Come rain, come shine, come Kuh!

Talking to Kuh Ledesma about her recently-concluded first leg of her 25th anniversary US tour (with Basil Valdez, Christopher de Leon, Christian Bautista and Isabella) is like taking a crash course on performing abroad. She leaves nothing to chance and leaves no stone unturned in her drive to promote the yearly series.

"It’s not just a matter of making money. It’s also seeing that the show is well-promoted. Otherwise, how can we continue doing shows there?," she begins.

So she and her guests attend every dinner (sometimes two a night) each sponsor invites them to. They go to every Filipino video store they could find to sign autographs and shake hands.

The extra pounds from the eating binges don’t show on her lean frame. It’s because Kuh sheds those pounds as quickly as she gains them.

And considering that she has a different producer in every city (seven all in all in her recent tour which coincided with her 25th anniversary as solo performer), that means not just eating everywhere, but meeting a lot of people.

"I actually enjoy it," reveals Kuh. "I go to the US three months ahead of the scheduled tour and meet everyone I have to meet."

It also means staying in one car, chatting about God with her guests, whose spirituality is as deep as hers. And so bonding comes as naturally as singing for them.

"I never heard them complain despite the grueling schedule. It’s humbling and I feel so grateful," Kuh gushes. That’s why she will hold the second leg of the tour, this time in Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Los Angeles, Cache Creek, Dallas, Seattle, Las Vegas and Lakeland.

Meantime, Kuh is back in Manila to prepare for a two-night concert with Mon David called Come Rain, Come Shine at the Captain’s Bar of Mandarin Oriental on Aug. 18 and 25, 8 p.m.

Besides the music, Kuh and Mon share something else which is just as special. Mon, grand prize winner at the London International Jazz Competition, happens to be the vocal coach of Isabella, Kuh’s daughter.

"That girl shows a lot of promise," Mon observes.

Kuh interjects, "I’ve been singing the praises of pop music to Isabella. But she insists hers is another musical calling – jazz."

So the mother backs off and lets her only child do her thing. At least she won’t be lurking under the shadows of her famous mom, who goes by the moniker of "Pop Diva."

"It’s a good thing Isabella has her own style," explains Kuh. And at least it’s not metal rap, which Kuh admits is not exactly her favorite genre.

"That’s the only thing I haven’t done," she relates.

But if Kuh doesn’t listen to metal rap, she feels the opposite when it comes to Sarah Vaughn.

"Her music has influenced me," Kuh says. It could very well be the music Isabella heard when she was still in the womb.

"Once I chance upon an artist I like, I don’t get tired listening to his music over and over," reveals Kuh. Conversely, there are artists (no names, please) she will never be caught dead listening to.

Not in the list, of course, is the late George Canseco, whose music started Kuh off in the business. She has paid tribute to him in a concert twice in a row. And she plans to hold another tribute, this time with other artists doing his immortal hit songs.

So let the music play on. Kuh Ledesma will always have her arsenal of songs to serenade music lovers, not just here, but in other places around the world as well.