waiting their turn.
“It’s been 31 years since I started with the band and one thing I had to do more than anything is work hard,” he said. “I have children that are 25, 23, 19, 7 and 4. The thing that has changed in society is, people want to do less and they want more for it. You have to work hard. My wife and I, we believe in the graft, the hard work, putting in the hours, not being lazy.”
Keating added, “You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don’t work hard, it will disappear. Nobody will get to see or hear about it. You’ve got to work hard because if you don’t, someone else will replace you. So what I will say to any aspiring artist is, get ready to work hard. ‘Coz that’s what it will take.”
As hardworking as he is, will he find time this Valentine’s to squeeze in some romantic time with his Australian wife, Storm Uechtritz?
“I always try to do something. We’re very romantic,” he said. “I’m hoping that we can be together on Valentine’s Day this year. I’ll be in Asia, she’ll be in the Middle East. Hopefully, I’d either jump on a plane, or she’ll jump on a plane, and we’d be together. That’s what matters to us both – to be with each other and be with the kids.”
“Whether it’s a simple dinner or something a bit more romantic. We’ve had Valentine’s in Paris last year, which was beautiful. We sat on the edge of the sand with a bottle of champagne and watched the boats go by. We’ve been in the Maldives…we’ve done flashier things, but sometimes the simple things like just being together are what matter the most.”
(Tickets to “Ronan Keating: A Valentine’s Special” on February 12 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino are available on https://ronankeating2025ph.lsquared.live. Prices are: SVIP (with Meet and Greet) – Php 8,500; VIP (with Meet and Greet) – Php 7,500; Patron – Php 5,500; Gold – Php 4,500; Silver – Php 3,500; and Balcony – Php 2,500.) — (FREEMAN)
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