Robin Nievera: No pressure to follow in parents’ footsteps

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey — Growing up in the public eye with a set of famous parents is not easy. Robin Nievera, eldest son of Concert King Martin Nievera and Concert Queen Pops Fernandez, knows it full well.

Often, he gets compared to his mom and dad, particularly when it comes to talent and brand of music.

But Robin credits his powerhouse parents for doing their best to protect him and his brother, Ram, and provide them normal lives. There’s no pressure to follow in their footsteps as OPM royalties. Just pure love and fun.

 “We have a lot of good memories and great family moments,” shared singer-songwriter Robin, currently one of the hottest DJs in the country’s top FM radio station, WISH 107.5.

 “They were just parents to us and didn’t push us to do the same,” he said. “My dad is exactly what you see on TV, he’s just this flamboyantly hilarious (person) and mom is the same. They are both fun people and we had amazing childhood.”

Robin on his dad Martin: He is exactly what you see on TV.

Robin is the special guest of his parents’ upcoming North American concert tour Two-gether Again 2019 that will bring them to key cities in the United States and Canada, including New Jersey’s Atlantic City at Ocean Resort and Casino (formerly Revel Casino Hotel) on Aug. 16 at 8 p.m.

Unlike his parents, who are into pop and R&B, Robin has crafted music that has alternative appeal. Currently a recording artist under Homeworkz, he has three albums under his belt. Known for being a prolific guitarist, he also produces songs and music videos.

Although he admits he’s “not commercial enough” like his parents, he said he knows that there are many musicians out there who are into the kind of music that he makes, including the girl he’s presently dating, fellow artist Zia Quizon, daughter of the Divine Diva Zsa Zsa Padilla and the late Comedy King Dolphy.

“The biggest challenge, for me, wasn’t finding a genre because I know the genre that I like,” Robin pointed out. “The biggest challenge is having people listen to me and understand that it’s not the same as my parents’ music.”

Among his biggest music influences are the Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer and Bon Iver. “My music really gets noisy but I’m taming it down for everybody,” he laughed.

With girlfriend Zia and her mom Zsa Zsa Padilla...

“People are expecting that I sound like my parents and then they find out I don’t,” he revealed “I love my parents’ music and the songs that they’ve made in the past but I can’t sing like my dad because his range is much higher than mine. Their voices are light years better than mine, and I had to creatively figure out a way to make my sound interesting to be relevant.”

“The music that they grew up with is the same music that they still sing, so the music that I make now is the music that I grew up with,” he explained. “I wasn’t trying to veer away from their music. I just knew that I wasn’t made for it. But I sang I’ll Be There for You many times with my dad, with just an acoustic guitar. I also love my dad’s On The Right Track.”

“My parents are Martin and Pops, I know that and it gets me a lot of doors opened,” he confessed. “But I’m not the most talented person here, I’m not the best singer and I’m not the best looking. So, I really have to work hard and see how far I can go.”

Nonetheless, Robin got his father’s genes, which come out quite naturally when he starts talking. “This gift of gab, along with his deep love for OPM and passion to support Filipino creativity, makes him a great roadshow host,” according to WISH 107.5, the very first FM station-on-wheels in the country with a custom-built mobile radio bus that drives around Metro Manila and gives people on the streets a chance to watch their favorite singers perform live up close, while listeners enjoy the same music at home. (All WISH performances are available on YouTube.)

... and his parents and brothers Ram and Santino

On board the WISH bus, DJ Robin has featured and interviewed almost all of the biggest singers in the country today, including his dad (thrice!) and even guested both his parents and brother Ram to perform with him as a family.

His dream interview?

“Bono,” Robin replied. “He’s not just a musician, a rock star or a legend. He’s also open to other things and he stands for a lot of good things.”

“I will ask him a lot of things about music and his take on all the things that’s happening around the world,” he said. “That would be a four-hour interview, hahaha!”

For tickets to the Aug. 16 Two-gether Again concert in Atlantic City, call 917-294-6783, 347-738-3025, 908-783-2680, 201-388-1927 or 908-265-1430 or visit ticketmaster.com.