Ep 14: GOLD MEDALIST in BROADWAY/MANNY PAQCUIAO/VEGAS

On this week's episode we sit down with Jen to discuss her many acheivments (see below) and youll also get exclusive to her work and collaborations!

International artist Jen Bautista has a repertoire of experiences that makes her a truly engaging performer. With an extensive range from Pop to Ballads, to Soul, Jazz, Dance, Reggae and Rock, she has wowed the world over with her versatility and vocal power.

A multi-awarded singer, Jen won the Gold Medal in the 10th Annual World Championships of the Performing Arts in Hollywood, California, where she was applauded for her exceptional vocal skills in Rock, Broadway and Jazz.

Since relocating to Hong Kong in 2009, Jen has performed in various events and shows, not the least for Walt Disney Entertainment. From having a self-titled album, shows in Manila, California, Las Vegas, and New York, and now events in Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore and other parts of Asia, Jen Bautista draws audiences into the music as she bares her soul into every song, lighting up the stage with her presence.

Contact Jen:
Socials: IG   / jenbautista82 
Facebook:   / jen.bautista128 
LinkedIn:   / jenbautistamusic 

Ken and Jen collaborations: http://www.jenplusken.com/

Full copyright: Do not use this material as your own. Legal action will be taken.

Host Warren Adams - Warren Telling Tales
Website https://warrentellingtales.buzzsprout.com/
Warren Adams: IG   /warrenadamsactor  and   / warrentellingtales 
Facebook: 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:41

Hey, hello everyone. Welcome to today's episode. We have Jen Bautista on the podcast today, which I'm really excited about. It's lovely to have you on. Jen is a phenomenal singer, and uh we're gonna talk more about her singing career very shortly. Um, but first of all, how are you, Jen? How's things?

SPEAKER_04 1:00

Hey, Warren. So it's so surreal. Like you said before, like it's so surreal to finally meet you. I know we we've we're friends on Facebook and we we have so many common friends and we almost work together uh once upon a time, but we never really met until today. And it's so cool.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Yeah, it's it's very bizarre, very bizarre. Yeah, we were going to we were close to doing uh uh a corporate role play job for those that don't know what that is. It's where uh an actor goes into a corporate institution and plays various characters, and then there's an element of training uh around different issues and subjects, and it's super fun. Um, I really enjoy doing that. Actually, I was doing one of those yesterday, was it was uh about mental health, which maybe we'll talk about a bit later as well, because that's quite a big thing at the moment, um, particularly with everything that's happened in 2020 and uh so um yeah, but before we do all of that, before we get into any heavy stuff, um so Jen, Jen, where where are you right now? Where for our audience, where are you based at the moment?

SPEAKER_04 2:03

I am based in Hong Kong, and yeah, I've been I've been working and living here since 2009.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

Okay, 2009. Wow. Um and you okay, that's quite a long time. Uh so do you do you consider Hong Kong home now? Is that is that is that where you plan to be for the foreseeable future or um yeah, you know what?

SPEAKER_04 2:26

I've always found like when I as soon as I landed um in Hong Kong, I I felt I felt like a home feeling. You know what I'm talking about? Like you just know, even though I just came out of the airport, there was of course it was back in 2009. But then as soon as I stepped out of the airport, I was like, I feel like I'm gonna stay here for a long time. I don't know why I know that, but I knew and and true enough, you know. But then because of everything that is happening, not just in Hong Kong, but you know, around the world, so we can't really everything's so uncertain, right? Up in the air. So I don't know if I'm how long I'm gonna be in Hong Kong for, but definitely this is my second home. My first home being the Philippines, of course.

SPEAKER_01 3:05

Yeah, yeah. And and where in the Philippines are you from?

SPEAKER_04 3:09

Oh, um, I'm from Covite, so that's just uh 30 minutes away from Manila, which is the capital. So yeah, that's where my mom and dad live and my brothers as well.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

Oh nice, nice. Um, so before before Hong Kong, were you were you in the the Philippines or were you were you somewhere else? Did you move from the Philippines to Hong Kong?

SPEAKER_04 3:31

Yes, so I was born and raised in the Philippines, and um after uni, I kind of decided I want to be a singer. So I um pursued a career in singing in the Philippines. Um, but yeah, um on and off, on and off, you know, kind of um would find some opportunities, but then things don't really work out so well. And then um there was an audition for uh Hong Kong Disneyland um to be a vocalist at Hong Kong Disneyland. And then I showed up, and that's a whole that's really funny story of how I kind of messed up my audition. My my singing was um pretty great, it went smoothly, but then I had no idea that there was gonna be a dance portion for the vocalist audition too, because I'm like, this is a vocalist audition, why do I have to dance, right? But then apparently, for you know, because it's musical theater, so yes, you have to dance. But I was total uh caught totally off guard. I did not know, so I was just ah, but I don't dance.

