The five-time Tony Award nominated smash-hit musical Rock of Ages marks its Los Angeles premiere at the Pantages Theatre for a limited 2-week engagement from February 15 – 27, 2011. Playing the role of rock star Stacee Jaxx is Filipino-Australian MiG Ayesa, who is described in the playbill as “Aussie/Filipino rock vocalist of Spanish and Ilonggo ancestry.”
Ayesa has been starring as Stacee Jaxx on the Rock of Ages first national tour. He first made a name as a frontrunner in the CBS series Rock Star: INXS in 2005, ultimately winning third place in the worldwide competition. In succeeding years, he launched career-defining moves that included recording a debut CD and logging in a lot of stage and television performances in London, Sydney and New York, earning notices in well-acted roles in Grease, Fame, West Side Story, We Will Rock You and Rent which played the Prince of Wales Theater in London’s West End. He also toured in live concerts like Thriller Live, Queen Symphonic Spectacular and The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. His television credits include Handel’s Messiah Rocks, The Royal Variety Performance and The Ferrals. MiG debuted in Burn the Floor on Broadway and spent weeks touring the show in Australia, Japan, Korea, Canada and the US.
Born Miguel Alfonso Ramon Ayesa in Manila in January 12, 1970 and raised in Australia, MiG says, “the spelling of ‘MiG’ with a capital ‘G’ is taken from the Soviet aircraft manufacturer Mikoyan Gurevich, the maker of the MiG jets.” Performing powerfully like the jets he has been nicknamed after, MiG got raving reviews from his performance as Stacee Jaxx.
“MiG Ayesa, who plays the rocker Stacee Jaxx, has a killer voice and delicious sense of humor.” - Doug George, Chicago Tribune
“...MiG Ayesa plays Stacee Jaxx. He is terrific... He has a big voice, washboard abs and great stage presence.” - Connie Wilson, Associated Content
“MiG Ayesa gives plenty of vocal power in his portrayal of Stacie Jaxx...” - Scotty Zacher, Chicago Theatre Blog
“MiG Ayesa is a pro with an incredible sound.” - R.J. Donovan, OnStage Boston
“He’s got Jon Bon Jovi’s voice, David Lee Roth’s swagger, Axl Rose’s moves and Bret Michael’s makeup.” - Stephanie Casola, The Urban Life
“He practically steals every scene he’s in.” - Craig Nolan Highley, The Arts Louisville
MiG told the Asian Journal, “I am many generations Filipino. Both my parents were born there. All my grandparents were born there, some of my great grandparents were even born there. I am a true ‘mestizo’: Spanish/Filipino/Austrian and even a little Chinese.” MiG has three-fourths-Spanish maternal ancestry and fourth-Ilonggo paternal and maternal ancestries. His Spanish ancestry came from the Preysler lineage through the Ayesa side and from his mother’s Legarda lineage.
MiG’s family moved to Sydney, Australia when he was aged 2, where he and his older brother Andrew were then raised.
In his website, MiG talked about how he pursued his dream to become a recording artist. “I began playing the piano at age seven, but was quickly discouraged by my teacher, who informed me that without practice, I would never become a virtuoso. However, a chance meeting with a jazz musician opened up a world of possibilities! I was finally able to play the music I wanted, in the style I chose. I even wrote my own songs and played piano without having to perfect my Mozart! Who cares if I was never going to be a concert pianist? Stick that up your metronome, I was going to be a ROCKSTAR!”
“After high school, I played in a number of bands (Sohcahtoa, The Honkies, Lovetown, Randy Badass & The Slickmaster Five) while trying my hand at acting. I was only 19, but I got the chance to jet-ski through the Amsterdam canals in a TV pilot about teenage spies called Mission: Top Secret.”
MiG attended St Patrick’s College, Strathfield, and was studying communications at Macquarie University in Sydney when at the age of 20, he landed an acting role that propelled his life on a very different course, taking him away from his studies and into acting in movies, theatre and television. He was offered the role of Ritchie Valens in the theater production of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. He decided to put his studies on hold and went on tour with the production all across Australia, and then to London.
“The acting bug took me to London for several years. I was just a kid from Sydney, but I found myself entranced by the bright lights of London,” said MiG.
In 2002, shortly after his marriage to ballet dancer, Simone De La Rue, MiG and his new wife moved to London, England in the UK so that he can further pursue his dream of becoming a recording artist.
In June 2005, while MiG was starring as ‘Galileo Figaro’ in Queen’s smash hit musical We Will Rock You, he was chosen to appear on the CBS television series Rockstar:INXS, which brought him to Los Angeles, California. Shortly, after the season finale, MiG and his wife moved to LA where he secured a major record deal with music giant Universal Music Group.
“Despite my success on stage, I began to think that I would never achieve my true dream of fronting a band. So, I decided to take one more shot at a solo career. I rekindled my love of both writing and recording on a four-song EP that even featured Queen guitarist Brian May on one of the tracks. It was at this time that I heard about Rockstar: INXS, a pilot centered on the Australian band’s search for a new lead singer. As I was a life-long fan of the band (which provided the soundtrack to my first kiss), I decided to make the trek from London to Los Angeles. After an exhausting round of auditions, I made the final cut and was ultimately chosen as a finalist on the show. I was the only one that made Rockstar from the UK, and the only Aussie to make the final 15. I came into Rockstar: INXS with all guns blazing, full of bravado and confidence, and left in third place but with a Universal recording contract. My experience on Rockstar INXS was a dream come true. In fact, I often say that it was the greatest thing I will never do again,” said MiG.
