Jamie opens up

MANILA, Philippines - If Jamie Rivera has managed to keep her private life, well, private, it’s because her non-showbiz husband is fine with being the wind beneath her wings. “JB and I complement each other.  (Being a businessman), he’s into making money grow while I, the artist, don’t think much about it,” says Jamie.

Jamie’s concern is to express herself in song. She, nevertheless, admits her art is not as lucrative as it used to be, back in the ‘80s when she sang the hit Hey It’s Me.

“My husband is a good provider. It works for me because to be honest, my work is not that lucrative anymore,” Jamie says. “Younger artists are everywhere. Besides, it’s hard to sell CDs these days. The recording industry is down. Everything is digitally downloadable and being pirated.”

Her husband, therefore, is a blessing. More than that, Jamie thinks “he is an instrument for me to be able to do the task the Lord gave me.”

That task — inspiring others through song — may be as noble as can be. But like all things, it needs money to get off the ground and going.

“Most of my shows are free. Walang bayad yung church tours. I sing in Masses for free. The only benefit I get is selling my CDs.”

But sometimes, Jamie reveals, that the CD sales are not enough to cover her expenses. But you won’t hear Jamie utter a word of complaint. The rewards far outweigh the cost of lending a helping hand.

“I don’t mind if we can’t sell CDs,” she explains. “This is our offering to God. Many people look forward to attending Mass, especially when they know I will render a song. That’s a good way of promoting faith. Who knows, someone out there may now want to hear Mass more often because of what I did?”

In recent years, Jamie, who is under Genesis Talent Management, has made a name for herself as an inspirational singer. “I think I’ve created a niche in the inspirational song market,” the singer of Tell the World of His Love, Jubilee Song and Sa ‘Yo Lamang observes.

With the children of SOS Village of which she is an advocate.

Nevertheless, inspirational music could mean courting career disaster. Jamie herself admits the market is limited. Why would she risk her career for it? Jamie thinks it’s because “God gave me this career because He wants me to give it back to Him.”   

Still, Jamie admits to losing heart sometimes when criticized for her music. One particular remark that hurt Jamie came from an anonymous e-mail. The sender questioned Jamie’s Christian songs: Why would she sing those songs when Jamie is a Catholic? Jamie was stung. But instead of answering the e-mail, she did more Christian shows because she believes that her songs are for everybody, regardless of religious beliefs.

She also can’t escape from other things, like physical pain. Jamie admits she lost that precious voice of hers for three straight months. She underwent speech therapy, took lots of steroids, anti-histamine medicine and antibiotics to treat it. The chemical overload led to a Dry Mouth disorder. Jamie returned to her doctor for another battery of tests that checked her thyroid and blood composition.

“Now, I have to take the right toothpaste, gum and spray. I must also drink a lot of water,” reveals Jamie. “I believe God has a reason for everything. Pinapasa-Diyos ko na lang ito.  Maybe He’s telling me I should rest, take it easy, do something not related to singing and speaking.”

Yes, Jamie is into other things besides singing. Jamie is currently an SOS children’s village advocate.

Her heart bleeds when she sees street kids begging for alms. “I don’t understand why government can’t abolish syndicates who prey on these children up to now. Children deserve to be loved, be given the right education and to have loving and decent homes. They deserve to be raised the proper way. They’re our future.”

Working for an NGO appeals to her so she could help push her projects especially those that could help children with cerebral palsy and Down’s Syndrome, which she knows too well because her own brother has it.

Jamie has also produced songs for fellow artists like Erik Santos, Chin Chin Gutierrez and Fatima Soriano. “God always has a positive answer for every negative thing you can think of,” Jamie explains.

Who knows, she could end up writing inspirational articles the way her idol, Bo Sanchez does? “I’m fond of writing and I want to go into it.” Her other idol is charismatic preacher Joyce Meyer.

In her free time, how does she entertain herself? She watches her favorite actors like Vilma Santos and Eugene Domingo and listens to other singers she admires like Taylor Swift.

Her joys are simple; her sources of pleasure, few.

“My husband and my daughter are my life,” she admits. “In the morning, I ask the Lord to take care of them, my family and my friends. At night, I thank God for protecting them.”