Anna Fegi: Home is where her heart is

CEBU, Philippines - Anna Fegi wants to get the word out: she’s back. And this time, it’s for good! The Cebuana singer, known for her powerful vocals and trademark big curls, had enjoyed an active career in Manila. After renowned musical composer-arranger Ryan Cayabyab discovered a then teenage Anna for Smokey Mountain, the breaks just kept on coming. She nabbed plum roles in musical theater productions, won two seasons of ABS-CBN's “Himig Handog” competition, released two albums under the Sony/BMG label, and was a regular in ASAP where her segment titled “Versus” with fellow belter Bituin Escalante became a much-awaited Sunday showdown.

“But I felt empty and unhappy,” Anna admitted one recent Saturday afternoon she spent with The FREEMAN.  “I felt something was wrong. I wanted my songs to be out there, but I was not given the chance. They always wanted me to sing ‘This Is The Moment’ and other birit songs. That was my dilemma. So I left and I tried to search myself.”

Five years after dazzling ASAP viewers, Anna joined Hong Kong Disneyland’s production of “The Lion King” in 2006. She completed three contracts playing Nala in a span of two years, then came back home to finish her Mass Communications degree at the University of San Jose-Recoletos. Anna was proud to finally graduate at the age of 30.

Another opportunity to work abroad came in 2008. This time, it was as a featured singer for the cruise line Royal Caribbean International. Anna fulfilled four contracts with the company, touring such places as Alaska, California, South America, Middle East and Europe. The thin girl she once was from Lutopan, Toledo City never thought it possible that she would someday sing and travel all over the world at no expense.

While homesickness became her main hurdle, it was outweighed by the fact that she was doing what she loved and received appreciation for it. Proving her worth as a world-class entertainer, Anna’s group was rated the best among all the performers of Royal Caribbean’s 23 fleets.

Life-threatening incidents also marked her time at sea. The first was in December 2010 when a storm off the coast of Egypt caused severe damage to their ship. Then in March 2012, an engine room caught fire, also causing extensive damage to the luxury vessel.

One of her realizations from these scary events? How music is such a strong and universal language.

“Our ship caught fire, we almost drowned and our ship tilted. After those incidents, the entertainment office asked me to keep everyone calm, to make everyone feel that everything is okay. Imagine how powerful music can be?” recounted Anna.

“After the big fire, I thought of an idea that we should mount a concert so the guests and crew would feel that everything was okay. At first, the musicians were mad that we had to volunteer doing a show. They didn’t want to work. I prayed for patience. Everyone was agitated. True enough, after the show, everyone was in a better mood. The musicians came up and said, ‘Thank you for asking us to do the show because everyone is so happy.’ Since then, there was just unity among us and no more conflict.”

The work was rewarding, but Anna was ready for another chapter in her journey. Her last contract ended in May 2012 and she returned to the country with new goals to achieve.

“I miss performing in the Philippines! I was very fortunate to have been able to perform in different countries and work with performers from all over the world. Now it’s time to come back and share what I have with my fellow Filipinos,” said Anna.

There was one important item on the agenda to do, though, before she jumped into the grind of concerts, shows and corporate events. On August 2012, Anna got hitched to Adam Brown from Cincinnati, Ohio. She met him during her second contract aboard the Brilliance of the Seas. He was the drummer and musical director in the production of which she was a singer.

“So every time I performed, he was there. Most of us are passionate about our music. It just started when we began sharing our dreams. He was a teacher, and I wanted to establish a school. He is very family-oriented and he loves to travel, which are two traits I also have. We had so much in common,” said a blooming Anna.

For Adam, it was initially her talent and work ethic that drew him toward Anna. “Her talent comes naturally, but she still works very hard at what she does. She’s very passionate and we are similar in that way. We just connected.”

Anna was ready to set base in the United States and settle down with Adam there. Not surprisingly, he fell in love with Cebu, and it is here where the couple decided to build a family while still pursuing their shared passions. When the time is right, Anna said she can’t wait to have little Adams running around.

“I will be performing again, here and in Manila. I’m just really trying to start again, just so people know that I’m back at performing here. I also want to let people know that I’m writing my own songs,” she said.

“During my free time in the cruise ship, I would hang out with musicians from other countries like a pianist from Argentina and we would just collaborate. I saved all of those songs and I realized, what will I do with these? I’ve decided to produce these songs I co-wrote from my own pocket money. I asked help from composer Elvis Somosot and my former musical director Grant Martin in arranging and producing them. I posted them on YouTube and we’ll just see what will happen from there.”

What was once just a dream she shared with Adam also turned into reality. Last December, the Browns partnered with couple Pia and Erwin Quisido in running The School of Rock, a music school located along Mango Avenue.

“Growing up in Lutopan, I had to look for a lot of avenues to perform like joining a singing contest of Bombo Radyo or any singing contest for that matter. The reason I fell in love with this school was the fact that I, too, was once as dreamer. I realized, a dreamer like me always looked for a venue to sing and express my talent. That gave birth to my present goal of providing a venue for aspiring artists to showcase their talents and that’s the aim of our school,” she explained. Anna conducts vocal workshops with the school’s teachers while her husband oversees the curriculum.

Perhaps one reason for her continued success and endearing humility is how she makes it a point to look back to where she came from.

“When I came home between contracts, I always made sure to visit Lutopan. I have to remind myself of my roots, of where I started dreaming. I find myself whining sometimes because of how busy I am and stressed with work. But then, when I look back, I would realize, ‘Why am I whining? It’s actually a good problem that I’m busy. These are blessings.’ Going home to Lutopan reminds me that I was once this thin, curly-haired girl who just dreamed to perform and excel.”

As Anna prepares to return to the “Himig Handog” stage and topbill an ABS-CBN commercial promoting Cebu tourism, among other projects, she eggs on those nurturing an ambition to succeed in the music industry to go beyond just fantasizing about it.

“The one big blessing God gave us is the ability to dream. Since it’s free, might as well dream big. But some people just stop there. They dream, but they don’t do anything about it. I believe in working hard. Pray for discernment. Work hard on it and it will happen.”