SPEAKER_01 4:35

Oh gosh, I can feel your pain, Jen. I had a very similar experience. I um I'm trying to recall the show now, but I used to live in London many years ago and I used to go for a series of West End uh musicals. Um I can wow, yeah. I can I can I can I can sing okay. I'm not not bad. Um, but but the uh but the dancing uh you know I I I've always considered myself like an actor that can move. I don't really know what that that really means. Yeah, no, exactly. Um but I I I remember my agent called me and they were and they were like, um, oh yeah, so uh I've got this great audition for you. I think it was for We Will Rock You actually. And um, you know, it's a you'll go in, you'll you'll you'll do uh you'll sing a bit and um and and that'll be it really. And your look is perfect for the character, and blah blah blah. And I got there, there was all sorts of people, like women, guys stretching all in leotards, you know, practicing their longer jams and par de berets and all of that. And uh, I'm not I don't I'm not getting a singing feeling here. This feels very much like uh someone we're gonna have to do some dancing, and like within two minutes, the dance captain uh was sort of like um right, okay, um into into lines, and uh you're gonna do some some dancing now for three minutes here, and now I want to see this and high kicks and scoots, and and I was like, Oh no! And uh it was the first thing we did, and uh it was painful. I I kind of hid it, I hid I think I hid in the back of the of the room. I was sort of like, hmm, hopefully they won't see me. Um, but but then they they always do this where they make the the person at the back come forwards, and so I ended up being right at the front for a for a good 10 minutes. And uh oh no, it was it was painful.

SPEAKER_04 6:18

Yeah, I had to do I had to do my dad's audition. Like they did it in groups, so I was like, okay, I'm gonna hit uh hide it high in the back. So that was pretty okay because I'm small, so so I was pretty okay. I felt fine, but then they said, Okay, well, now we're gonna do it in twos.

SPEAKER_02 6:34

And I'm like, No, totally messed it up.

SPEAKER_04 6:38

I was like, it's a miracle that I got the job in the end, because they called me and they're like, Oh, we'd like to offer you this this uh job as a vocalist in Hong Kong. I'm like, What? That was incredible. It's a miracle, it's a miracle.

SPEAKER_01 6:51

Your singing must have been uh your singing must have been really on point, which is uh I suppose that was the job, right? It was for a to be a vocalist.

SPEAKER_04 6:58

I wonder I wonder why they asked you to dance, but um yeah, because there are some dancing parts in the show too, but my main um role was to be a singer, to sing uh the the uh specifically the theme song of Tarzan, which is called um Son of Man. So there you go. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:17

So how did you get on with the dancing element then in the end? If you had to do some dancing, was it okay? Did you did you handle it all right?

SPEAKER_04 7:23

Or well, see the thing with auditions, right? The the choreographer will teach you the steps, like maybe it'll be really kind of her or him to do it three times to show you the steps that that will be the kindest, and then you're on your own and you have to remember all the routine, and that's that's just that's it, right? And then you're competing with all these people who seem like they all look so professional at it and they've been doing it, like you said, you know, with the patterns and the stretching and all that. And I'm I'm just like, oh my gosh, what did I what am I doing here? Yeah, and then and then yeah, so I messed it up because I was nervous and everything, right? But then when I did get the job, they do they did give us two weeks to learn the routine for the whole show, and also if if you want, if you need more help, like if you need to learn the routine again and again, they'll they'll help you out, right? But in auditions, they they they're not as nice, you know. So yeah, anyway, that's a that's a long way of saying that I did all right in the in the show. Yeah, I did all right. They helped me out.

SPEAKER_01 8:33

Yeah, yeah. That's good, it's good. So there's a supportive sort of team network at uh Disneyland, then which is absolutely, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 8:41

Even my um um my fellow cast members, when they see me struggling, even though like they just met me, right? I'm the new recruit, but um when they when they saw me struggling, people were so open to like offer help, you know. That was really cool. I always I always felt welcomed um when I came to Hong Kong and and Hong Kong Disneyland. Yeah, I miss them, I miss those days.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

So it was an enjoyable time then it sounds. Oh yeah, absolutely. Yeah, how how long were you were you there for? How long did you work at Disney for?

SPEAKER_04 9:13

Oh, I worked there for two years. I um at the Golden Mickeys, that's the show called Um Golden Mickeys, and it was in the storybook theater in um in the park, in the amusement park. So yeah, I did that for two years, and then my contract ended, but then I was like, I I don't want to leave Hong Kong, you know. It's it's uh it's so great here. You I I'm I'm sure you know exactly what I mean. So yeah, yeah, Hong Kong is such a great place. So I'm like, I want to I want to continue living and working in Hong Kong, and so I found a way, found an agent, um, and then transitioned from musical theater, um, you know, um working in Hong Kong Disneyland every day, doing the same show over and over, and then transitioned immediately to singing at a hotel at a hotel lounge. Uh yeah, so then that's like doing different uh songs every night. And it was three sets of 45 minutes a night and all by myself singing. I mean, I'm the singer and then I have a pianist. But yeah, that was that was tough. The transition was a challenge, absolutely. I had to learn so many songs and I had to sing like I guess for a 45 minute set, that would be like 10 to 12 songs, and I had to do three in a night, every night. Yeah, so that was tough.

SPEAKER_01 10:39

So talk talk to us about your your preparation for for for doing that. This is uh I this question just popped into my head now, but um, I've always been um interested uh or sort of fascinated by by singers that can that can sing for hours on end and you know multiple songs night after night. Like what is your your preparation to prevent you know your voice from burning out or just like sheer exhaustion? Because I I've seen uh I've seen clips of your work and you really are a um you're a you're a phenomenal performer. Like obviously you've got a brilliant voice, but you're oh thank you so much. No, I mean it's true, but you you have like a phenomenal energy as well, and you you're really committed to the songs, and uh it's really interesting to watch. And um so I wonder how you do all of that and uh and keep yourself sort of healthy and full of energy and and to be able to do it time after time. Yeah, what's your preparation?

