Ready to party with Joy and Gary V.?

Brace yourselves for a dance party to end all dance parties on Aug. 30 and 31, 8 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum as two explosive Latin artists – Gary Valenciano and Joy Enriquez, that is – invite the expected SRO crowds to "shake their bon-bons" along with them.

Touted as One2One: The Party Event, the two-day concert is produced by Viva, marking the first project of Bobby Ante who has taken the post as head of Viva Concerts after he retired from 17 years of service as an RMN (Radio Mindanao Network) executive.

Joy is the Latina who’s behind some hit songs, including How Can I Not Love You, theme song of Anna and the King topbilled by Jodie Foster and Chow Yun Fat. Joy shouldn’t be confused with Jocelyn Enriquez (herself often mistaken for a Latin) who is making a name of her own on the American music scene.

The pairing of Joy and Gary V. is a casting coup, indeed, considering that the Big Dome concert is conceptualized not just to make the audience listen but to get them out of their seats and dance, dance, dance! Like Joy, Gary V. has Latin blood, he being also Puerto Rican (his mom is the kababayan not only of Joy but also of other international celebrities like Salsa King Marc Anthony, his immediate ex-wife Dayanara Torres and Ricky Martin).

Since Gary V. needs no further introduction, Funfare will instead reintroduce Joy to the readers. I personally witnessed Joy perform during a showcase early last year at a Singapore disco and I assure you that she’s a live wire, very infectious as a singer-performer who will make you swing and sway whether you like it or not.

Only in her early ’20s, Joy first established herself as an R&B singer in her hometown of Whittier, California, before she appeared in 1995 in the Star Search series, winning in the Female Vocalist Category for 11 consecutive weeks.

During that Singapore interview, Joy said that her demo tapes of songs by Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder and Celine Dion, including gospel hymns like Precious Lord and His Eye Is on the Sparrow (now you know why she’s on the same wave length as Gary V. who’s a Born-again Christian), attracted juicy offers but Joy added that she didn’t "bite" until the Babyface came along. "It has been my dream to work with him," said Joy who, in person, is as warm and as friendly and as physically affectionate as most Latin artists are.

In 1999, Joy recorded the Anna and the King theme song (part of the movie’s soundtrack that earned a Golden Globe nomination). Before that, however, Joy teamed up with Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey for the Prince of Egypt soundtrack.

Joy gained more followers with Tell Me How You Feel, a dance tune she co-wrote with Soulshock and Karlin. More songs followed soon after. Her down-to-earth demeanor comes across in every song. Her vulnerable romantic side shows in ballads such as the With This Love and Losing The Love. Someday, produced by Babyface, embodies her deep-rooted R&B influences. On the sassy Situations she dumps the guy she has been dating when she finds out that he has a girlfriend. The energy of her family’s backyard barbecues thrives on the conga driven Shake Up The Party. And her love and appreciation for her family and God is clearly felt on the emotional Just When I Needed You.

"I want to be a great role model for kids," said Joy who insisted that her parents manage her career and her sister serves as her executive assistant. "And I’m not just saying that to say because that’s the right thing to say. I say it because I mean it. I have lots of cousins and a lot of family that I want to uplift. And I want them to look at things like, ‘Look at that girl from Whittier. She’s from Whittier, California, and she’s working with Babyface, and has a song on MTV. If she can do it, I can do it.’ That’s the way I want to come across, that if I can do it, anyone can do it."

An instant Ariel fan

Here’s a letter from reader Rida L. Montemar, e-mailed from Las Vegas, that should warm the cockles of Ariel Rivera’s heart:

Through your column, I would like to express my admiration for Ariel Rivera’s voice. It was during a visit to the Forum Shops at Ceasar’s Palace that I got reacquainted with his wonderful voice. I remember feeling really homesick that day, so I decided to buy his CD entitled Getting to Know. I instantly fell in love with the song Biglang Bigla which has inspired me to translate it in English. I am including my version of the said song here. At the risk of sounding ambitious, I was wondering if he might perhaps consider my version in his forthcoming albums?

Here is my version entitled Then Suddenly:

A Love/

The love I have in mind/

The love I long to find/

The kind of love that’s pure and true/

Forever faithful, not askew/

And not a fleeting moment.../

The pain/

The pain I had to bear/

The hurt was always there/

I’ll never love forevermore/

‘Will close my heart just like a door/

To never feel forever.../

Refrain:

Then suddenly you came to me and changed my life so easily/

You gave me hope and set me free, from all my doubts and misery/

Then suddenly it dawned on me... You and I are meant to be/

And so, I finally came to see/

Why things have had to be/

So all the wrong can be made right/

And I can feel and have insight/

that with your smile I’m alright/

I know, as long as I’m with you/

My life will change anew/

I know my dreams will all come true/

and I will share them all with you/

We’ll be in love forever.../

Refrain 2

Then suddenly I came to see my life has changed to "you and me"/

You gave me hope and set me free from all my doubts and misery/

then suddenly it dawned on me, you and I are meant to be

(repeat refrain 1)

I love the love you’ve given me./