Whatever happened to RJ dela Fuente?
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RJ, now a VAA talent, just decided to lie low and wait for new opportunities. He also used that time to learn more about his craft and himself as well.
The last time people heard from RJ dela Fuente, he was standing on the stage of Resorts World’s Newport Performing Arts Theater, after his elimination from the first season of The Voice of the Philippines. After thanking his coach Lea Salonga and congratulating those left standing, RJ practically disappeared from the local showbiz scene.
Everyone thought RJ had given up on establishing a career in the Philippines and returned home to Rancho Cucamonga, California. But he didn’t. He just decided to lie low and wait for new opportunities. He also used that time to learn more about his craft and himself as well.
“That ‘silent’ time was good for me,” RJ shares. “I was learning a lot about the industry and about me as a performer. I started working on what I realized I needed to work on in order to be better. I focused more and practiced more. But I think the three most important things I learned during that time were to be patient, stay true to myself and always do my best in everything I do.”
?RJ took that last one to heart most of all. So when an opportunity to audition for Vic del Rosario of the Viva Artists Agency (VAA) came along, RJ really laid everything on the line.
“I know that Viva is a one-stop shop. They can do everything. So I thought, ‘Well this is a good opportunity and it might open more doors for me, career-wise.’ So Tita Angeli Valenciano and I went to see Boss Vic. I was so nervous about meeting Boss Vic because he’s a powerhouse in the industry.”
RJ admits that his nerves threatened to overwhelm him when he was waiting for his turn to sing for VAA’s main man. He almost backed out. But when he reminded himself that this audition could change the course of his career, he managed to pull himself together long enough to go through with it. Luckily, it went very well.
“I sang South Border’s Kahit Kailan and Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s Love Never Felt So Good. Boss Vic was nodding his head and smiling while I was singing. It’s hard when you’re singing and the person in front of you is poker-faced because you don’t know what they’re thinking. But Boss Vic was responsive, so I got kilig,” RJ laughs.
RJ auditioned for VAA alongside two other singers from Genesis — Kat Velarde and Monique Lualhati (who had also tried her luck on The Voice of the Philippines like RJ, but on a different season). As RJ tells it, Boss Vic liked what he heard from them so much that he gave them all contracts on the spot.
“I’m still with Genesis, though — they’re co-managing me with Viva.”
With both Genesis and Viva backing him, RJ will definitely have an easier time making a name for himself now. At the moment, he’s gigging around the metro while prepping his debut album.
“Right now, the first priority is recording. We’re going to work on my album first. We’re just getting the songs ready — the collaborations and everything. People heard me sing different styles on The Voice of the Philippines. But since I started singing in church, I have an experience singing gospel, R&B and soul, so those are really the genres I’m leaning towards.”
RJ says that although English is his first language, there will be some Tagalog songs on the album.
“I grew up hearing my parents speak Tagalog, and we also had The Filipino Channel at home, so I picked up the language as well. So yes, a Tagalog song is a possibility.”
— With reports from Almed Garcia and Julian Mauricio
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