Gerald Santos gives back by featuring new artists in concert

Gerald Santos, the artist, has come a long way and broadened his horizons.

A marker to it is his good career run from being a balladeer to a musical theater actor. Another testament is his voice, which has become solid and resilient through time.

“During ‘Pinoy Pop Superstar,’ I was only 15 at that time, and it was not that fully developed,” said Gerald, who has played and reprised the role of Thuy, the cousin of Kim and the North Vietnamese army officer, in various “Miss Saigon” productions and tours, in a recent chat with The STAR. By the way, “Pinoy Pop Superstar” was a GMA reality singing competition where he was the grand champion for its second season.

“Actually, at that time, my voice had just changed… at talagang hindi pa yun yung maximum potential ng boses ko (my voice had not yet reached its maximum potential),” added he.

Common knowledge says that a male voice develops from a high-pitched one to that deeper, lower voice because of puberty. The vocal folds are muscles that mature as time passes by.

“Right now, more on pang musical na yung tone ng voice ko (the tone of my voice is more on musical, or it suits musical),” shared he, whose voice can be described as fully developed, resonant, powerful and resilient.

Like musical theater people out there, he knows how to take care of it. So, the voice will mature and age well.

Gerald will be showcasing that voice and his singing talent in forthcoming events such as “Gerald Santos: Gives Back” on July 11, 7 p.m. at the Music Museum, and “HAPHOW The Musical,” which will have repeats in September.

Asked about instances in the past, especially in the early parts of discovering his interest in music, where he was the recipient of someone’s giving back or kindness, given the title of his concert, Gerald shared, “Ay nako madami (a lot of people)… you know when I started joining amateur singing contests, the one who seemed to have become my childhood second father (figure) and one of my mentors then was a councilor in Navotas. I was a singing scholar.”

The councilor would send him to competitions nationally and to different schools and the person also played a big part in honing Gerald’s talent in singing.

Then, there is his manager, Kuya Rommel “Cocoy” Ramilo, who considers Gerald like his own son, added he.

“I’m really grateful and thankful to God na hindi niya ako pinababayaan (who never leaves me).

Every phase of my life, He brings someone (or people) who will support me and who believe in me, bukod sa parents ko, of course,” continued Gerald, sharing that he never thought of achieving those career feats and milestones because he simply wanted to share his talent.

He is also giving back or paying it forward by featuring fellow and new artists in his showcase, such as Lindsay Bolaños, Jopper Ril, Dex del Rosario, Keisha Luiz, Joanne and Ron Sahol. It’s his way of showing his support to them, giving each the platform to display their potential and helping them further jumpstart a career in music and performing.

The concert’s lineup of songs will revolve around the theme of giving back, which encourages aspiring talents to carry on in chasing their dreams, said Gerald. It features Original Pilipino Music (OPM), musical and pop tunes. Since the songs are familiar and popular, the audience can sing along with the artists. There are also solo and duet segments.

As for his pieces of advice to aspiring artists, Gerald looked back on his humble beginnings by saying that “when I was starting out, I just wanted to share my talent, the God-given talent. Gusto ko lang talaga siyang i-share.”

The financial help or benefit from joining amateur singing contests and making a living out of singing never crossed his mind.

“Basta ako noon gusto ko lang kumanta, gusto ko lang i-relay yung message nung kanta. Yun lang ang nasa isip ko before (I just wanted to sing and to relay the message of the song. That was only in my mind before),” said he.

“Sa umpisa talaga, mag-i-invest ka muna (in the beginning, you have to invest). Invest ka muna sa talent mo (invest in your talent), in your craft,” added he.

Then, eventually, good things such as having a promising career, embarking on new opportunities and scoring accolades will come one’s way or naturally.

“It’s more on the passion sa pagkanta at pag-pe-perform talaga (it should be about one’s passion for singing and performing),” concluded Gerald.

“Gerald Santos: Gives Back” is presented by EBQ International Entertainment Production. The concept, script and direction is by Antonino Rommel Ramilo, with Evelyn Fernandez Bruce as producer and EBQ Ems as executive producer. The concert is for the benefit of Courage Movement.

For the tickets, concertgoers can purchase them at the venue or the box office.