Sharon, Martin in Valentine show

MANILA, Philippines - Sharon Cuneta gets 2012 off to an exciting start with a very special Valentine concert with Martin Nievera at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Feb. 11. Titled Once In A Lifetime, the show marks the first time she will share the stage with the Concert King.

Although they were once both under contract with Vicor Records where they began their careers over 30 years ago, Sharon and Martin have never really done a concert together. The most they had done were guest appearances in one another’s shows. They had thought about it but that was all. That’s why Sharon instantly agreed to do the show when the idea was brought up by Viva Communications CEO Vic del Rosario Jr.

“Martin has been a friend for a long time. He is the ninong of my daughter Miel. I’ve always thought that there are a lot of similarities in the way Martin and I sing,” says Sharon. “I just do not know why we never had a show together or why we never recorded a duet. We seem to like the same songs and we even recorded them solo like Ikaw, which I did first and which he later recorded. There is also The Promise. We have our own versions. Now we will do the duet at the concert.”

Now both making up for the lost time, Sharon and Martin have also recorded a duet which will be among the highlights of the show. This Once In a Lifetime, a song expressly composed and produced for the occasion by Vehnee Saturno with lyrics written by Martin himself. The song also marks Sharon’s return to Viva as a recording artist and where she is now working on a new album.

Aside from Once In a Lifetime, Sharon and Martin will also perform many of their hits like To Love Again, Say That You Love Me, Now That You’re Gone as well as songs that their fans have been longing to hear them sing together like The Last Time I Felt Like This, Ikaw and The Promise.

Sharon has been one of the country’s foremost singing stars ever since she broke into the big time in 1978 with Mr. DJ at the age of 13. The Rey Valera composition became the start of a long list of hit songs that eventually led to her being proclaimed the Megastar. Sharon reigned supreme at the box-office Maging Sino Ka Man, Kahit Konting Pagtingin, Bituing Walang Ningning and others; on TV the long-running The Sharon Cuneta Show, in concert and recordings and as a celebrity endorser.

The son of balladeer Bert Nievera, Martin’s big break came when he recorded the Vehnee Saturno composition Be My Lady. Since then, he has also notched one big hit song after the another like Each Day With You, You Are My Song, Ikaw lang Ang Mamahalin, Forever, Ikaw Ang Aking Pangarap and others; starred in highly-rated TV talk shows Penthouse Live and Martin After Dark and became the Concert King with one blockbuster concert after another.

Both Sharon and Martin are also major concert draws abroad with well-received performances in the US, Canada and Europe. Sharon was in New Zealand a few weeks ago while Martin performed in Ireland for the first time. Sharon comes to Once In A Lifetime after nearly two years away from the local concert stage, while Martin will cap one of his most successful years as a performer with the Valentine show. He topbilled What Love Is at the Big Dome with Sarah Geronimo last year and later took the show on the road to major cities around the Philippines. He also did two nights at the New Port Performing Arts Theater of Resorts World Manila and was at the Araneta with the Side A last November.

A Viva Concert & Events production in partnership with Mega Productions, Inc., Once In A Lifetime is presented by TV5 and Smart with co-presenor McDonald’s, The Philippine STAR, Manila Bulletin, Business World, 105.1 Crossover, 94.7 Mellow, Radyo 5 and 101.1 YES-FM. It is directed by Rowell Santiago with Louie Ocampo as musical director.

Tickets, priced at P5,000 (VIP); P4,500 (Patron A); P3,500 (Patron B); P3,500 (Lower Box); P1,500 (Box A); and P800 (Upper Box B), are available at all Ticketnet outlets located at the SM Dept. Store Customer Service area and at the Smart Araneta Coliseum ticket booths.

For details, call 687-7236 or 911-5555.