Christian: New phase feels like the old days

After 10 years with ABS-CBN, where he first broke out in the reality contest Star in a Million, Christian Bautista now begins a new journey with GMA 7. He signed a three-year contract, which includes appearing in Party Pilipinas, even though his fans have grown accustomed to seeing him in ASAP.

“I feel like a freshman in a new college,” he quips, “but with old friends. I know Rachelle (Ann Go), I know Mark (Bautista), I know Gian (Magdangal). I know the band. I know half the people already. The others, I’m introducing myself. You can’t be presumptuous. I try to start and build relationships, but that goes without saying.”

For Ian, as his friends call him, this new phase reminds him of the old days, when he was starting out in the biz. He recalls being a geeky college fresh grad in 2002, on the verge of a new adventure.

“On my last summer in college, I told myself I wanted a break. I was a very studious boy, doing architecture plates. I was training with the varsity as well for table tennis. Then I was also singing in church. So I basically had no ‘life.’ I watched Trumpets’ production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and I fell in love with musical theater. I said, ‘I wanna try this!’ So that’s what led me to enroll in Trumpets’ theater workshop, Playshop.”

Ian had no inkling that Playshop was to be his brush with destiny, as that was where he was discovered by managers Carlo Orosa and Audie Gemora.

“I just wanted to have fun! I wanted to enjoy, I wanted something different. I had no grandiose plans of becoming a star. Nothing like that. I just wanted something new and cool for the summer.”

But apparently, destiny had other plans for Ian.

He was signed on by Trumpets’ sister company, Stages, for talent management. He then started trying out for commercials.

“I started doing VTR’s for commercials, where you line up and there are like a hundred of you waiting. But even then, I still hadn’t decided. And then Carlo (Orosa) asked me, ‘Do you wanna try Star in a Million?’ I auditioned, I passed and I won the first round. I said to myself, ‘I sing. I make people happy. I get nervous onstage but I love it, I love to perform. I feel free. I feel natural.’ So that’s when I decided I’m doing this.”

Chucking his landscape architect’s hat, Ian launched himself entirely into a professional singing career. And call it beginner’s luck, he soon found himself crooning on national television, and was himself surprised at his own success.

“We had instant exposure. We were with ABS-CBN and they promoted the show, so they took us around the country, even around the world. I was blessed enough to have started out easy.”

But Ian didn’t win Star in a Million. It was Erik Santos, followed by Sheryn Regis. And so began Christian Bautista’s travail in finding himself a place in the music business.

“When I lost in Star in a Million, that’s when it got difficult. It became very hard. It’s like I had nowhere to go. I had to start from scratch, auditioning for labels. I just had that with me, that I was a contestant in Star in a Million who lost.”

He had to fight feeling like a loser, he shares.

“I did gigs at bars that were virtually empty. I sang at events that paid really low.”

Good thing he didn’t give up, nor did the people behind him. After making the round of record companies, finally, Warner Music gave him a shot.

“The guys at Warner said, ‘We’ve had this song lying around for two years. We don’t know who to give it to. But now that we’ve met you, we believe you’re the right person.’ That song was The Way You Look At Me, the biggest song of my life.”

The Andrew Fromm and Keith Follese penned gem fit Ian’s voice like a glove. But public reception was a little iffy at first.

“To promote that wasn’t easy either. I was gone from the scene. I had to reintroduce myself to people, ‘Hi, I’m that guy from that show, and I have a new song.’ It wasn’t an instant hit. The radio stations were playing it at 2 a.m. It was slow going until it was picked up in a teleserye, with Piolo (Pascual) and Angelica (Panganiban). And then it flew.”

The self-titled album that carried the song hit quadruple platinum in the Philippines, double platinum in Indonesia and gained significant success in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore as well.

Since then, he has spawned four other ultra-successful studio albums, headlined sold-out concerts here and abroad, acted in his own teleserye and other TV specials, topbilled two critically-acclaimed stage musicals, reaped awards and accolades, and along with longtime friend Karylle, starred in the hit pan-Asian musical TV series Kitchen Musical.

But even before Kitchen Musical, Ian has had a steady following in other Asian countries, especially in Indonesia, where he has become a household name.

“Well, that’s one blessing that was really unexpected. It’s great that they know me and I get to sing for them. I get to sing at weddings, birthdays, TV shows. It’s really a big gift. Really good. Like if I have nothing here, I could go there.”

Of course, he’s had to learn a new language to take on a new country.

“Yes! I had Please Be Careful With My Heart translated into Bahasa, Tetaplah Di Hatiku. It’s actually close to Tagalog so it’s not that hard.”

He admits he’s constantly battling his “inner geek.”

“I didn’t know how to talk to people. I didn’t know how to talk to the press. At one point, I was being written about as suplado. See, I was comfortable reading my book eh. I’m really an introvert. I could survive on my own. But here (in the business), that cannot be.”

So, his managers worked with him and made him go through grueling training for, well, stardom.

“So I had one skill, singing, but that was not enough. I had to build other skills, personality, physical as well. You have to workout, be able to last two hours onstage, singing. Resistensya. You can’t get sick, though at times you don’t get to sleep. Personality development — hindi plastic, ha? — genuine.”

“Genuine” is a word that has also been used to describe Ian’s singing, which, in an industry where big voices and high belters reign supreme, serves as a breath of fresh air. 

“It’s very unique, my voice, very distinct, that when I sing, they think, ‘Ah! That’s Christian!’ It’s unique, bordering on nasal, not necessarily birit. And people say that they hear my emotions when I sing.”

He admits that he used to feel insecure about his voice, especially when he compared himself to peers like Erik Santos and Jed Madela.

“I was matching with Jed and Erik. How can you match them? Their pipes are amazing! I once told Jay Durias, ‘Jay, I don’t have a big voice. I don’t belt. So I believe I’m not really a great singer.’ He said, ‘Bro, no, no, no! It’s not like that. It’s not about the birit. It’s about the emotion, the music. It’s about the story in your voice, how you translate the lyrics into music. How you adlib, so many things, not necessarily the birit.”

And so soon enough, Ian was able to find his voice, and his place.

“So I realized, what’s my strength? I’m good at blending. Give me a melody and I can harmonize instantly. Then yun nga, my tone is very different. I like singing soft. I like singing near the mic. I like singing to people and looking them in the eye and being confident enough to tell them ‘I love you’ in a song.”

Ian embarks on a new chapter, and begins his second decade in the industry with much the same outlook as he did his first, only much more sure of himself now.

(Christian Bautista recommends Trumpets Playshop to aspiring singers and performers. Enrollment is ongoing. For details, call 636-2842, 631-7252 and 0917 586 4177.)