Jason’s soulful brand of R&B

MANILA, Philippines - What do upcoming singers like Michael Pangilinan and Jason Hernandez have in common?

Answer: Their carrier singles are love ballads composed by ace composer Vehnee Saturno. Bakit Ikaw for Michael (the music video of which opens the nightly show Mismo of Jobert Sucaldito on DZMM) and Bukod Tangi for Jason.

We recently had a chat with Jason at the Viva Office and learned that both his parents are Filipinos who sought greener pastures (and succeeded) in Sydney, Australia.

With his older and only brother as his inspiration, Jason started singing when he was just a kid.

His frequent visits to the Philippines with his mom introduced Jason to OPM songs. One of the songs he first learned to love is Harana from Parokya ni Edgar.

To nurture his interest and talent, Jason eventually joined vocal competitions, starting with the ones held in his school. “I would sing Michael Jackson’s We Are the World and Overjoyed by Stevie Wonder,” he related. “I also joined the reality TV show X Factor in Australia where the competition is really stiff. Hanggang first round lang po ang aking narating but it was an experience worth keeping.”

“I didn’t feel bad for not making it because that’s what competitions are made of. I simply told myself to do better the next time. I would never give up my dream of becoming a professional singer,” he added.

In pursuit of his dream, Jason took up a Diploma of Music at the Australian Institute for formal voice training.

The realization of his goal to become a recording artist began when his mom got in touch with Vehnee Saturno, a family friend. It led to a meeting with Vic del Rosario of Viva and the rest, as they say, is history.

His debut R&B album, Bukod Tangi, is composed of five selections from Saturno and five minus ones.

Jason recalls, “Everything happened so quickly and putting the album together wasn’t easy. When something’s not right, you want it to be right and perfect. As Mr. Saturno points out, there’s a lot of good singers here, you must not only be good, but you must be great. I’d like to think that I bring a new flavor to the R&B genre because I’m not technically all R&B. I’d like to think of myself as soul-infused.”

Among the five cuts, he considers Only For You as his favorite due to its message. “When you love somebody, they become your world. You surrender everything to the person you love. A second favorite is the title track, Bukod Tangi, a compelling love song perfect for a teleserye.”

The remaining cuts are Prinsesa, Kailan and Buksan.

Given the opportunity, Jason would like to collaborate with Jay-R whom he admires and Viva’s newest princess Anja Aguilar.

With his athletic built and rugged looks, Jason would love to try acting in a teleserye, too.

People in the music industry will have no problem welcoming Jason. He is easygoing, friendly and treats everyone with respect. With the romantic songs exclusively written for him by Saturno (who co-manages his career), there is no reason why Pinoy audience will not fall in love with Jason and his music.