When musician and worship leader Victor Christian “Yan” Asuncion went to the PETA Theater Center for the press night of Ako Si Josephine (a musical featuring the songs of Yeng Constantino), he thoroughly enjoyed himself. Not only because the show itself was good, but also because it made him very proud of his wife.
“I can’t measure how proud I am of my wife, Yeng,” he says. “While I was watching the musical, my eyes welled up with tears when the cast sang Ikaw, and when they did a bunch of songs Yeng composed but never got to release as singles, like Messiah, Sandata and Teleserye. I felt so happy, because I’m part of her life. Seeing her art come to life onstage, is surreal. I am proud that she’s my wife.”
?Yan got all choked up when the cast of Ako Si Josephine — including theater actors Joaquin Pedro Valdes and Via Antonio, who play the leads Chinito and Josephine, respectively — sang Ikaw. Yeng wrote it for him, and it went on to become one of her biggest hits.
?Yan believes Yeng’s strength as a songwriter is that all her songs come from deep inside her heart and from a place of truth as well. He says Yeng writes about real feelings and real people, which makes her compositions very relatable.
“As a songwriter, she knows the feelings of her listeners and her lyrics are authentic. She knows how to capture the heart of a person who loves, whether that love is for a family member, a friend or a significant other, and Yeng can put that feeling into a song effortlessly.”
?Yan and Yeng are truly perfect for each other. They are both very strong Christians, and they both sing and write songs. During his college days at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Yan spent most of his free time honing his skills as the frontman of the alternative rock band Indios. To other people, Yan’s marriage to Yeng is one of equals in many ways — including the fact that they’re both good at what they do.
But Yan believes Yeng is so much better than he is. “She can write Filipino and English songs with ease. I write more in English thus, she has to guide me when it comes to OPM. I’ve been influenced by English and Western music. I am so boxed in with that kind (of music) and Yeng is not. As a musician, I’m very much an introvert. But she really knows how to pierce people’s hearts and minds. When we collaborate, I learn so much from her.”
?Yan said that he is content to stay in the background and let Yeng shine. “I make music because I like it, not necessarily because I want to release it. I’m an introverted musician. Yeng is an extrovert in the sense that her art is palabas (performing). She wants to entertain. Me, I’m happy just writing. All I want is to express myself through music.” — With reports from Almed Garcia and Julian Mauricio