SPEAKER_04 11:33

Yeah, okay, so um well we think we we can think of of singing or as a profession, uh it's similar to an athlete, right? Because the vocal cords are muscles, right? So basically, just as any athlete would have to warm up, you know, and and keep healthy, like um not abusing your your body and all that stuff, and sleeping uh and having enough sleep and all these things. So that we do that too as singers. So before shows, ideally we'll have like a proper warm-up and some vocal scales, like la la la la la la la those things, you know.

SPEAKER_02 12:13

I love it, I love it, I love it.

SPEAKER_04 12:15

Yeah, and breathing exercises and all of it, you know, and then projection and all that, and then of course the the diet as well. Um, can't really eat all the spicy food that's bad for for you. I I eat it anyway because I love Indian food.

SPEAKER_01 12:31

Is it really spicy? Spicy food is is bad for the the vocal cords, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 12:36

So spic and caffeine. So specifically the spicy food and caffeine. Um two things I love. Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_02 12:43

Me too.

SPEAKER_04 12:44

Um they they produce acid reflux. Okay, and that's what hurts your throat. If if if anyone uh watching this podcast who has acid reflux will know it goes up here and then it's it irritates it because it's acid, right? So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:01

Wow. This is this is herbal tea, by the way. It's not not caffeine.

SPEAKER_04 13:05

Oh, good, good.

SPEAKER_01 13:07

I'm looking after my voice too.

SPEAKER_04 13:09

That's good, yeah. You as you should.

SPEAKER_01 13:11

Yeah, I mean, I do have coffee as well, but I do.

SPEAKER_04 13:15

I just had coffee this morning and had spicy food last night.

SPEAKER_01 13:18

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 13:20

Yeah, but also haven't been haven't been very busy right now with gigs because of COVID and everything. So I'm fine. I can eat some spicy food and drink some coffee, it's okay.

SPEAKER_01 13:30

It's so cool to to hear that you you take the um you take the craft so so professionally and you uh you really do treat it as if you are a an athlete, which yeah, but I mean that's that is so uh important. I mean, because I know from doing from doing theatre shows like when you perform night after night, it's a similar, a similar concept, I suppose, with with in terms of preparation. But um yeah, I mean your voice is is phenomenal. Like people are gonna get a chance to to have a look at some of your work on this on this episode. And um it really you really are super talented. Did you train um in the Philippines or what yeah?

SPEAKER_04 15:12

So when I was little, um as young as six years old, I started taking um voice lessons because yeah, because my mom was like, Oh, you um my my daughter has some gift in singing, so we should we should develop that. So I really owe it all to my supportive parents. They they saw it early on that I have this um talent and they did everything possible to make sure that they're helping me develop that skill, you know. Um, but that that was until I was in my teens, like 16. And then after that, I went to uni and I just I had a band when I was in college. So what was the name of the band? And then it's LiveWire.

SPEAKER_01 15:52

LiveWire. Oh cool, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 15:56

And then um I did that. I did that during uh my four years in university, and then I decided I want to go and pursue this as a career, so yeah, rest is history.

SPEAKER_01 16:07

Wow, uh, that's lovely. All right, so let's let's move away ever so slightly from singing for a second. Um so I I contacted you about about coming on this podcast because I've been following you for a while and I I thought you'd be really uh you know a super interesting guest to have on. And then I realized I realized very shortly after contacting you that you had just got married, like literally like a day or two before, um, which I which I must have missed. And then I was just like, wow, that's so cool. Um, and I wasn't sure whether you would be up for it or not, because I know when you get married, there's like it's a whole sort of uh well, it's it's a bit a bit of a whirlwind, isn't it? Um, in terms of emotions and um but how was it how was it? How was the wedding and where did you get married?

SPEAKER_04 16:53

I know, isn't it so crazy to get married during a pandemic? We're nuts. We're nuts.

SPEAKER_01 17:00

Why not? Right.

SPEAKER_04 17:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:01

It's the great time, it's the great time.

SPEAKER_04 17:04

Yeah, sorry, what was your question? My question, yeah, what was my question?

SPEAKER_01 17:07

Uh um, yeah, yeah. Where did you get married and how was it? How was the experience for you?

SPEAKER_04 17:13

So um, so we got married at um Cotton Tree Drive. It's a civil ceremony, so it was like really quick. That was the first time I've ever uh uh seen a ceremony that uh that happened so fast, it was less than 10 minutes. So the guy just came over the the what do you call that officiant, I guess. Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_02 17:33

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 17:33

And then he just told us, okay, this uh this is these are your papers, go sign them, uh declare some words, and then okay, now you're married. I was like, oh, okay. That was really fun. And then we invited some of our friends. We um we hung out at uh a rooftop bar somewhere in North Point.

SPEAKER_02 17:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 17:52

And yeah, and um, yeah, we just hung out and had free flow and people got drunk. I got very, very drunk. So maybe I shouldn't say that to people.

SPEAKER_01 18:01

It's okay, it's okay, it's okay. You have to let your hair down on your wedding, it's important.

SPEAKER_04 18:05

Exactly, right?

SPEAKER_01 18:06

So, for those who don't know what free flow means, I'm not sure if that's an international expression or whether it's uh solely for Hong Kong, but uh oh okay. I I'm not sure. I don't know if it's because I I I don't it it became apparent to me when I moved to Hong Kong the whole free free flow. That's quite a hard thing to say. Free flow.

SPEAKER_04 18:25

Free flow.

SPEAKER_01 18:26

Um you made it look easy. Um, yeah, but you basically pay a pay a little bit of money and then you just get sort of unlimited alcohol for a period of time.

