Christian all set for 1st solo concert

Long before The American Idol set the world ablaze, Filipinos have seen many virtual unknowns metamorphose into "superstars", "pop idols", and "songbirds." Singing contests are nothing new to the innately musical Pinoy. Yet never before has the power of television to create new singing stars been more pronounced than in the last couple of years. While new-generation singing competitions that dominate local television today guarantee overnight success for its winners, one singer has proven that one does not have to be a winner to be a "winner". Christian Bautista, that affable young crooner who was among the early viewer favorites of ABS-CBN’s Star in A Million, has proven to be a champion in his own right. Lesser souls may have thrown in the towel, but the 22-year-old hopeful decided to move on. Riding on the popularity generated for him by the TV show, Christian set a new path to tread on his own.

"I will always be grateful to Star in A Million because my experience there set me off to a great start". But if all indications are correct, Christian has arrived. Credit also goes to Stages, his management company headed by Carlo Orosa and Audie Gemora, who bagged a juicy recording contract for Christian with Warner Music Philippines. The record company, which also launched the recording careers of Nina and Paolo Santos, gambled on Christian and lost no time in releasing his first album early this year.

The album has since achieved Gold status and its carrying single, The Way You Look at Me has landed the number one spot in many music countdowns including those of MYX and RX 93.1. Having been chosen as MTV’s Rising Star for April, Christian has clearly put "defeat" way behind him and has emerged a real winner.

Regarding the success of his self-titled album, Christian points out that "the album is something different from what people may have expected." Having been identified with classical-pop sensation Josh Groban during the run of the contest, Christian’s album is a departure from that first-impression, with its more contemporary, mainstream pop sound.

The continuing success of Christian’s first album caught the attention of other industry players among them Maxi-Media International.

"We are constantly on the look out for new artists whom we can produce shows for and Christian counts among the new batch of singers who deserve such a break," states Maxi-Media’s Jeff Cal.

On July 31, 9 p.m., Christian will have his first solo concert at Onstage in Greenbelt, Makati. Frequented by the discriminating Makati crowd, Christian’s "baptism-of-fire" cannot happen in a more appropriate venue.

Simply titled The Way You Look at Me, the concert will be a very intimate, up-close-and-personal encounter with the new singing heartthrob, and a great opportunity for him to exhibit what he is all about musically. His repertoire will be a mix of the most current pop hits as well as songs from other genres Christian is most comfortable with, including musical theater and Josh Groban songs.

Tickets are available through TicketWorld (tel. no. 891-5610) with outlets in major National Bookstore branches and Tower Records or you may get them at the Onstage Ticketron and Maxi-Media Ticketing Office (tel. no. 551-7777).