In December of 2006, MiG’s self-titled debut CD was released in the Philippines, then in Australia the following month. Then with the addition of three originally penned tracks it was released in the United States and Canada in April of 2007.
In September of 2007, MiG and his wife moved again, this time to New York City. Then, MiG took off again to reprise his role as ‘Galileo’ for the International Tour of We Will Rock You. Along the way, MiG’s debut CD continued to be released to coincide with the show’s opening in each new territory (New Zealand, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand).
In September of 2008, MiG appeared in Handel’s Messiah Rocks, which was released on CD/DVD fall of 2009. In October 2009, MiG launched the ‘call to arms’ Global Campaign UNITED AS ONE, helping raise awareness and desperately needed funds to the people of the Philippines affected by Typhoon Ondoy. In January 2010, MiG made his Broadway debut in Burn The Floor, as well as in the months thereafter touring with the show to Australia, Japan, Korea, Canada, and USA.
Ayesa admits that he loves the creative process saying it is “why I can be in no other business. I love it. It is not only what I do, but what I am.”
He admitted in his blog: “my piano teacher was actually right on two counts; I never did become a virtuoso, but the dedication she taught me did lead to success. Going out on my own as a recording artist has surpassed my wildest dreams. I finally feel like I belong, like this is what I’m meant to do in this life.”
His career running at a nice speed, MiG said in an earlier article that he’s never made to be famous so as to lose his Filipino moorings.
“Sure, I want to gig but not at a killer pace where I will lose track of what really counts—family, well being and a harmonious oneness with the world and fellowmen,” MiG said.
Proud of his Filipino heritage, MiG told Asian Journal, “I used to go back to the Philippines every year as a child. My grandfather’s wish was that I remain close with my cousins, despite living in Australia, so every Christmas holiday I spent in the Philippines. I have also been back many, many times as an adult. In 2000 I brought my girlfriend there and to Boracay, and that sealed the deal...she is now my wife of almost nine years. The last time I was there was in 2006, when I released my CD and played for the MTV Music Summit and NU107 Rock Awards.”
The famous recording artist “with the killer voice” revealed the places he loves visiting in the Philippines. “I love the island beaches the most. They are well-kept secrets like Boracay and Palawan. I also used to love going to Baguio but have not been there for a long time,” said MiG.
When asked if he eats Filipino food, MiG quickly replied, “Of course. I’m Filipino! It’s all about food! I love pancit, chicken adobo, and any sticky rice dish like suman and puto. I try to stay away from pork but crispy pata and lechon call to me from time to time. There is a rice/coconut dish that I go crazy for but can’t remember the name right now. My grandmother and mother are amazing cooks, and I am spoiled rotten.”
Ayesa admits that he maintains close ties with his Filipino family. “My family is very close. My cousins, my uncles and aunts, my grandparents, my parents... they have all been an enormous influence in my life and I love them dearly. That’s the only thing about being in constant travel- being away from them. They inspire me and guide me through my life,” he said.
Ayesa is also in the final stages of recording his follow-up CD due for release in the coming months. “I am also about to release a new CD and my producer is a life-long friend who is also an Aussie/Filipino from Cebu, Carl Dimataga. We have been making music together since I was 17, and here we are still making music. He is awesome.”
MiG has been all across the globe in search of his dream. What country does he like the most? “True, I have lived in Australia, the Philippines, the UK and now the US. Each country holds a dear place in my heart. There is so much about Australia that is so incredible and I think I will always call that home. I am getting a little emotional thinking about it right now. London was so much fantastic as it really was a place where my wife and I started to really make something of ourselves and we still have an apartment in North London. We also so loved being in Europe... the culture, the cities, the grandeur of everything... so many friends we make and then leave... it’s heart-breaking to say goodbye all the time. But, for now, New York is home and I am crazy insane for it. Not only is my wife there, and thriving there, it’s just such a magical city and the energy there is so intoxicating. I am addicted to the buzz and the majesty of it all. New York really is home...for now.”
The person closest to MiG, his wife, described him well in an earlier interview. “He’s the dreamer and I’m the realist in the relationship and he’s given me the gift of remembering to dream. He’s also given me the ability to laugh and not to take myself so seriously; he gives me singing lessons and I’ll give him dance classes. He’s very funny and is such a lovely man. He’s not arrogant or rude and is very humble, very loving and caring and is willing to help anyone. Both of us at the moment are the happiest we’ve ever been. We just adore one another, there are no hidden secrets,” said Simmy, (as MiG calls her).
MiG admitted that his wife means everything to him. “I have a pretty good life at the moment career-wise, family-wise and happiness-wise. But if I were to lose Simmy everything would become meaningless,” said MiG.
With regards to his success, MiG attributes it to three elements: hard work, passion, and a little bit of luck.
Musing about what he likes best about his career and his life, MiG Ayesa said, “The best part? This is only the beginning… “
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Midweek Feb 16-18, 2011 MDWK pg. 2)
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