A good reason to stop, Luke and listen

When Luke Mejares left South Border more than a year ago, many thought he’d never make it alone. He proved them wrong.

"After leaving the band, I asked myself many times, ’Tama ba ang ginawa ko? Kelan kaya ako makakapasok sa industriya uli?’ I knew there would be difficult times once I’m on my own, but I had to do it," he said.

Luke has no regrets. For one, his solo album, Stop… Luke… Listen, is out in the market under BMG Records Pilipinas. Produced by Arnee Mendaros and Ferdie Marquez, the 12-track CD includes Paano Na and compositions by Mike Luis, Keith Martin, and Jimmy Bondoc (If You Want To Be Mine) which incidentally, was released last year as an independent single that topped the Wave 89.1 charts for nine weeks. Also included are remakes of Deon Estus’s Spell and The Whispers’ Rock Steady.

Aside from an album, Luke also gears for a solo concert also billed Stop… Luke… and Listen at Onstage-Greenbelt, Makati on June 5, 8:30 p.m. His guests are KeithMartin, Ogie Alcasid, Kyla, Monserrat Singers, The Maneuovres and Juliana Palermo.

Directed by GB Sampedro with Marc Lopez as musical director, Stop… Luke… & Listen is presented by Premiere Asia, BMG Records Pilipinas, Destiny Cable, RPN 9, Hanford, VCI Holidays, Converse, Pearl of the Pacific, Boracay, Coca Cola, Magic 89.9 and Jam 88.3.

"It’s a lot scarier going solo when one is used to being with a band. The pressure’s all on me," Luke noted. "But it’s also more challenging."

Born Michael Luke Mejares, the 28-year-old Boholano first dreamed of becoming an athlete. He redirected his goal when he sustained a leg injury in a biking accident. "I had to find something else I was good at. That’s when I realized I also love music," he recalled.

At a young age, Luke impressed people with his uncanny way of approximating the singing styles of Ogie Alcasid, Michael Jackson, Janno Gibbs and Dingdong Avanzado. But he found the ultimate music hero in Gary Valenciano during high school.

"I was a fan! I was first in line and in the front seats whenever Gary had shows in Cebu. I asked for his autograph many times. Gary was the man and I wanted to be just like him," he said.

A few years later, Luke not only guested in a Gary V. concert, but was handpicked to pay tribute to his idol on the latter’s 20th anniversary as well.

At one point, he also joined the auditions Ryan Cayabyab held for the second generation Smokey Mountain members in Cebu where he finished as an understudy. "Apparently, I was – what did Ryan say? – too Gary Valenciano. Besides, I had a competitor who, incidentally, always beat me in singing contests in Cebu. She left me with the title, ‘Almost a Smokey Mountain Member’."

The lucky girl later turned out to be Luke’s record label mate, Anna Fegi.

He made the rounds of clubs in Cebu with his now-famous falsetto after college. "South Border just came out that time. I was blown away by how people loved Brix Ferraris’ falsetto. Hearing the public embrace it as a singing style for men was something new," he noted.

Luke recalls that when he came to Manila in 1997, he had no connections, no network to land him gigs or a record deal. He recalls, "I told myself if I had to work myself up from scratch, I’ll do it. There came a point when I had to live on just one can of corned beef a day so I could save money for entrance fee to clubs. I wanted to jam with as many bands as I could, so people may hear me sing. I’d often write down My friend wants to sing with you on a piece of tissue paper and ask the waiter to give it to whichever band was playing."

The strategy paid off. Red Line band members, who were waiting to take him in, knew the South Border guys. "They (South Border) had heard me sing a couple of times, but they weren’t completely impressed. We started to talk about my future with them only after they heard me in a radio station’s anniversary show," Luke related.

As South Border’s second vocalist, he and the group scored hit after hit and went on to conquer the live concert scene here and abroad.

The rest, as they say, is history.