SPEAKER_04 18:34

Unlimited alcohol for for us, it was for two hours.

SPEAKER_01 18:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 18:38

So yeah. Yeah. So just drink away. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

Awesome.

SPEAKER_04 18:44

Yeah, within the two hours.

SPEAKER_01 18:46

You got married to uh Ken.

SPEAKER_04 18:49

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 18:50

Ken, who is your he's your he's your your love partner, if that's an expression, but he you also do a lot of work with him as well, and you yeah you make music together, and um, we're actually gonna hear one of your songs, aren't we? We're gonna hear uh 2020, which he wrote about um well, about 2020, and I'm sure it's yeah, about 2020 and quarantine, quarantining together. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've heard it, it's really catchy, it's really cool. Yeah, you're singing in it. Um, but this is just one of many songs that you guys sort of collaborate on, right? So he does a lot of a lot of the songwriting, and then you you do you sort of help a little bit with the songwriting, and then you you do a lot of the singing.

SPEAKER_03 19:44

I wanna run away to one miracle, and I'll take you with me. Where do you wanna go? This is not what I had in mind. Summer days stay inside. No plans this weekend. We're running low on coffee again. Spoke to my mom on the phone. She says hello. Was that today or two days ago? More I think, the less I know. Let's go to the beach, let's go. I'll take eat, see our friends, and pop when we meet, but not today. I wanna run away to one year ago, and I'll take you with me. Where do you wanna go? I wanna fly away to one year from now, and I'll have you with me if only I knew how to do it. Whoa, oh, oh it's one thing to another, another, another. Let's hold on to each other. Oh Together. It's one thing to another, another, another. Let's hold on to each other. Run away to one year of go and I'll take you with me. Where do you wanna go? I wanna fly away to one year of now. And I'll have you with me if only I knew how I wanna fly away to one year from now, and I'll have you with me.

SPEAKER_02 22:45

Only I know that he does rap, yeah. That is him, that is him rapping. Okay, yeah, nice, nice.

SPEAKER_04 23:03

So what happened was so we met. We met in February of 2020.

SPEAKER_02 23:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 23:09

And then um on our third date, I invited him to check out my um my gig at the Iron Fairies, which is uh which is a bar here in Hong Kong.

SPEAKER_01 23:22

I've been there.

SPEAKER_04 23:22

And so and he Yeah, yeah, it's a cool place. So this was back back uh last year when when live performance was still allowed, you know? Right. And so I yeah, so I was I was um I was performing and then I did Killing Me Softly, the song uh Killing Me Softly, and then but then told um in the middle of the song, I um like a big uh plot twist that I do in my performance is that I I interject a little rap section from Waterfall by TLC.

SPEAKER_02 23:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 23:54

And then and he was there, and then I guess I'd love to hear this by the way. Oh, okay. Yeah, I'll I'll rap for you, sure. Um, but yeah, I guess he he saw that performance, and he and I think that's what uh convinced him that he he wants to have me for the rest of his life. Oh wow, don't know I'm I'm assuming that that's the moment, maybe. But he's like, Oh, I'm a rapper too. She raps, you know. We're both uh yeah, we but he does this actually um as a hobby. He he he has a day job, he has a corporate job, and then this is his passion, uh uh a side passion. So and then when I found out that he actually produces his own music and raps, and he he came um he released his own uh album and all that stuff. I'm like, come on, right? Of course. This is like uh this is like a match made in heaven, quote unquote.

SPEAKER_02 24:49

But yeah, so we've been having fun.

SPEAKER_04 24:52

This is this was um this is our little studio here, actually.

SPEAKER_01 24:55

If you can see a little bit of a yeah, we can see a little bit of it. We can see the well that those that are watching on YouTube will be able to. Those that will be listening via the podcast, we've got so right here. Jen's got a really well, you can tell us, yeah, tell us what's in there.

SPEAKER_04 25:08

Yeah, a little keyboard here, and then we have this microphone. He has um, he has um uh gadgets around here, which I can't show it's behind the the camera, but some recording gadgets here and there, and uh yeah, so this is our little studio in our apartment, and this is what we've been doing in our spare time during quarantine. Um, we just writing songs and like recording together.

SPEAKER_03 25:40

I don't know much but wanna know I know well.

SPEAKER_00 25:45

I don't know much but what I know I know well I don't know much but wanna know I know well I don't know much I wanna know I know Yo here's what I know my height is not a muscle that I can't wait to make roll the truth hurts attacks the kids are gonna last one of first the up that's not that it's the last it gonna run we're seeing the A B C One two three and so relativity I'm looking for an absolute does not relative to me.

SPEAKER_04 26:21

One, two, three, intelligence is not gonna be fire called three, let us not letter. Think that three ladder. You can no one stuff does not know how to dance. You can be colour when you feel how to rise when you need rehearsal needs to surface. Here's my purpose of me.

SPEAKER_00 26:41

It's got nothing on me. A question is I got the kids on the one of the four.

SPEAKER_04 28:02

My faith in God makes me have faith in myself.

SPEAKER_00 28:05

I like my responsibility, even when I'm blood started by a little bit of stuff.

SPEAKER_04 28:10

Three minutes three times me, three minutes be the size.

SPEAKER_00 28:15

I don't know my own goals, I've got my motivation. No matter the plan, I adapt to the situation. Who a wanna next to me?

SPEAKER_04 28:32

The worst thing is the time you can turn it to a left.

