Aiza doesn't want to rock the boat

MANILA, Philippines - Being called lucky and feeling it to the bone are two different things. The first is something people think of you. The second is something you believe in with all your heart because you feel light and easy the minute you wake up.

Aiza Seguerra now knows how it feels to be both.

“I can’t ask for anything more,” she says.

Aiza is happy with her long-time partner, Chen Sarte, whom her parents approve of. For her, Aiza tearfully composed the love song Tanging Ikaw, a cut from her latest album, Aiza Seguerra Live! (Star Records).

“I wrote it one evening while she was sleeping,” recalls Aiza. So inspired is she these days Aiza can’t help but share, “I can’t ask for anything more. I won’t do anything to destroy the happiness I feel.”

Chen is not only her sweetheart, she’s also Aiza’s number one critic.

“She has a good ear,” Aiza states with pride. “She tells me things straight. She’s objective.”

For sure, Aiza consulted Chen about the 15 tracks in her latest album, which has five bonus videos of her live performances when it was recorded at Teatrino Mall, Greenhills.

The album is very Aiza — sentimental, romantic, with one exception: A remake of Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror. The track stands out not just because it’s the only non-love song in the pack. It also has Sandwich’s Raimund Marasigan pounding on the drums (the way he does in Aiza’s take on Eraserheads hits Huling El Bimbo and Magasin).

Like all artists with an album to promote (she’ll be at SM North EDSA on Aug. 22), Aiza looks forward to plugging her new CD in all TV shows — ABS-CBN and GMA, except for one: Those that clash headlong with Eat, Bulaga!

“I’m a freelancer alright,” relates Aiza. “But I can’t guest in Wowowee and other shows with the same timeslot as Eat, Bulaga! That’s how much I respect the show (she was only that high when she appeared in the noontime show, remember?). The show has always been there for me. My loyalty will always be there.”

Speaking of Wowowee, what does Aiza think of host Willie Revillame’s sudden outburst when ABS-CBN inserted a footage of the late Pres. Cory Aquino’s funeral?

“I get his point,” replies Aiza. “But the way he did it was wrong. The issue about Tita Cory is a sensitive one.”

Aiza shifts to neutral gear when asked about Joey de Leon’s tirades against Willie.

“That’s Joey. He’s very vocal,” she observes.

Aiza herself added her personal touch at the beloved president’s wake where she sang the stirring Ugoy ng Duyan. National artist Levi Celerio’s soothing lullaby was Aiza’s take on President Cory’s life.

“She was a leader and a mom,” Aiza explains. “It’s so hard to be both at the same time.”

This is also why a touched Aiza wrote Lullaby as a birthday gift to Kris Aquino.

“I saw how Kris is as a mom to Baby James. Thus, the song, which I rendered when Kris marked her birthday in Boy & Kris,” explains Aiza.

Expect her to sing more songs in the next several weeks, not just because she’s pushing a new album, but also because “I miss singing.”

Her guest stint in ABS-CBN’s now-defunct Ysabella made her push singing aside in favor of acting for a while. Now, she’s back to her first love. And Aiza is bent on making up for lost time.

“Acting is not my priority these days,” she reveals.

In fact, she’s raring to release a yet-to-be-titled album in Singapore, where her songs have been a hit, infecting music lovers in neighboring countries like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Indonesia.

It’s about time you stayed put, Aiza, now that you’re finally back in the music scene. This much, you owe yourself.