David a Pinoy at heart

MANILA, Philippines - The thrill factor of having balladeer David Pomeranz in the country may have kind of diminished the fact that he’s often here — two to three times a year to be more precise about it.

Yet to know that the man truly loves Filipinos should surely hit a sensitive chord deep within every Pinoy.

The singer-songwriter does have a deeper reason to be here more than the obvious truth that he’s a relevant nostalgic act, with multiple classic tunes tucked under his belt.

“My relationship with Filipinos is a strong, genuine one that never changes. It seems like we’re cut from the same cloth and have a similar bloodstream. We like a lot of the same things,” shared the recording artist whose works have sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.

The voice behind perennial prom night theme tracks King and Queen of Hearts and Got to Believe in Magic is presently promoting his 13-track Greatest Hits album released by Polyeast Records, including, of course, the two just mentioned and others like On This Day, Undying Admiration and Born For You.

It also has a new number, the single Crazy Beautiful, which he co-wrote because “you don’t fall in love with a woman’s lipstick, but on her uniqueness and what’s going on in her eyes.”

Sensibly, he has an upcoming project mainly dedicated for Filipinos as his way of saying thank you.

He said, “I got great enjoyment being with Filipinos. The connection is unspeakably beautiful and timeless. I have friends here whom I have known for 30 long years.”

His fascination goes even deeper with his observation of what he calls as the “OFW phenomenon.”

He emphasized, “We know that it’s a phenomenon borne out of financial reason. But the element of sacrifice you guys do is something very unusual in a group of people. It’s a very brave thing to do — to go to war to protect your family at home. I don’t see that in many places.”

Asked if he’s doing a special tribute song for Pinoys, David simply stated, “There’s something coming and the project should be a good one.”

He already does give a kind of homage in the Greatest Hits with his cover of the Filipino-penned Tell Me, which is best known for the renditions delivered by local acts Joey Albert and Side A.

The album also includes new versions of Until I Fall In Love Again and Trying to Get That Feeling Again, which he revealed as his composition, along with The Old Songs (which also made the cut), that profited him the most as songwriter.

He added, feeling extra comfortable to express his admiration for Filipinos, “The older people are not cast aside here. Everyone lives together; nobody leaves home. It’s a tribal idea that seems to me really correct.”

David first visited the Philippines in 1984. Years later, he did a duet with Megastar Sharon Cuneta for the track If You Walked Away, which found its way in this latest collection, too.

A Grammy award-winner, he admitted to still liking to record via the multi-track tape for its warmth and more bass. Nevertheless, he has adjusted well to digital recording, truly amused that it is fast and enables him to experiment. “Cut and paste things and see how they go,” as he noted.

At least the warmth he misses from analogue technology has remained in the form of human interaction that comes between him and us, Pinoys.