SPEAKER_00 28:35

What you want is not always what you wish you wanted. Facts, facts. You touch yourself to be honest.

SPEAKER_03 29:21

I don't want to know I know that. I don't know what the wanna know I know. I don't know what I wanna know I know. I don't know much but wanna know I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 29:40

And yeah, it's been really fun. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:43

Nice, nice.

SPEAKER_04 29:43

So yeah, as the the yeah, the song 2020, he wrote that back in August of last year.

SPEAKER_02 29:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 29:51

And uh he said he wrote it uh really quickly. Uh and then he he uh made me have a listen, and I was like, Oh, this is really cool uh song. Let's just tweak it a little bit, add some lyrics here and there, and then recorded it and then released it. And people really liked it. They said it made them feel good.

SPEAKER_01 30:11

Yeah, no, it does. It does. It's an absolute, it's a it's a brilliant song for for for that time, and it's got a real nice positive, a positive spin on a year that was probably quite challenging for a lot of people. So for you though, during 2020, we may as well jump onto that. Um, well, yeah. How was that time for you? You said that you've been doing a lot of writing and creating songs. Uh you guys together have been making music and building up your studio. Um, so has it been a positive year for you, or uh have there been challenges through obviously you I presume you couldn't do some of your live performing. Um, so how was that for you? Because I'm you you were so busy doing so much live performance. How was it to then not be able to do that for a period of time? And how did you adjust and how did you navigate through that period?

SPEAKER_04 31:00

Right, yeah, that's a really good question. So, well, 2020 for me um was a combination was bittersweet, right? Like there are good things, like of course, I met uh met Ken and yeah, and um we we we met and now we're collaborating and releasing songs together and all that stuff. But the bad side is that um as I'm sure a lot of us know, um the the entertainment industry industry was hit really, really hard, like one of the hardest. Um, and a lot of us um lost jobs. Um yeah, my my gigs from being busy doing gigs, not just in um like live performances at uh bars and things like that, but also I was doing a lot of corporate events and also a lot of weddings and things like that. And so all of that was like all like everything was cancelled, like one at a time. Every like every time I I hear from my agent, she goes, sorry, this gig was cancelled, cancelled, cancelled, cancelled, and then you see your whole calendar just going, you know. And then um I also during the weekends, um another thing I do, I I I seem so busy, like I I have so many things that I do. So I teach too. On the on the weekends, I teach children um show choir to kids. And because yeah, but uh thank you. Yeah, they're they're really great. I'm so proud of them. But um, yeah, for a time, the beginning of of uh uh the pandemic, the school all of it closed uh all of them closed too, all the classes. So um there was there was a um a few months of completely nothing. Um and I was definitely I went I went through some difficult challenges when it came to like you said, the adjustment. And yeah, it was hard, you know. I would I would cry sometimes, kind of be comforting me and uh telling me it's gonna be okay. But then at that time, you know, it's just like when is this gonna stop? And then there was this uh period in Hong Kong when things started um to look better, and we were back, we were slowly getting back to to normal, normal, um, and the gigs are coming back and all that, and then all of a sudden second wave happened, and then third wave, and now we're on a fourth wave, right? And it was just like that. It was like, oh um like uh we're getting a little bit, we're feeling a little bit of hope here, a little bit of hope, and then all crashing down again. And it was hard, it was hard um emotionally, mentally, everything. But um yeah, I'm just um I'm thankful that I have a supportive husband and a lot of my friends are support are very supportive. And I think it's also um just something that you get used to after a while, too, you know. Um if you I guess we just adjust or adapt. I think that's the word is adapt.

SPEAKER_02 34:10

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 34:11

Yeah, we adapt and we find other ways to uh keep ourselves busy and keep ourselves productive, and then yeah, somehow, somehow we we get used to a new normal. And yeah, and then now I'm back to teaching again, which is great.

SPEAKER_03 34:29

I love it.

SPEAKER_04 34:30

Uh yeah, and waiting for gigs to come back again, but um yeah, I mean things are things are on the on the on the up though, right?

SPEAKER_01 34:38

In Hong Kong at the moment in terms of COVID and and restrictions, and it seems like it's moving moving back in the right direction again, which is which is good. So hopefully, hopefully not too much longer until you can be swinging in front. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 34:53

I hope so, yeah. And also, um you know, we're we're all waiting for a vaccine to be available and and all that stuff. Because yeah, I was just gonna say at the end of the day, we all have this this um universal hope that this isn't going to be forever, that there is that there is um an end to this and we'll see and and we'll see it. We'll just need to be patient. So for those who are um strong enough to wait and patient enough to wait, you know, we we're able to to see that end of the tunnel and and be okay at the other side. So that's my hope for everybody.

SPEAKER_01 35:34

I like that. I like that. Yeah, I mean, yeah, it has been a super tough time for for all artists, but it seems like um, although you you've you had some some difficult periods to get through, you've you've got a supportive network around you, you have remained creative, you've still been making music, you've been putting together your studio, all these things. So that's really good. And perhaps like I won, you know, I sometimes think, would those would those elements have happened now had had corona not occurred? Like, would we have started to make more music by for ourselves or be be more creative, write more music, you know, put together the the studio that you have. And I wonder whether that would have happened had had you been out still, you know, as per normal. So yeah, I find it very interesting. I find it very interesting that. Um, all right, okay, good stuff. Let's move then to um so Jenny, the multi-awarded singer. Let me get this right.

SPEAKER_04 36:34

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 36:34

Yeah, this is big, big news.

