Guji Lorenzana Set To Invade Indonesia

CEBU, Philippines - After balladeer Christian Bautista found success in neighboring Southeast Asian countries with chart-topping singles and a Bahasa movie starrer coming out this year in Indonesia, plus a current TV project titled Kitchen Musical in Singapore, singer-actor Guji Lorenzana is hard at work at the recording studio to follow in his footsteps soon.

Guji, whose four-act boy band VOIZBOYS (with Tom Rodriguez, Nico Antonio and Jayr Siaboc) formed by Star Magic honcho Johnny Manahan didn’t pan out, is now back at being a solo artist. Which is just as well, because he got an opportunity to release a single in Indonesia. 

“I released a song written by Ogie Alcasid years ago when I had an independent album here in the Philippines. The people in Indonesia heard it and they liked it so much that they made me record it in Bahasa. And I will have a duet with one of their famous actresses there,” proudly shared the California-born and raised performer to The FREEMAN. When Guji arrived here in 2006 after a failed American Idol attempt, he released a self-titled album under Ivory Records with its hit single I'll Be Yours Forever written by Ogie. 

If his producers are right, Guji won’t have a hard time impressing Indonesian music fans.

He said, “They told me that in Indonesia they really like Filipino acts. So they constantly go to the Philippines looking for artists to bring there. I think it will be a good opportunity because it will give me a wider market — not only in Indonesia, but also in Singapore and all over Southeast Asia.”

Guji had previously released three indie albums. His first, Five Days More, was released in 2005 under a USA independent label, followed up by the self-titled CD Guji Lorenzana and Without Your Love under the Philippine indie label LuKas Music Philippines.

But while it was his music passion that brought him to the country, Guji gained a wider fan base when he was launched by Star Magic as an actor through the TV adaptation titled Precious Hearts Romances Presents: The Bud Brothers, of a popular Tagalog pocketbook series where he had for a love-team partner the Tabing Ilog alum Kaye Abad.

As for VOIZBOYS, Guji claimed it was their different pursuits that caused their eventual disbandment. “We’re all doing individual things. Like Tom got busy with work, Jayr is also getting back into acting, while Nico is getting busy with acting as well. I’m gonna work on an indie film. And I think there’s a big calling for me and Kaye Abad to come back on TV together. So maybe we can have that happen by this year or early next year. I also do plays every now and then. I’m still very active with theater.”