He knows that “anytime soon, somebody better can come and take your place.”
Jed knows that even if he holds the distinction of being “the only guy na bumibirit,” somebody else can take his place in an instance. But instead of losing sleep and seeing this as a threat, Jed prefers to look at it as a wake-up call, a reason to keep on being a better performer.
“I use it to my advantage instead of letting me feel nervous,” he relates.
Besides, what’s another potential obstacle when Jed has gone through a lot worst as a struggling performer?
“Wala kaming pahinga noon. Minsan, wala pang tao. Nag-perform na ako na one table lang ang nanonood, musical arranger ko pa ang nandon. Nadaanan ko na ang lahat ng pambabastos.May nagsabing huwag na kaming tumugtog,” he recalls.
Positive thinking
He felt bad and embarrassed. But the optimist knew there are always people out there who watch him perform than those who wish him ill.
Thanks to such positive thinking, Jed went on to become the country’s pride when he won grand prize at the 2005 World Championship of the Performing Arts (WCOPA) in Hollywood, California, where he bested 3,000 singers from 52 countries.
That was not all the “ASAP 2012” co-host and performer went through to be where he is now. Jed had to present a demo CD every time he wanted to push a song to recording companies.
“Now, it’s very convenient for everybody to be exposed,”’ Jed observes. You have the internet and You Tube. You have Twitter and Facebook. Sobrang suwerte ng generation ngayon.”
But the challenge, he adds, is just as great.
“Sa sobrang daming lumalabas, you have to be phenomenal and stand out para mapansin ka at magtagal ka. Everyday, may nag-a-upload (ng videos).”
This surplus of new talent has also given rise to new material. Jed is happy to note that unlike their predecessors, today’s bands play original songs that dictate musical taste. Back when he was still with the showband, Jed and his co-performers were stuck in covers that stunted their creativity.
Bands setting the trend
“Bands used to cater to people’s wants. Their priority was to make people enjoy their night-out. Today, the audience adjusts to the bands. It’s the bands that the audience follows,” he explains.
The sad news is bands are not as hot as they used to be, says Jed.
“It all started with the acoustic guitarist. Tapos singer na lang. Mas mahal ang ban with six singers compared to an acoustic duo. Doon nag-start ang decline ng banda,” he relates.
Jed wants bands to stage a comeback because “masaya, feel mo talaga.”
He should know. That’s where he started. Jed was all set to work as a flight attendant for Northwest Airlines when an aunt noticed how unhappy he was about it.
“She saw that I really wanted to sing. So as my manager, she put me in my first band Pose, which played in Fashion Café in Glorietta the `90s. When my dad found out, he got angry and brought me home to Iloilo. Ayawe niya ko mag-banda kasi hindi raw stable. Pero sumali pa rin ako ng banda, Dyevest. Okay lang sa kanya kasi andon lang naman ako at nababantayan niya,” Jed relates.
But he wanted more. Jed asked his dad to let him spend just one year in Manila to follow his heart. That was 2003, the year Universal Records discovered him and Voice of Asia named Jed Best Male Singer.
Big thank you
No wonder Jed wants to say a big thank you to his lean but memorable years with the band.
“I didn’t have formal (music) training. Sa banda ko natutunan kung paano i-strengthen ang boses ko kas gabi gabi ang puyat. May naninigarilyo pa. Don ko natutunan that not every song is sung the same way.”
Jed has tapped his band mates from Prime Council to perform with him in “Back to Basics” on Friday, May 18 at Music Museum.
With former bandmates Aliyah Parcs, Gail Blanco and Radha as guests, Jed will perform showband songs --pop, rock, upbeat, ballads, etc.
Jed and company used to perform a whole range of songs at Strumms, Hard Rock, Ratsky and others way back when he was not yet boxed in as a balladeer. That’s why the concert is called “Back to Basics.”
One can’t move forward if one doesn’t look back. And Jed, dreams of a signature song (ala Martin Nievera’s “Be My Lady”) and a musical in mind, knows this only too well.
By Maridol Rañoa-Bismark | Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom
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