SPEAKER_04 36:36

She won't somebody else wrote this about me, but I mean, I'm very thankful, but they made me sound so like super amazing, like as if I have superpowers, but I get I get shy sometimes. You're very modest, Jen.

SPEAKER_01 36:51

You're very modest. Um, but but uh so so um yeah, she won gold in the 2006 World Championships of Performing Arts in Hollywood, California, right? Um, and she's worked in rock, in Broadway, in jazz. Um it seems like you have an awful lot of experience in this world. How was it to win gold in the 2006 World Championships of Performing Arts? What was that like?

SPEAKER_00 37:22

So welcome to contestant 1057, Jennifer Bautista from the Philippines.

SPEAKER_04 38:40

Yeah, that was really, really cool. So um just to give you a background of what the world championships performing arts is. Yeah, so um apparently the the the year that I joined it was their 10th uh annual uh world championships. So what they do is they they have this competition uh every year in Hollywood, California, where they invite delegates from all around the world to compete. Um and it's different categories. There's so many and and it's all performing art. So then for me it was singing, obviously. But then there were people who who competed for acting, for modeling, for hosting, for even team commercial acting or whatever it was. It was it was there was a lot of different categories, and then they they invite industry professionals to be in the panel. And yeah, so it was really fun, and I met so many talented people from all around the world, it was so much fun. And then um when I joined, uh I was sent by the Philippines, I was one of the delegates, so I think there was there were 21 of us from the Philippines, and we had our own little teen Philippines jacket and walking around, and it was so cool, it was it was such a great time, and um yeah, and then you pick um which genres you want to uh to compete in. So I I picked three so rock, Broadway, and jazz. And then yeah, I won I won uh Golden in Rock and Broadway, and it was pretty cool. Yeah, really cool. Um it was fun because because not only were we of course we were competing with with each other, right? But we were also like just hanging out, like in between in between rounds or because there are competition rounds, we we we'd be backstage just hanging out or jamming, you know? And it it was so cool. Sometimes we just burst out an acapella version of Car Wash by Christina Aguilera, you know, and then there would be people were like making like musicians would be doing their their little bits with their instruments, and then we the singers will just sing and then the dancers will just do their thing, and then you know it's so cool. Like just to be around like a collection of talented people all around the world, that was that was an amazing experience. I I wish I I could I could have joined every single year.

SPEAKER_01 41:09

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 41:11

Just for fun.

SPEAKER_01 41:11

So you were you were were you mixing with all the different nations, or were you was it just with the Philippines, or was it sort of just like everyone kind of hanging out together? Yeah, everyone, everyone. That's really cool. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 41:23

I met I met some really cool people. Um, and to this day we're still um, thanks to technology, thanks to Facebook, we've found each other and we're still connected. Uh one of my friends that I met there, he's from Estonia. And back in the uh I I have to admit, back back then I was like, Estonia, where's that? I didn't even know what that was. Apparently it's in Europe somewhere, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. A bunch of people from Brazil and you know, Puerto Rico, and and all of them, and of course, Team USA, they were also very welcoming, so it was really awesome. Yeah, it was so good, it was so much fun.

SPEAKER_02 42:03

Nice.

SPEAKER_04 42:04

You should totally try it, actually. You should do it for the actings, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:10

Maybe maybe I will. I'll have I'll have a look at that. Um yeah, yeah, and that was in America, right? In California, yes, yeah, and then you can get discovered. Yeah, exactly. I could be a movie star. Um that's cool. I don't know, yeah. Maybe, maybe, huh?

SPEAKER_04 42:27

Even if it's just for the heck of it, because it was so much fun doing it for sure. Yeah, yeah. And uh yeah, oh, and then there were industry uh professionals, right? So I got um I got approached by a few people, but at the same time they were like, Okay, figure out how you can come to America and have the like a legal working visa, yeah, yeah, and then we'll help you out. But then I'm like, how am I gonna do that?

SPEAKER_01 42:52

Yeah, that is the difficulty, isn't it? I actually I actually did go to the US and I I did a series of um meetings with agents and I did um casting workshops and this, that, and the other. But the bottom line, the bottom line is you need that uh you need that visa and you need all the documentation, the paperwork, and it it's not as uh it's not straightforward.

SPEAKER_04 43:16

It is not no.

SPEAKER_01 43:18

But yeah, no, I'm I will look at that though, because uh it's it does sound really cool. And I love the aspect of uh well the fact that you guys were all just sort of mixing with each other backstage and like all the different countries and hanging out, and didn't doesn't matter what the cultures are, you're all just coming together, and that's yeah, that's super cool.

SPEAKER_04 43:35

It's great. Yeah, this this uh competition is also uh dubbed as the talents Olympics, so it's true.

SPEAKER_01 43:43

Yeah, nice, nice. I love it.

SPEAKER_04 43:45

Yeah, it was very do you have an award?

SPEAKER_01 43:47

Do you have like a not an award? You have like a medal or something from that time? Did they give out anything like that?

SPEAKER_04 43:52

Yeah, we had medals. I also got a bronze medal for jazz because that's at the time I was just uh starting to. Yeah, so then I I tried to compete in in that genre, and so I got bronze for that one, and then an industry award like and then and then we also have age group, and then they have uh an award for champion of the world in that age group, and I got that one as as well, which was great because there were so many um amazing uh uh performers in my age group. So that was amazing. So yeah, it was um it was very cool. I wish I could show you them. Maybe maybe pictures. I'll send you pictures. Yeah, that would be cool. I don't know. I don't know what you do.

