A velvet voice that speaks to the soul and a face like that of a heart throb, put those two together and you got Christian Bautista, Asia’s Romantic Balladeer who has countless women swooning all over him especially when he gets into a serenading mood.
Christian might not have won the top spot when he joined ABS-CBN’s singing contest, Star In A Million, back in 2003 (he placed fourth), but he still got the competition to thank for. Star In A Million opened doors of opportunities for the young singer as he tried to break into the local entertainment industry.
His first big break came when his first single, The Way You Look At Me, topped the local charts when it was released in 2004. The song was so good that it eventually found its way to the Indonesian airwaves and became a hit there as well. Since then, Christian became the first and still the only Filipino invited to guest in popular Indonesian television shows and work with well-respected Indonesian performers. Aside from singing, Christian also showed his talent in acting when he top-billed an Indonesian-produced movie entitled Special Symphony. The movie was shown in local cinemas last August of 2011
In his recent interview with Boy Abunda in ABS-CBN’s late-night news program, Bandila, Christian talked about how people respond to him whenever he is in Indonesia.
“Well, I’m known in Indonesia as a singer. I’m not like an actor or a TV personality [like here in the Philippines]. Which means they leave me alone kasi naririnig lang nila ako sa radyo, e. Pero pag nag-concert na ako at nag-promote na ako sa TV, nandun na ulit yung nakikilala nila ako.”
Aside from being in-and-out of Indonesia, Christian’s music also reached the borders of Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Hong Kong, among many others. He was also able to work with some Korean artists like the K-Pop group, One Day, and recently did a duet with Japanese singer, Baby M.
Amid the success and the admiration of countless women, the Filipino crooner still manages to keep his feet on the ground whilst preparing for bigger things to come his way.
In Singapore, Christian decided to put into good use his theatrical experiences before he even joined Star In A Million. He accepted the offer of being a part of the first Pan-Asian television series called the Kitchen Musical. In the same interview, Christian divulged the reason why he did not have to audition for a role in the series unlike the others.
“Siguro because of the success ng career ko sa Indonesia and dito sa Philippines. Siguro nag-fit ako dun sa role talaga kaya talagang ipinasok na lang nila ako,” he mused.
Together with Christian are other Pinoy casts like Karylle, Ikey Canoy, Thou Reyes, and Art Acuña. Currently being aired on local television via Studio 23 and on the cable channel AXN, the Kitchen Musical has been gaining raves from critics and viewers alike. Should a second season of the TV musical push through, Christian said that he might fly out of the country once more to shoot in Singapore.
Considering his numerous trips in different parts of Asia, fans could not help but wonder how Christian’s love life is doing especially after his three-year relationship with Filipino singer Rachel Ann Go. Although Christian has stressed in reports that he and Rachel have remained good friends even after the break-up, the balladeer has kept mum about matters concerning his current romantic relationships.
Because he has to leave and go to different places most of the time, Christian revealed in an interview that he does not believe a long-distance relationships. Although not closing his doors for a new relationship, Christian believes that the long-distance set-up would not be ideal with the lifestyle he is living as of the moment.
When asked about what he misses most, Christian admitted missing his family whenever he’s out of the country. Growing up with a tightly-knit Christian family, the Filipino crooner said he was grateful for his family’s endless support especially to his career.
“Talagang full support. Lagi akong gina-ground... ibinabalik sa lupa,” he said.
Christian, who recently celebrated his birthday last October 19, was also interviewed by Kris Aquino in his humble home in Cavite. In the birthday episode dedicated to him, the usually elusive Christian opened up about the intimate details of his life.
As a son, Christian shared how he is closest to his mom and how hard it was for him to be away from her while the latter was battling stage 2 cancer. Fortunately, the cancer was detected early so his mother did not have to go to chemo therapies anymore and is now celebrating a year of a cancer-free life.
He may be singing about love all the time, but he revealed, much to everybody’s surprise, that Rachel Ann was his first and the only serious girlfriend he has had so far.
Despite having realty investments (he owns an apartment rental business) in Cavite, Christian still dreams big for his career. Being exposed to various foreign talents most of the time made Christian realize how much potential the Filipinos as performers. This became his inspiration to continue making music that his kababayans would be proud of.
In a separate interview, Christian said that he is planning to reinvent his music in his latest and first international album, Outbound. The album, which is reported to have more upbeat songs than ballad, is set to be released in different parts of Asia and will also feature different collaborative efforts between Christian and other notable Asian producers and performers.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(OCIE Oct 28-Nov 2, 2011 RedCarpet pg.2)
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