NAKILALANG Kapuso si Jaya, pero naging Kapamilya na siya tatlong taon na ang nakalipas. Gayunman, kahit regular siyang hurado sa “Tawag ng Tanghalan” ng It’s Showtime, at lumalabas din sa ASAP Natin ‘To, hindi niya nakakalimutan ang GMA 7.
“The years that I spent with GMA are very precious to me. Contrary doon sa mga sinasabi ng tao na wala akong utang na loob, you know, that’s a place I had two marriages and my children,” kuwento ni Jaya nang makausap siya sa presscon ng kanyang Jaya: At Her Finest…the 30th Anniversary Concert.
Kaliwa’t kanan ang shows ni Jaya noon sa Siyete.
Pagpapakasal dahil lang sa anak, 'di bet ni Janella Salvador
“I had One Proud Mama, All Star K, Party Pilipinas, SOP, and Sunday All Stars. I did soaps. Ang dami-dami kong natutuhan sa GMA.
“And I think, you know, we are given such seasons sa buhay natin na may season na ito ‘yan, tapos ito naman, tapos ito naman. So ‘yung season na ‘yun was very much appreciated. I enjoyed every minute and every second of it. Kasi nagkabahay ako dahil sa GMA, sa mga projects, and I even did GMA Records pala.
“Ang dami-dami kong natutuhan and napakaraming nangyari sa buhay ko because of GMA,” sabi ni Jaya.
Ang paglipat daw niya sa Dos ang masasabing transition period ng buhay niya.
“But like I said, the season now is change. And with that change, I had to be very brave. Ano ba ang dapat kong gawin because I have a family? Ano ba ‘yung dapat kong i-expect, because they’re going to get upset? And what do I have to look forward to? Because I know that when I do go with that change, things will get better.
“I’m not saying that it wasn’t better then, but natapos ‘yung season na ‘yun, e. And when it ends, you have to find another place of work and ABS was really the next step, but I didn’t know how to do it,” sabi pa ni Jaya.
Inamin din ng singer na hindi naging madali ang pag-alis niya sa GMA; struggle iyon para sa kanya dahil wala siyang manager.
“For a year and a half or so, wala akong manager. I was getting all my gigs from email, and I put my email on Instagram, Facebook, diskarte galore. And I was just praying, God, help me. What do I do? And then I almost gave up nga, ‘di ba? I almost packed up (babalik sa Amerika),” pag-amin ni Jaya.
Sina Kyla at Erik Santos daw ang nagsabing lumipat siya sa Cornerstone Talent Management, headed by Erickson Raymundo hanggang sa nakilala na niya sina Cynthia Roque at Jeff Vadillo na in-charge sa mga talent.
Hanggang sa niyaya na siyang mag-meeting at pumayag na siya
“Palagay mo na Tuesday ‘yon, meeting, Friday ‘yon, okay, nangyari na. So [sabi ko] ‘anong project?’ Nagpapatawa pa ako. So the next step is really do something for ABS,” kuwento ni Jaya.
Inakala ni Jaya na nu’ng may manager na siya ay sa GMA pa rin ang tungo niya, at never niya naisip na mapupunta siya sa ABS-CBN.
“Kasi gusto ko pa sa GMA, e, kasi I wasn’t envisioning nga ABS. Wala talaga sa hinagap ng imahinasyon ko ‘yun, na talagang… paano mangyayari ‘yun, eh, noon nga, hindi naman ako ‘yung kinukuha diyan?’ ‘Yun ‘yung thoughts ko. ‘Yun ‘yung parang five years old na nag-isip na, ‘Ayaw naman nila sa akin’.”Hanggang sa ibinigay na nga sa kanya ang una niyang project sa Kapamilya network.
“The next thing you know, ‘TnT’ was opening up for another hurado. And I had few days ba or a week to decide, and I had a soap. The day the soap ended, the next day, Saturday, launch na. I had a production number and I sat as a hurado for ‘TnT’.
“So like I said, God puts you in your seasons, and there’s no way you can control anything when He decides. Kaya sabi ko [sa Diyos], ‘bahala Ka na, kung may magalit sa akin, ano man mangyari, I will obey’. And when I did, it was so smooth.
“I knew that magkakaroon lang ng nega for a few moments and then after that, it will pass, and then I can move on, and that’s what I’ve been doing.
“I’ve been very fortunate na nasa ABS ako, three years, three seasons na ang ‘TnT’ so what will I be complaining about?
“I am so grateful for GMA and all the people I’ve worked with. And now, I’m super grateful to Cornerstone and ABS because they really, parang I was put in a good place, in a good home.
“I think kaya nga sabi ko, itong 30th year na concert, parang walang ka-stress-stress kasi, ano pa bang ikakatakot ko? Ano pa bang ikakahiya ko? Ano pa bang ikakanerbiyos ko, eh, plinantsa na ng Diyos lahat? [Sabi ng Diyos sa akin] ‘Ayan, mag-enjoy ka na lang’.
“Whoever wants to go there if they want to witness your growth and your progress and your artistry, they will go. If they don’t, okay lang. But for me I really want everyone to come and see because I have so much that I want to share and I feel, confident na ako ngayon with everything,” sabi pa ng Queen of Soul.
Samantala, ang dami raw gustong mag-guest sa Jaya: At Her Finest concert pero hindi naman daw kayang i-accommodate lahat, kaya baka sa susunod na show na lang ang iba.
Ang kumpirmadong guests ni Jaya sa kanyang 30th anniversary concert—sa April 3, 8:00 ng gabi sa The Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila—ay sina Jay R, Kyla, KZ Tandingan, Ogie Alcasid, Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, at Ms Pilita Corrales. Si Marc Lopez ang musical director at si John Prats naman ang stage at TV director. Produced ito ng Cornerstone Concerts at ng Resorts World Manila.
Sa nasabing videoke blogger’s presscon, ini-launch na rin ni Jaya ang awiting Kasalanan Ko Ba?, na isinulat ni Yeng Constantino. Puwede na itong mapakinggan sa Spotify.
Ang una niyang single mula sa Star Music, ang Hanggang Dito Na Lang, ay kasalukuyang pinatutugtog sa Filipino radio stations sa Hong Kong at magiging theme song ng Koreanovelang I Have A Lover, na papalit sa teleseryeng Halik na magtatapos na ngayong Marso.
-Reggee Bonoan
