No, Engelbert, we won’t ‘release’ you just yet

Hatsingggg!!!

It’s 5:30 in the afternoon in Manila and around 8:30 in the morning in London. It’s very cold out there. That’s why Engelbert Humperdinck is sneezing during this 10-minute exclusive interview.

Now pushing 77, Arnold George Dorsey was born in Madras, India, but grew up in Leicester, England, where he showed his passion for music by playing the saxophone at an early age. At 17, his vocal talent for impersonation was discovered during a singing contest in a pub. At first, he tried using his real name but his manager thought of giving him a “strange name” and it clicked. That’s how Engelbert Humperdinck was born.

He has been coming to Manila so many times that he has lost count.

“Oh, many times,” he says, “many, many times. My first show was at the Araneta Coliseum and I’ve been to Manila many times.”

Engelbert will be back (again!) for two shows, first on Thursday, Dec. 4, at the Newport Performing Arts Theater at Resorts World Manila, and then on Friday, Dec. 5, at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City. During the shows billed Engelbert Humperdinck Live in Manila!, produced by Ovation Productions, the ageless balladeer will again bring the romantic down Memory Lane with his enduring love songs like Quando, Quando, Quando; The Way It Used To Be; Strangers In The Night; After The Loving; Spanish Eyes; There Goes My Heart; Am I That Easy To Forget; and, but of course, Release Me, his debut single that became an instant hit and went straight to the Guinness Book of Records for staying 56 weeks in the charts and becoming No. 1 in 11 countries.

What does he remember most from his Manila visits?

Sneezing again, Engelbert replies, “All I can tell you is that my following in the Philippines is very large. The Filipinos love my music very much and it’s always a thrill to be back there. I mean, I like the Philippines. I can’t wait to see it again.”

Asked if during his concert he’s dedicating a special song for the Filipinos after parts of the country were devastated by Supertyphoon Yolanda, Engelbert sounds sad, “I’ve been watching it on the news. Terrible, terrible, terrible! The world has opened up its arms, it seems, to helping the victims. I hope everything is doing well.”

Through the years, Engelbert has been singing his old hits over and over again. You must be wondering, too: Does he feel the same way he did the very first time he sang them?

“Oh, amazing, just amazing! Those songs bring back a lot of great memories. The fact that people around the world are familiar with my music makes me feel very, very rewarded. You know, I don’t have to be in the charts every day or every week, but I’m happy that my records have been enjoying regular sales over time. And I’m very proud of it.”

And what could be the three songs that best express the essence of Engelbert Humperdinck?

“I would say that the song that exposed me to the world was first and foremost Release Me. There’s also The Last Waltz which people around the world dance to. After The Loving and on and on and on…The Way It Used To Be; Man Without Love and Quando, Quando, Quando, all those songs. Not just three.”

More sneezing. Excusing himself, Engelbert says, “As I was saying, it’s very cold here in England that why I’m…” Hatsinggg!!!.. “I always sneeze in the morning, hahaha!”

What can he say about the new breed of singers?

“You know, I watch the show X Factor, American Idol and other talent-search programs, and I think that the music is very good. I mean you have to accept the changes and the fact that music varies through the years. Maybe today’s music is not as melodic as the music that I recorded during my prime but I think it’s good music.”

He sounds exactly the same way he did way back when. How does he take care of his voice?

“The power in my voice is still there. I’m touching wood when I say that. One thing I can tell you is that I don’t swallow the microphone; I hold it away from me, hahahaha! I use it as a prop.”

And, yes, Engelbert again admits, he still sings in the bathroom as he told me during the previous four exclusive phone interviews I have had with him since 2008.

“Yes, I still sing in the shower,” admits Engelbert. “You know, I always take a hot shower before I go onstage. It’s so refreshing. I let the steam into my throat. That’s the way I warm up my vocal cords — in the shower. I start humming and then I proceed to sing…in the shower!”

At his age, he hasn’t stopped doing concert tours around the world. So, where does he get all that energy? How does he keep himself fit?

“You know, I’m a show-business person. My career is 45-years-old and I haven’t stopped performing. I’m just used to traveling around the world, entertaining. The best part of my life is when I walk onstage. I think it’s the greatest moment of my life. You’re living and you get a good reception from people enjoying your show. That feeling is unbelievable.”

How does he pamper himself when free from work?

“I play golf and I ride my horses. Those are my pastimes. But even when not working, most of the time I’m dealing with music. I’m always planning, thinking of what I’m going to do next year and the year after that. I’ve just finished recording an album in which I’m doing duets with legends — Elton John, Smokey Robinson, Cliff Richard, Kenny Rogers, Johnny Mathis and many others. You will love that album!”

He sneezes again, so I decide to end the interview. I thank Engelbert for his time and reminds him to continue sneezing uninterrupted, hahahaha!

He says “God bless you!” and then... Hatsinggg!!!

(Note: The Philippine STAR is among the sponsors of Engelbert Humperdinck Live in Manila!, produced by Ovation Productions in association with Air 21. For tickets to the Resorts World show, call 908-8000 local 7700 or 891-9999. For the Davao City show, call 0932-6376185 or 7007088.)

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. You may also send your questions to [email protected].)