The way of the artist

One of the most fascinating conversations we’ve had recently was with Raymond Lauchengco and Ayen Munji-Laurel. The duo is having a series of concerts The Best of Us at Teatrino on Oct. 7, 14 and 21. We got to sit down with them and we talked about showbusiness and life.

Both very eloquent and sincere, the verbal calisthenics explored passion and compassion, timing and priority, and taking risks and claiming victories for one self.

Take for example Raymond. After years of producing hit songs like I Need You Back, So It’s You and the graduation anthem Farewell, he suddenly decided to lay low with his singing and concentrate on photography where he has tremendous talent. He was successful in, too. Then last year he went back to singing. Why?

"I realized I might have been majoring on minor things and minoring on major things. The sabbatical helped me appreciate the truth that God gives people gifts for them to use and not waste. A human being is so gifted that it is possible for him to learn many things in life. But in the end, it is wise not to deviate from the major gifts because they were given to you because He knows you can find ways to use them best."

Raymond missed entertaining people; communicating messages to them in a way only good songs and singing can do. Deep down, whenever he would take pictures of his colleagues like Martin Nievera, his heart told him that he belongs out there, too, and not merely behind cam. "Do I have regrets? Yes. But do I regret my regrets? No. Though I have made wrong decisions, I understand life is a process of learning and growth. And part of the process is stumbling and, more importantly, picking yourself up. Don’t get me wrong. I do not pertain and will never regret getting into photography because it truly is also a passion and one that has also been good to me. But who doesn’t make mistakes? And who isn’t all the better after it?

The type who would bring his character home, Raymond says he felt burned out after doing Rama At Sita. The emotional highs and lows he would feel then every night after playing the role of royalty who almost lost his wife and throne, took its toll on him. And since he had already acquired photography equipment, it was most natural to re-channel his creative energy in that direction.

Thanks to her much-publicized marriage to royalty just a few years back, Ayen is probably one of the most misunderstood celebrities around. Because people think she has more than enough money to do whatever she pleases, that’s exactly what she’s doing.

Think again. "I could be doing more shows if I want to but the truth is, family is and will always be my top priority," she says. "I will never sacrifice them for anything. Franco (Laurel, her husband) and I even have this agreement that no matter how busy we both are, there should always be one of us at home with our kids at any given time." This also means the shows they do must be worth the time they’d be spending on them away from their kids.

Little wonder that both always get the best people in the industry to work with and learn from. "Theirs might just be names artists mention or thank in passing but the kind of people behind a production is very important to me. I always get inspired to give my best when I have people who give the same energy and commitment we artists have. It’s so much easier to work with people who have the same wavelength as you do because you don’t waste time explaining what you want to achieve," she says.

That’s no lip-service. It can be recalled that years ago, Ayen was behind Rama At Sita, the most ambitious production in Filipino theater history to date. Rama At Sita not only raised the bar several notches higher but also gave breaks to now big names in the industry including Lani Misalucha who played one of the title roles.

"That’s why when people ask me, ‘Were you able to recoup your investment?’. I always reply, ‘That’s not even the point,’" she says. "It’s enough that Rama At Sita, at the very least, did its share in helping artists and the scene."

Raymond theorizes it’s always better when the producer of a show is an artist himself. "Because he knows and understands how to make things conducive to bring out the best in artists. Ayen is one of those producers who is passionate and compassionate because she knows exactly that artists need to be prepared, need not be hungry, and need a good support team to deliver. Ayen knows the artist must first feel he is important before he could bring the house down with his talents," he says.

Raymond and Ayen know an artist never allows himself to be boxed in not only by his audience but by himself. In The Best Of Us, the two will be doing Broadway songs, standards and blues and not just Top 40 and OPM songs. "This type of show is something I actually look forward to because, let’s face it, when people hear the name Raymond Lauchengco, most often they just think of ’80s songs," he says. "But I’m more than just ’80s songs! I am a singer of songs and shows like these give me the chance to prove that."

Having worked with Raymond in several concerts this year, Ayen needs no convincing. Few know, however, that another reason why Ayen delights in working with Raymond is because she is… "a bonafide Bagets fan! I was in first year high school then and I am one of those who loved the film. I also had this big crush on JC Bonnin," says Ayen. "But even then, too, I’ve always admired Raymond’s singing." "And the photographer in me considers Ayen as one of my favorite models," quips Raymond.