Jaya’s passions

Hovering only somewhere around five feet, Jaya looks anything but the woman whose full-bodied vocal range and emotionally searing reading have prompted the entertainment media to proclaim her as the Queen of Soul.

In cotton capris and a knit blouse, with barely a hint of makeup, she looks more like a girl monumentally annoyed by the virus that has been bedeviling her for a few days. "You have to excuse me if I clear my throat occasionally," she announces matter-of-factly, tucking her bare feet under her legs as she settled into a chair.

The real source of her grief, however is not the virus, which no doubt makes it a tad difficult for her to plunge head-long into the preparations for Jaya: Unleashed, her July 28 concert at the Araneta Coliseum, but what she has been seeing on television these past few days. These past weeks, in fact.

"It’s truly horrible, everything that is happening to the country," she lets out with a sigh. "Mayon Volcano erupts, a typhoon hits the country and, of course, there is the Abu Sayyaf – the devastation that these have wrought on the country makes it increasingly hard for anybody to remain uninvolved."

Already, Jaya’s mind is working on overdrive for ways that might impact the situation for the better. Whether a benefit concert or not will figure in her options for civic duty is still up the air, but she is seriously considering flying to the deep South to learn about the situation first hand. Perhaps only then would she know what her next actions should be.

For now, there is her upcoming concert, which Viva Concerts and Uniprom, Inc. are mounting in conjunction with the release of her new album under Viva Records, which is also titled Jaya: Unleashed. "This is a concert that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time," says Jaya. "It’s about music I feel passionate about, it’s about my interests, my friends – it’s about me unleashing to my public certain things about myself."

Fittingly, Jaya will be joined in her latest musical excursion by her peers and her friends in the business of show: Wency Cornejo, Ely Buendia of Eraserheads, Rico Blanco of Rivermaya, Jay Durias of Southborder, Jeremiah and MTV VJ KC Montero. Regine Velasquez, with whom the singer has established a genuine friendship, will also join Jaya for this special night of music.

Of course, cynics will be inclined to scoff at a friendship between so-called music "divas" as being impossible, perhaps their mind filled with details of the infamous rivalry between Maria Callas and Renata Tebaldi. "I really don’t like that ‘diva’ label because the original definition of the word is truly negative," says Jaya with a frown. With a smile, she continues, "and if people choose to think of my friendship with Regine as being phony, then that’s their problem. Regine and I are friends not only besides the differences in our personalities but also precisely because of those differences, of which we are respectful. We level each other out."

No doubt, Jaya will once more raise the level of live entertainment when she goes onstage at the Araneta Coliseum on the evening of July 28. (Jaya: Unleashed is a production of Viva Concerts and Uniprom, Inc. in cooperation with Sunsilk Nutrient Shampoo and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, with Rowell Santiago directing and Marc Lopez providing the musical direction. Mossimo is the major sponsor with MTV Asia, Philmusic.com, Pinoycentral.com, ClickTheCity.com, Alps Spring Water, Quadro Shirts and Mix providing minor sponsorship. The official concert radio stations are 102.7 Star FM, 101.1 YES-FM, 101.9 DWRR, 93.9 KCFM, Magic 89.9, 90.7 Love Radio, 95.5 DWDM and Mellow Touch 94.7.

Tickets, priced at P1200, P800, P600, P300 and P100 – are available at the Araneta Ticketnet (911-5555), SM Ticketnet outlets and the Viva Concerts office at 413-2572).