Pops Fernandez on love: Ready, but not in a hurry
Love is still welcome, but Pops Fernandez is in no rush.
She’s not actively dating, but she’s not shutting any doors either. For her, if it’s meant to happen, it will. Unlike her younger self — who once believed that love was everything — the Concert Queen now embraces a very different outlook on relationships.
In an exclusive interview with The STAR, the “Masked Singer Pilipinas” judge-detective opened up about love, life and current pursuits. While she’s juggling shows, TV work and her own beauty brand, Pops remains open to the idea of finding “the one” — as long as it happens naturally.
“Siempre naman. Who isn’t open to love, right?” she said with a laugh. “I’m still very much open to it. But hindi na ako kagaya nung dati, nung kabataan ko na love is everything. You realize that love can inspire you, but it can also… madidiskaril ka rin, ‘di ba, pag hindi ka happy sa love.”
She admitted it’s been quite a while since she dated anyone. And while work and family life had something to do with it, she also confessed to feeling a bit nervous about diving back into the dating scene.
“Ang tagal na (the last time I dated). Wag na nating pag-usapan,” she said with a laugh. “Maybe I’m just busy, but other than that, may konting nerbyos lang at takot. Can you believe it?”
These days, Pops views love differently. It’s still something beautiful, she said, but not something that should define or even more so derail a person.
“We have to take love in stride. Romantic love, although it’s beautiful — and I have to agree, it’s very beautiful — when we get hurt, it is not everything. It’s not something that should break us. It’s not something that should ruin us. It should inspire us.
“And if it’s not working out, sometimes we just have to accept it and let go. Remember, it’s you who are most important.”
“But yeah, I’m still open to it,” she reiterated. “And basta, I feel like if it happens — if I meet ‘the one’ — it will just happen. If it’s something super serious, of course, yes.”
For now, she has her hands full — and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Still shows,” Pops, who’s also a producer, said when asked what’s been up to, including her reunion concert tour “Always and Forever” with ex-husband, the “Concert King” Martin Nievera, happening on July 19 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino. “We’re touring this show and I’m excited to perform again in Cebu. The other shows, I’ll be announcing soon, but for now, that’s the immediate one.”
Pops is also a regular judge-detective, alongside Janno Gibbs, Nadine Lustre and Arthur Nery, on TV5’s “Masked Singer Pilipinas,” where her role brings not just critique but comic chemistry with fellow panelists.
“Actually, ang saya-saya sa ‘Masked Singer Pilipinas.’ The whole time we’re doing the show, super kaming nag-e-enjoy. Kami mismong mga detectives, we have a great time together. And we also enjoy watching the masked singers because nakakaaliw talaga yung performances. It’s one-of-a-kind entertainment.”
The show, which airs Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. and Sundays at 8:45 p.m. on TV5, features celebrities performing in elaborate costumes while hiding their identities. Judges and viewers try to guess who they are based on clues and performances.
“As a judge, I wanna say I’m serious, but I’m not,” Pops mused. “I take their performance seriously — I really do — but being with the likes of Janno and even Arthur... believe it or not, Arthur is a natural comedian. Nadine, too. At first I thought she was super quiet and serious. But once we got comfortable (with each other), naglolokohan na kami.”
The judging panel also gets a little competitive. “Me and Arthur are teammates — we’re PopsThur. Then you have JaDine (Janno and Nadine). Just watch and be the judge of which team is better. We were really competitive.”
Outside of music and TV, Pops has ventured into the beauty industry with her own brand, Pick Cosmetics, which features six lipstick shades and is available on TikTok, Shopee and Lazada.
As for where she gets all her energy, she said it comes down to self-care.
“I think we all owe it to ourselves to take care of ourselves — our lifestyle, how we eat, how we take care of our bodies and skin.”
Asked about her beauty secret? “It’s sleep. I really try to sleep before 10 o’clock. I think sleeping helps a lot.”
She also works out, especially when preparing for a show. “Lalong-lalo na ‘pag alam kong may concert ako, I really work out a lot. I wanna make sure na hindi ako hinihingal while singing.”
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