Chad Borja makes Medellin in Cebu beneficiary of comeback show
MANILA, Philippines — The September 30 earthquake, which had Bogo, Cebu as the epicenter, killed a number of people, destroyed hundreds of houses and devastated thousands of individuals.
The municipality of Medellin is a mere 119 kilometers from Cebu City. That was the place where singer-balladeer Chad Borja (whose real name is Quintin Singson) was born and raised. Chad’s family house, which he built for his mom back in 1992, was also ravaged by the earthquake.
That’s why Chad decided to make Medellin the beneficiary of his solo concert, “All That Sound,” on Nov. 28 (Friday) at the Music Museum. He will donate proceeds of the concert to Medellin.
The concert is produced by Mhae and Robert Arenas. Other guests are Andrea Gutierrez and Isha Ponti. The concert director is Calvin Neria, with Archie Castillo as musical director.
After being away from the local entertainment scene for more than two decades, Chad is back to the music grind. “All That Sound” will feature a varied set list of the songs that Chad will render. Most of the tunes in the line-up, he will sing for the first time.
“Just the first three songs, those will be in different genres,” Chad granted. “Our opening will be rock, to be followed by soul music, the sound of Earth, Wind and Fire, then we will shift to swing.”
“I’m excited because our lineup of musicians is really solid, under the musical direction of Archie Castillo. We have Tots Tolentino, Cesar Aguas — 13 musicians are performing with me, including the back-up singers. I’m excited because it’s my first time working with that kind of setup,” he added.
Chad will perform with his guests — the APO Hiking Society (Boboy Garovillo and Jim Paredes) and Marco Sison — for the first time.
“I wasn’t born yet, they were already in the music scene,” Chad smiled. “I’m very excited because I always sing their songs, like Yakap sa Dilim, of the APO, but now, I get to join them in a show. So, I am really excited to be singing with icons.”
Marco will also perform with Chad. “We did shows with Rico J. (Puno) before, but it will be different this time, because it will only be Marco and I,” he said.
Chad entered the music industry after joining the Counterpoint and Ultimax bands at 17 years old. He was earning P300 a night, performing six times a week, while juggling his studies. He failed to finish his accounting course at the University of San Carlos (USC).
He got to travel early on and performed in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore before he moved to Manila and joined the New Minstrels. When he started in the OPM scene, he was being compared to another balladeer Ariel Rivera.
Chad tried to invite Ariel to guest in the “All That Sound” concert. However, the latter sent his regrets, as he will leave for Canada to visit his sons.
When they were conceptualizing the show, Chad and his production team considered artists who can perform with him. “We can get a lot of artists, pero baka hindi pasok sa mga songs that I will sing and our concept. The OPM (Original Pilipino Music) Hit Men — Rannie Raymundo, Richard Reynoso and Renz Verano — perform all OPM songs. We don’t do foreign songs.”
“We lined up the songs I used to perform with a band. I joined around 10 bands starting from Counterpoint. We want to give the best because it’s my first time doing a solo concert after more than 20 years. Ninety percent of my repertoire was lined up by Archie Castillo, a graduate of Berklee College of Music.”
In 1998, Chad had a health scare when he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer that sidelined him from performing. “I asked my doctor how many years I would still live,” he said. “In fact, it’s still unbelievable for me that I got cancer. Until now, I carry a bag with my maintenance medicines for life.
“I drink calcium, hormones, Vitamin D. If I forget to drink my medicines, I suffer from cramps, my eyes and cheeks twitch. My body hurts. I realized that tomorrow is never a guarantee. So, I savor every moment. I learned how to say ‘no’ even to friends now. I don’t stay up late drinking and smoking.”
Chad enjoys his life in Davao, where his family has been staying for more than two decades. He appreciates the anonymity out of the limelight. “I can play golf three times a week,” he shared. “I can go to the public market. I enjoy that kind of easy life, incognito.”
“If I don’t get to play golf, I see to it that I also do treadmill. I also do walking. I do stretching and meditation.
“I’m 59 years old, but I’ve realized, I still have the voice. So, I decided to return to singing in full blast.”
Chad was invited by producer Mhae Sarenas of Echo Jham Entertainment Productions to stage a solo show co-produced with Ponti Productions and DMC Philippines.
“During the (midterm) elections this year, there were shows where artists were tapped to campaign for certain candidates or perform in their sorties. Somebody offered me (one) in Cebu. I didn’t know her, but she got in touch with me through Facebook. She is Jett Gonzales, niece of Tita Annabelle Rama,” he recalled.
“There was a campaign in Cebu for someone running for a mayor who was looking for a Visayan singer. In good faith, even if we don’t know each other, my guesting turned out successful. She offered to introduce me to Mhae of Echo Jham Productions,” he said.
“Mhae had actually produced a throwback concert for me, with Wency Cornejo, a long, long time ago at the PICC (Philippine International Convention Center). I don’t have a new song, but Echo Jham considered me to stage a concert.”
Chad is now recording a new single. “Who knows it will become a hit?” he wished. “When you have a hit song, the audience will show interest in you. Maybe most of the people are wondering why I am here again?
“People might have wondered why I disappeared from the entertainment scene. I got sick and it was my decision to really stop performing and leave the industry.
“Even if other people don’t see me performing on TV, I have my small music room at home in Davao, where I bring out my talent and passion in music. Even if no one was listening, I would sing the whole day in my music room.”
After his concert on Nov. 28, Chad plans to return to performing in bars and music lounges. He had formed a group and talked to Wowie Posadas, who owns the 19 East music lounge in Parañaque City. He tried to arrange a deal with him.
“I will continue what I’m doing while I still can,” Chad insisted.
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