The songs tell the whole story

So you think that 2014 was the “wedding-est” year as far as showbiz folks were concerned, right? Think again.

2015, the Year of the Sheep, is poised to break that record.

Married in 2014 (at random): Drew Arellano and Iya Villania, Jericho Rosales and Kim Jones, Jennica Garcia and Alwyn Uytingco, Karylle and Yael Yuzon, Amy Perez and Carlo Castillo, Boots Anson-Roa and lawyer Francisco “King” Rodrigo, Bianca Gonzalez and JC Intal, Aiza Seguerra and Liza Diño, Chito Miranda and Neri Naig, Joshua Zamora and (Sex Bomb) Jopay Paguia, Joross Gamboa and Katz Saga, and Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes.

This year was ushered in by the en grande wedding of Heart Evangelista and Sen. Chiz Escudero, followed by Yeng Constantino and Victor “Yan” Asuncion (in-charge of music ministry), and Jewel Mische and Alister Kurzer. Scheduled to march down the aisle anytime between now and December are John Prats and Isabel Oli, Patrick Garcia and Nikka Martinez, and Toni Gonzaga and Paul Soriano.

And, oh yes, Nikki Gil and Benjamin Jerome “BJ” Albert who is descended from families steeped in showbiz. He’s the youngest son of Butch Albert (Joey Albert’s brother) and Lily Chan (Jose Mari Chan’s sister). The sweethearts have successfully kept their two-year romance very secret until in December last year when he proposed and the news was leaked on social media.

Still and all, Nikki kept mum about it…until five days ago when she told her and BJ’s story exclusively for Conversations. The interview was held at the office of Universal Records (UR) which is releasing (on March 20) Nikki’s new album titled Love Revisited (her third but first for UR) which carries songs that aptly describe (coincidence? deliberate?) Nikki’s love life, some of them mentioned in this story.

As she gestured, the engagement ring on her finger sparkled in the sun shining through the window, as if to declare to the whole world that, as the song goes, she wears my ring to show the world that she belongs to me…

Reminded that the initial of her ex-boyfriend’s name also starts with the letter “B” (Nikki requested that his name not be mentioned), Nikki laughed, “I’m stuck on the letter ‘B’ and I skipped letter ‘A’.” Nikki was bubbly and upbeat throughout the Conversation, glowing with great expectations like all would-be brides do.

Nice songs, huh?

“Yes, very telling.”

Let’s analyze the songs. First, It’s Over Now.

“Yes.”

You mean your last love before BJ came into your life?

“Yes, but I’d rather not talk about that. Past na, eh.”

The last song is Babalikan Mo Rin Ako.

“That’s just a bonus track. Babalikan? Why go back to the past? Huwag na, hahahaha!”

Congratulations! You do look and sound like a woman in love. You know, your eyes are the eyes of…

“…very much in love…yet again, hahahaha!”

I heard that you and BJ have been together for…three years?

“Well, almost! Actually, we’ve been dating for almost two years but we’ve been together for a year.”

A very secret romance na hindi nasilip ng movie press.

“I’ve just been very discreet about it.”

Your last one lasted for five years, right? Next song is The Pain In My Heart. When you and I interviewed Miley Cyrus during her visit here four years ago, kayo pa noon ni “B.“ Was there already, ehem, any pain?

“Pakonti-konti mayroon na, slowly building up.”

Did it take time for the pain to go away?

“Parang I have already answered that question several times. But anyway, for the sake of connecting it to the song…yes, it did take time. You know, kapag nagawa mo na lahat na dapat mong gawin and things don’t work out, it’s easier to just close the door and move on. I went through a process. But for the most part, I just felt like, you know, I did everything that I could.”

Was there any, aha, third party?

“I refuse to answer that. Ayoko na talaga siyang ungkatin pa, enough already, kasi parang happy na lahat. Let’s respect na lang everyone, so tama na ‘yon, okey na ‘yon.” (Clue: Nikki’s “ex” is now going steady with his co-host on a noontime show.)

What lessons did you learn from that failed romance?

“If there’s anything about me that I would change for my next partner, hindi naman talaga siya drastic because, you know, I felt that I did my part and it was just a matter of finding my match, finding someone who would appreciate what I have to give, what I have to offer.” 

Is BJ also into music, influenced maybe by his parents’ relatives?

“Oh yes, he’s exposed to music and showbiz. He likes listening to music, yes. He’s not exactly a musician but he does play the piano. It’s just a hobby.”

Was music instrumental in bringing you together?

“I don’t think so. We were introduced by a common friend, only to find out that we had been sharing the same circle of friends from way back, even before I got into show business. We have so many intersecting connections because we also studied in the same school, Ateneo, where he was taking up Psychology and I, Literature. He’s three years older than I am. I graduated in 2009 and he was ahead of me.” (Nikki is 28.)

And your paths never crossed earlier?

“Maybe they did although we might not be aware of it. He was telling me nga about several encounters we had, something I don’t remember. Apparently, he knew me back then through our common friends.”

How did you match?

“Well, after I broke up with the last one, our friends started setting me up with some guys pero hindi ko sila type, eh.”

Guys from showbiz?

“No. Non-showbiz. Ayoko na talaga ng showbiz, eh. Hmmm, hindi naman sa ayaw pero for my kind of personality feeling ko mas okey sa akin ang non-showbiz.”

What matches your personality?

“Dapat stronger because I have a strong personality.”

Must not have been detained at a police station (joke!)?

“Ganoon? Hindi naman. I need someone I can look up to, and whose decisions I can admire and rely on. I want to share with him the same principles.”

He’s secure in his own field, I suppose?

“Yes, he is.”

Next song: You Made Me Stronger.

“I didn’t write the song but I know that it’s the anthem of many people and it’s a good way of looking at something bad that has happened to you. What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.”

From whom or from where do you get your strength in trying times?

“Ah, from my family, select friends and, most important of all, from God.”

I wonder if you know that many people, especially showbiz insiders, belong to, well, a “vanishing” breed — you know, Toni Gonzaga, Sarah Geronimo, Karylle, Yeng Constantino (who was quoted as saying that the best gift she could give her husband was “a gift of purity”) and a few others.

“And Iya Villania, hahahaha! What a privilege to be part of that roster of…well, you know what I mean.”

Your last relationship must have been a learning one.

“You know, there was nothing in the past relationship that I didn’t know beforehand. I’ve always been very intelligent and a little bit cerebral with the way that I handle my relationships. I just don’t follow my heart, I also use my head. I try to strike a balance and so far it has been working. I’ve never been happier. There’s just so much peace, nakakahinga na ako ng malalim. Basta, it’s just a very beautiful thing.”

I suppose you’ve known each other enough to get married?

(Hesitating) “The truth is that we were trying to keep things under wraps. We wanted everything to be private. I don’t know how it leaked. Yes, we were engaged in December last year in a very simple, quiet way.”

And you’re getting married on…

“…secret muna! Hehehehe! We want it to be quiet and low-key.”

What’s your dream wedding?

“Before I started planning for an actual wedding, I had all these ideas of what I wanted. But now, I am more excited na about my life after the wedding. The wedding happens just in one day and I don’t want to get too stressed with it, but the preparation really takes time.”

BJ is very private. Can you describe him to us?

“BJ is sunshine, he is light, he is peace, he is love.”

Wow, very poetic!

“If I were to describe him as a person…he’s a people person, very amiable, very proper, super-intelligent, very responsible and very prayerful as well, which is the one thing that I’ve been asking God about a man I’d end up with…a man of God.”

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