Jacqui Magno: Reflections on a golden year

There is something about Jacqui Magno’s musical life that keeps on fascinating her. She loves singing but there was a time when she temporarily turned her back on it, turned to yoga, and found a certain state of nirvana.

And then she suddenly missed singing.

Jacqui was the Princess of Jazz in the ’70s and ’80s. In between love and motherhood, she found out her most rewarding reason for being is in being able to craft a sound and pleasing an audience who shares her love for music.

And so Jacqui went through the highs and lows of singing.

Before she knew it, she was 50 and she thought the best way to celebrate her age is by doing a special concert and doing what she loved most – singing.

She is done with massive crowds. She wants to go intimate and the perfect venue at the moment for her is this bar bistro named after the Prince of Jazz, Merk’s.

So what is fascinating about reaching the golden year?

Jacqui hints she has more confidence and that the unnecessary stress is gone. She is willing to try new things that she couldn’t do before because of the typical handicap of the young – insecurity.

Jacqui elaborates, "I can now understand how I’ve always felt before and it is easy to put yourself in other people’s shoes. Thus, I am more understanding now, more patient and more open-minded. I am not as adventurous as I used to vocally because of my energy level."

By this time, Jacqui must have realized that there is really more to singing than just showing off the money notes – the high notes.

She became Jacqui Magno precisely because she put a premium on her individuality and her sound is hers and hers alone.

How she differed from other singers she now attempts to analyze.

"Maybe because I was more willing to experiment and innovate right there and then," she says. "I easily get bored singing the same way night after night and once you get used to that, singing loses its novelty and with it, the challenge. When I was singing abroad six nights a week and the band refuses to rehearse a new song, I wanted to kill myself already. Then you don’t feel what you sing, you start to sing like a robot and then you start asking questions about your existence."

And so when she sings again to celebrate her golden year, she wants to start fresh, she wants her signature sound and she wants her audiences to know that she has more to offer than vocal acrobatics.

"I always insist on singing a song in a different way night after night," she continues. "I always insist on changing a tempo, emphasizing a certain phrase. I play the piano and I play the guitar and so I have a complete grasp of what is musical and what is not."

Her musical genes she got from her parents. Her mother plays classical music and jazz on the piano and her father sings. The Sundays of her younger life were characterized by endless family soirees.

And so she has reached this phase.

Was there ever a time when she dreaded reaching 50?

Funny but it never occured to her.

"In the first place, I didn’t plan my life," she points out. "I live from day to day. Reaching this age, I always say I’ll cross the bridge when I get there."

When she finally reached it, she realized there are many things she wouldn’t exchange for being 50.

Jacqui philosophizes: "Turning 16 is horrible, turning 20 is even more horrible. You just came from adolescence and you are still groping your way around. The twenties is the crossroads though. But when you turn 50, you have, in a way, crossed the bridge. But then 50 is just a number to me. I have not changed my hobbies but I am sure about certain things. I say what I feel and have learned to say it without being tactless. This is also the phase when you don’t have to prove yourself because in a sense during your rebellious phase, you have made your statements."

Among other things, Jacqui aims to reach the stage of serenity and wisdom and with it, some kind of harmonious existence.

The process, according to her, starts with understanding yourself and then understanding others. "When you reach this phase, you would know how to react to situations," she says. "I want people to feel good when I am around and not to be intimidated. When there is friendship, there’s prosperity and when there is war, there is adversity, endless animosity. I’d like to celebrate my positive side in my fifties."

Jacqui Magno sings with a backup band composed of Elmir Sayson (musical director and keyboard), Mar Dizon (drums), Jon Jon Castañeda (guitar), Gerry de Leon (bass), Uly Avante (percussion) on Aug. 16 at Merk’s Bar Bistro in a show called Jacqui Magno Gorgeous and Golden.