SPEAKER_01 44:36

Yeah, I mean, we if we can put them in into the episode or maybe we can flash a few images up or something, that could be fun as well.

SPEAKER_04 44:43

Um yeah, sure, sure. I'll send it to you.

SPEAKER_01 44:46

Yeah, I'll send it to you. All right, good. So I mean, I'm presuming that this is gonna be one of them, but um can you give us two sort of monumental life moments? Uh it doesn't have to be work-related. You the things that you've done, you just you were like, Oh my gosh, that's so cool. I'm so glad that that happened. Uh, and it will sort of stick with you for for life. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 45:09

Okay. Um, well, top of mind, I think it's all gonna be work-related for me. Just because those are my highlights. Right. Um, so yeah, there the world championships was really amazing. That was great. And then I was also invited to sing the national anthem for a a boxer.

SPEAKER_02 45:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 45:30

Um which boxer do you remember his name?

SPEAKER_04 45:32

I don't know if you've heard of him, but his name is Manny Pacquiao.

SPEAKER_01 45:36

Oh, of course I've heard of him. Of course. Yeah, yeah, Manny Pacquiao. Yeah, he's huge.

SPEAKER_04 45:42

Yes. So he invited me to um to to sing the national anthem at his um this was back in 2006, and he was fighting. This was his second time to fight Morales from Mexico.

SPEAKER_02 45:55

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 45:56

And yeah, he invited me to sing the national anthem. So I uh I flew to Las Vegas and I was in this huge auditorium. It's the biggest gig of my life, right? And it was so amazing. And I was walking down the hallway, and all these uh pictures of people that performed in that auditorium, I mean, in that arena, yeah, it was like Mariah Carey and Michael Jackson and all these people, and I was like, ah, and I get to perform here too. Even if it's just for this one short little song, uh little song Philippine National Anthem.

SPEAKER_01 46:26

So cool. How how many? Um, do you remember how many people were were were in there? What size is gosh?

SPEAKER_04 46:32

Like I imagine like yeah, 13, 15,000.

SPEAKER_01 46:37

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 46:38

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:39

Wow. Yeah, I think so.

SPEAKER_04 46:40

I forgot now. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:42

That must have been such a buzz. That was such a buzz.

SPEAKER_04 46:45

That was such a I I felt drunk. I didn't I didn't drink any alcohol, but it felt, you know, you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_01 46:51

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 46:52

Just like mind.

SPEAKER_01 46:53

Yeah, buzzing. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 46:55

Yeah, yeah, that's it. Elation. There you go.

SPEAKER_01 46:58

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Good stuff. All right, I love it. I love it. Um, let's move uh because we are flying on time. We've been talking for 45 minutes now. Incredible. Yeah, I know. I told you it goes quickly. It goes quickly. It does. We are gonna jump to a game.

SPEAKER_02 47:16

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:16

This is where I turn into a game show host, and uh it gets a bit uh bit wacky. Uh good. So it's would you rather? I'm gonna ask you five questions. Uh, don't give it too much thought. No, yeah, below your nose, it's fine. It's fine. We we can we can keep it or edit it. We'll see what happens. Um, five questions. Uh, I'm gonna ask you and don't give it too much thought. First thing that pops into your head, all right. Are you ready? I am good, good, good. Do this. All right, number one. Would you rather have to read aloud every word you read or sing everything you say out loud? I think I know the answer to this, but yeah.

SPEAKER_04 48:01

See, I do this anyway. I would blurt out I would blur it into song. Just anything I want to say, I would just blurt it into song.

SPEAKER_01 48:09

Oh, look. So yes, that would be. Good, good. That was a nice, easy one to start. Nice easy one to start. All right, number two. Would you rather be unable to move your body every time it rained or not be able to stop moving while the sun was out?

SPEAKER_04 48:24

Ooh, I think not moving while it's raining. Because the rain, rainy weather is yeah, not moving while it's raining. Because um rainy weather is such a bad thing.

SPEAKER_01 48:36

You might get very wet and cold though, just standing still in the rain. But actually, no, because you're in Hong Kong. You're fine. You're fine. That's right. Yeah, you got warm rain over there. Um, yeah, okay, fair enough.

SPEAKER_04 48:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:50

All right, number three.

SPEAKER_04 48:52

Just be in bed, just won't move uh in in bed when it's raining. Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 48:56

Yeah, actually, that's yeah, you could be indoors, that's true.

SPEAKER_04 48:59

It's bed weather.

SPEAKER_01 49:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 49:02

Fair enough.

SPEAKER_01 49:02

Fair enough. All right, number three. Would you rather be compelled to high-five everyone you meet or be compelled to give wedgies to anyone in a green shirt?

SPEAKER_04 49:14

It's very specific. Green shirt.

SPEAKER_01 49:16

I know, I know.

SPEAKER_04 49:18

I think I'd I'd rather high-five people.

SPEAKER_01 49:20

Yeah, that's probably nicer, isn't it? It's a bit nicer.

SPEAKER_04 49:23

Yeah, yeah. It's a very positive, friendly, you know, compared to a wedgie. I don't want to uh cause pain.

SPEAKER_01 49:30

No, no, no.

SPEAKER_04 49:32

People in green shirts.

SPEAKER_01 49:33

I think some people I think some people enjoy wedgies, but anyway, I think it's just it's a small percentage. Anyway. Uh good, good. All right. Would you rather there be a perpetual water balloon war going on in your own city uh or a perpetual food fight? So a food fight or water balloons flying everywhere.

