Christian Bautista: Outbound

He may not have brought home the grand prize but he sure is treated like a superstar by fans, not only in the Philippines, but in the Asian region as well. Dubbed as the Asiansation, Christian Bautista has gone far from the days since he started singing professionally. As a performer, he has improved his vocal prowess and has slowly transformed from being a mere balladeer to a well-rounded performer -- a singer, actor and now a dancer (he is getting there).

Smile! Christian Bautista lit up the room when he arrived.

I met Christian Bautista recently at the bloggers conference for his newest album Christian Bautista Outbound and was I floored by his candidness, wit and charm. No wonder he gained popularity among fans quite easily. When asked about the magnitude of his success in the region, he has quite a number of achievements to boot: multi-platinum record award in the Philippines and in Indonesia; his songs translated into different Asian languages; TV guesting and endorsements in the Asian region; acting in local movies and theater shows; TV roles here and in Indonesia and Singapore, the latest being the hip and happening "The Kitchen Musical" where Christian was tasked to do some dancing (and danced he did!).

Sharing his plaque of recognition from the National Youth Commission:

Exemplary Asean Youth in the Field of Entertainment and the Arts

Having done all those things, what more can we look forward to? His Outbound is something to watch out for as the album drew Christian out of his comfort zone. The album boasts of a great selection of 8 tracks -- a good mix of slow and upbeat ballads -- born out of collaborations with music producers and artists he met and worked with from the United States, Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Indonesia. Christian met Tat Tong, the composer of "All That's Left" while taping for "The Kitchen Musical, through Kewei Tay with whom he recorded "Please Be Careful With My Heart" in Singapore. The collaboration with tat Tong also produced "Unphotographable" and "What Can I Do." In the "All That's Left" music video, Christian pairs up with CosPlay Queen Alodia Gosiengfiao.

My signed copy of Christian Bautista Outbound

Aside from Christian's collaborations with Tat, "Outbound" also features noteworthy works with Grammy-nominated multi-platinum instrumentalist Jim Brickman for "Never Far Away," the K-Pop R&B Trio One Way for "Wrong Number," Indonesian songwriter Satrio for the hit song "I'm Already King," and with Avex Japan's Baby M for the duet "Sakura." Other songs in the album are "Faith" and "Never Far Away."

He also has an upcoming concert here in Manila, I coaxed that out of him in the Q&A but he won't reveal details any further. See the short Q&A video here:

My Q&A with Asiansation Christian Bautista

Christian shared that he has matured as a person and improved as a performer, having gained a new-found confidence to do things he has not tried before. "Honestly, I do feel that I'm at my best so far. This is the right time to pursue new paths and direction and with your support and a personal sense of renewed energy and devotion, I am ready to face the challenges of the future," referring to his aspirations of working in Europe and in the United States of America. Indeed, the album title "Outbound" could very well be prophetic of the future of Christian Bautista's career.

Christian Bautista sings "I'm Already King" Live

Thanks to Universal Records, Pinoy Magazine and Orange Magazine TV

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Filed under EVENTS

Freddie Mercury: King of Queen

As usual, I was surfing the Internet when I chanced upon Google's homepage and found the artsy Google doodle -- how cool! Mousing over the graphics revealed that it was a tribute to Freddie Mercury on his 65th birthday. Freddie Mercury, Queen's lead vocals, would have been 65, had he not lost his battle with HIV and died in 1991 at the age of 45.

Google homepage: click the doodle button to start video

The animated Google doodle showed Freddie in various scenes and costumes that are as lively and colorful as he was -- from singing on stage in front of screaming fans, to riding a bicycle wearing a checkered body suit, to sitting on a throne wearing a crown and cape.

The accompanying video is set to 1978 Queen hit Don't Stop Me Now.

Select frames of the colorful video

Queens was a popular British rock group in the 1970s and 1980s best known for hits like "Bohemian Rhapsody", "We are the Champions","Another One Bites the Dust","We Will Rock You","Keep Yourself Alive","Under Pressure", "Love of My Life","A Kind of Magic" and "Radio Ga Ga", among others. The original band consisted of Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), John Deacon (bass guitar, vocals), and Roger Taylor (drums, vocals).

Select frames of the colorful video

Also as a tribute, London's Dominion Theatre is hosted a West End Summer Tea Party For Freddie For A Day with a rare chance to view Mercury's personal stamp collection. The Dominion was the home of the hit musical musical We Will Rock You based on Freddie Mercury and Queen songs.

Lotus produced a one-off Evora S in honor of Freddie Mercury. The pearl white coupe, with red and gold accents, features the Queen frontman's signature. The cabin is yellow as an homage to Mercury's 1986 stage costume and the seats feature a Union Jack. The car will be auctioned off for charity as part of the celebrations tied to Mercury's 65th birthday party at the Savoy Hotel for the benefit of the Mercury Phoenix Trust, an HIV AIDS charity founded by band mates Brian May, Roger Taylor and Queen manager Jim Beach after Mercury's death.

He may not have been a model citizen but Freddie Mercury was definitely a rock star who inspired his generation through the songs that have immortalized his memory -- the king of Queen.

Doodle art from Google

Filed under SIGHTS