Jamie Rivera will mentor budding artists

MANILA, Philippines – She sings of hope and love. The voice of Jamie Rivera rings the bell of encouragement in the midst of trying times. The country’s inspirational diva does not fail to uplift downtrodden hearts with her beautiful songs.

But long before her inspirational hits, Jamie was known for her beautiful love songs, which she co-wrote with musical arranger and then-partner Jimmy Antiporda. Songs Hey It’s Me and I’m Falling For You once again surfaced and are now part of Best of Jamie Rivera, a compilation of the songs popularized by the talented singer and songwriter. Proof of its timeless appeal are the several remakes of her signature hits, decades after its release.

Now a loving wife and mother, Jamie feels blessed that she has managed to keep a quiet family life, while maintaining an active music career. With a busy schedule that consists of singing engagements, concerts, TV work and music production, the singer can still spend quality time with her businessman husband and her 16-year-old daughter Reine.

Jamie recently embarked on a new challenge by opting to personally manage her own music career. She used to be part of the roster of talents of Manila Genesis, the management company that is headed by Angeli Valenciano, which, of course, manages Gary Valenciano and other artists.

“They still handle my bookings,” Jamie quickly defended, putting an instant end to whatever controversy may arise. “They still get me for shows, but now producers can contact me directly. Nowadays, everything can be settled through e-mail,” she said. She does not exactly do all the work, negotiation details are handled by the singer’s long-time friend and road manager Ming Tinana.

This year also marks her debut as a mentor-judge on TV. Jamie is one of the judges of Kanta Pilipinas, a musical reality search on TV5. Joining her in the panel is Jimmy.

Jamie with daughter Reine in a park

OPM followers are very aware of the beautiful music produced by the duo back in the ’90s. Apart from the hits, they were also each other’s “inspiration.” Back then, Jamie was a fast-rising performer, while Jimmy was the musical director of the multi-hitmaker band Neocolours. Like any sad love story, theirs eventually came to an end.

But fate has a way of bridging gaps, and this year, the duo behind the songs Hey It’s Me, Say You’ll Never Go, Sana Naman and other hits will mentor the contestants of Kanta Pilipinas, a musical reality search to be aired on TV5 in the coming months.

The “reunion” will definitely keep the rumor mill working over time, with intrigue lovers forever asking about the sparks of yesterday. On the other hand, Jamie is looking forward to the show’s airing. Judging from the excitement from the nationwide auditions, she is confident that Kanta Pilipinas will be a big hit.

“I’m not the type who would burn bridges,” she said. “Jimmy and I both have our own families now. Tapos na lahat yun, trabaho na lang ’to, thankful nga ako, may mga ganitong shows na ngayon,” she said.

Both Jamie and Jimmy have been part of the nationwide audition. They will be working closely with the contestants to prepare them for the competition. In a way, they will serve as catalysts and the fulfillment of their life-long dream.

Even when she is not performing, Jamie continues to nurture her passion for music by producing albums for other artists. She did the album of visually impaired performer Fatima Soriano. Titled Vision, the inspirational album carries songs that seek to remind listeners to pursue one’s faith amid the troubled times.

Last year, Jamie released a compilation of her hit songs from all seven inspirational album. She joked that the compilation came out of necessity. “Every time I go to different outlets, I was told na nahihirapan ‘yung mga tao, ‘Asan ba ‘yung album na ganito tapos bibili pa ng isa pang album.’ Hiwa-hiwalay so what we did, pinagsama-sama na namin,” she said. Incidentally, all seven albums turned platinum months after its release.

Jamie was also proud to announce that Inspirations is endorsed by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. It also won the Awit Award for Best Inspirational Recording, and the CMMA awards for Best Inspirational Song for Sayo Lamang and Best Inspirational Album. To continue its winning streak, the album recently turned gold.

According to Jamie, her career took a different turn when she decided to shift from love songs to inspirational songs. She considers herself very fortunate that her livelihood allows her to sing about God’s love. “When I was younger I wanted to join the church choir. I love singing even as a child, and at that time gustong-gusto kong sumali sa choir,” she related. Of course, her choir stint never came to be, instead she became a successful recording and concert artist.

For Jamie, doing inspirational songs allows her to pray while enriching her music. “I like songs that touch people’s lives. Not everyone reads the Bible but people listen to music. St. Augustine said, ‘Singing is praying twice.’ We spread the Word of God through songs,” she shared.

She attributes her success as an artist to her loving family. Like a proud Mom, she happily shared that her daughter Reine has also an interest in music.

Her husband prefers to stay in the background, in fact Jamie is very careful about answering personal questions. “He is not from showbiz, but he is so supportive with everything that I do. We all know that there aren’t too many shows nowadays. It was so different when we were starting out. Back then there were shows and concerts every week. Now there are very few shows. My husband is a good provider, and so I can still do what I enjoy.”

Being an inspirational diva has taught her to be appreciative of everything that comes her way. “I am thankful that I still have shows, even if there are so many young singers.”

For Jamie, the fulfillment of spreading hope through her songs is priceless. “Most of my shows are free. Walang bayad yung church tours. I sing in Masses for free. This is our offering to God. Many people look forward to attending the Mass, especially when they know I will render a song. That’s a good way of promoting faith. Who knows, someone out there may now want to hear Mass more often because of my songs.”