SPEAKER_04 49:56

Everywhere. Uh I say balloon war.

SPEAKER_01 50:00

That sounds like fun.

SPEAKER_04 50:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:03

It does sound like fun, actually, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_04 50:05

Also, I don't want to I don't want to throw food. I like eating, so I'll eat it.

SPEAKER_01 50:10

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Good, good, good, good. All right. Uh, right, let me see. Okay, and last but not least, number five. Would you rather become twice as strong when both of your fingers are stuck in your ears or crawl twice as fast as you can run?

SPEAKER_04 50:28

I want to crawl as fast as I can run. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. That would be awesome, wouldn't it?

SPEAKER_01 50:34

That would be awesome.

SPEAKER_04 50:35

Yeah, I think so.

SPEAKER_01 50:36

Can you imagine if everyone was doing that at the same time? Everyone was just scuffling across the floor like cockroaches or something. All right, good, good. Enough of the wackiness, we're gonna end with uh Jen Bautista's final thoughts. So you sort of you hinted at a few things earlier on, which were very positive and uplifting. Um but uh yeah, so approaches to life, how to deal with positive and negative change. Um yeah, off you go.

SPEAKER_04 51:06

Right. So for me, how I deal with a lot of stuff aside from um my faith, that's also a huge um help for me. Um when I when I'm down and when when I'm experiencing challenges and difficulties, it helps that when I worship and when I pray. So that that for me, like personally, that's something that that has helped me um through so many things that have happened um in my many years in uh in my life. And um another thing is is that I always believe that um you just need to be strong and you need to you need to, like I said before, you know, you always think that there's a there's a way out. There is a way out. And even when you feel like you're you're stuck and you're at a dead end, somehow doors will open. I've I've seen it happen so many times, not just for myself, but for a lot of other people. And so I always hold on to hope. I think that's the that's the best thing. I think it's a dangerous thing when people just um stop believing um in in uh or or lose hope. I think that's a dangerous place to be. So I feel like um the way to survive is um is that is is hope, uh, the hope that you will you will get through it, you know. Yeah, it's the fighting spirit, I think. That's that's what we all need because at the end of the day, rich or poor, old or young, everybody goes through some uh crappy times, you know? And um it's your it's your um resolution, I think, and your your your will to survive um to that that'll that'll get you through a lot of things. And also when you when you get through it, you're you're stronger, I think. And then when when tougher time when tougher times come again, you're not as you're not as uh soft and volatile, you know. And and I think because uh I have been through some hard times, not just COVID. COVID is definitely something it's a night, it's been a nightmare, but even prior to this, I've been through a lot of struggles too in my career and love life, uh, you know, everything. And um and yeah, I I found myself growing in wisdom and mental strength, spiritual strength, uh every time I overcome something. So I I hope that people who are listening and people who are watching this, if you're going through uh something very difficult, not just this uh COVID, but everything else, um, believe that you're gonna survive it and you're gonna be stronger for it in the end. So that's it.

SPEAKER_01 54:01

Wow. Oh, I feel I feel it uplifted for sure. That was amazing. That was amazing, Jen. Oh, bless you.

SPEAKER_04 54:08

Mission accomplished.

SPEAKER_01 54:09

Yeah, so good, Jen. Thank you so much for joining us today. It's been a true pleasure talking to you. You're a lovely person.

SPEAKER_04 54:16

So much fun. You're a lovely person. Thank you so much for inviting me. We need to do this again.

SPEAKER_01 54:22

Yes, yes, we should. We should, absolutely. Yeah, um, brilliant stuff. All right, thank you, Jen, and uh have a lovely evening because you're in Hong Kong. Uh and uh and um and good morning to you.

SPEAKER_04 54:35

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 54:35

Yeah, I've got the whole day ahead of me yet.

SPEAKER_04 54:38

Yay, that's I have a ladies' night after this. I'm gonna go out with some some friends. We're gonna have some Filipino food. I'm so excited.

SPEAKER_01 54:47

Yeah, it sounds very cool. Sounds very cool. I wish I could join.

SPEAKER_03 54:50

Yay.

SPEAKER_01 54:52

All right, cheers, Jen.

SPEAKER_00 54:53

Thanks so much.

SPEAKER_03 54:54

Cheers, bye, bye everybody.

SPEAKER_00 54:57

February 14th is no longer Valentine's Day. It's the day you and me became weed the first time we met. It was a Friday night. Good thing I took that red eye flight the previous night. Not well rested, but you got me awake. Something unexpected. I did a double take. Introductions exchange a lower exchange looks beyond the words. We both understood it was like trying to catch up. Here's a part, like I already know you. So when do we start? Wanna hear it all? Who you work, who you are. Heavy questions, please explanation, that's side, uh, we have to be already still making all six. I got the whole life, uh we got the whole life, we got the whole life, we like all this. I got my feelings too, dark blue, double breasted, old school, feeling brand new, mate and measure the perfect fit to celebrate the perfect match, play back. One year to the day, I rewind in my mind like I got it all tape. Every meal that you cooked, every song that we made, every night that you took control of the stage, and then away today's the main event. Every to the spotlight, beautifully dressed in white, forget about Palestine's day. February 14th, we start an electron today. Today you are fishing we've taken out, it's changed things to mister that mistake, that's still the limit, the beginning of a new era. So this day is everywhere, that's it, that's the new is matrimony for the second one, and it's so much more than a little bit.