The mellow side of Freddie

You’ve heard him sing of love of country and repentance. But have you ever heard Freddie Aguilar sing of romantic love — the sappy, mushy kind?

This time, you will. Freddie is giving in to female fans’ clamor for him to come up with an album of love songs. And so, you’ll hear him pleading about love and longing for its embrace, with the help of his son Jeriko Aguilar on guitars, and even Nora Aunor, who duets with Freddie in one of the tracks of the newly-released Love Songs.

Even when he sings about love, Freddie can’t help but inject messages of the non-romantic kind. The carrier single, Larawan, is a song for the OFW. Another track, May Hihigit Pa Ba?, centers on love for family, which Freddie has a lot to say about. After all, wasn’t it for his children that he agreed to cut his signature tresses one time?

For a while there, the long locks was a symbol of freedom for the singer-songwriter, who started growing his hair up to the shoulders as a protest against his dad. Freddie’s old man wanted him to focus on his studies rather than music back then. The more his dad pushed him to his books, the more Freddie grew his hair long, until he sported that signature looks in bars, TV and stages around the world.

But one day, his children wondered aloud, what if Dad change his looks and adopt a clean image by cutting those famous locks? That was 1983, and Freddie had no second thoughts. He asked Ricky Reyes to trim those long, flowing tresses.

After going around town in them, Freddie’s children and his fans agreed: They missed the well-loved looks of old. So they clamored for its return. Freddie assured them he will return to his signature looks, but it won’t happen overnight. They have to wait for his hair to grow long again.

Moral of the story: Stick to what your heart dictates. Freddie’s long hair, his love for music more than books, were more than just signs of a young man’s rebellion. They were what his heart always told him to do. So he did them. And the public accepted — and even loved him — for that.

That’s why Freddie always makes it a point to step back and listen to his heart when things get muddled up. When giant music outfit RCA Records offered the world at Freddie’s feet in exchange for his Filipino identity and his artistic freedom, he was so tempted he had to stop and think.

“Back then, I wasn’t getting any more royalties for Anak,” recalls Freddie. Money was scarce and he had a family to feed and young children to send to school.

“RCA showed me how a contract which specified how much I will get in 10 years’ time. The American executives also assured me they will take care of my children’s education and that they could study anywhere they want,” he adds.

But of course, there’s a catch. And here lay the rub. Freddie was to become a commodity. He’d be performing practically non-stop and won’t be able to do what he has lived for all his life: Write songs (aside from singing them). Look at Gino Vanelli, the RCA people point out. Freddie is more talented than he is since he (Freddie) can write songs. Surely, they added, Freddie will be a bigger star than Gino.

Wait a minute, Freddie told himself. Do I need to sell my very soul in exchange for all this wealth? In the end, he turned the juicy offer down.

He has no regrets till this day. Freddie went on to write another hit, Magdalena, and help flame the fires of the EDSA 1986 revolution after Ninoy Aquino was shot dead.

Last month, Korea’s prestigious Asia Star Award recognized Freddie as the only Filipino and Asian artist to break through the western market with Anak, which has generated more than 100 cover versions in 27 languages and sold 30 million copies worldwide.

He has a series of performances in the US, where he dictates his own pace, chooses his own repertoire. Freddie and his Watawat band return to the US, this time with Freddie’s sons Jonan (of Los Indios Bravos) and Jeriko (of Anak Band) at The South Point Hotel in Las Vegas on Feb. 24 and Morango Casino in Cabazon on Feb. 29.

In Manila, their regular gigs are at Hobbit House on Mondays to Fridays and every third Saturday of the month at LA Café, both on M.H. del Pilar St., Malate.

Now, even Freddie’s children are having the time of their lives. After all, they’re just following what their Dad has showed and is continuing to show them. They’re listening to the authority when it comes to making decisions: Their hearts.