Kuh Ledesma shares stage with daughter Isabella in pre-Valentine show

Pop Diva and Original Pilipino Music (OPM) icon, Kuh Ledesma, is cooking up a musical treat for everyone come Feb. 11. The pre-Valentine show is dubbed Hello Love, a Valentine Getaway. Music enthusiasts can only expect a special presentation or a show like no other given Kuh’s artistry.

As the title of the show suggests, the venue is a breather from the usual concert place or music hall. Kuh has found the perfect place in Hacienda Isabella.

“This is probably our fourth or fifth time to do a concert at Hacienda,” recalled Kuh in a brief phone chat with The STAR. “Two years or three years ago, we had a Christmas concert, Sama-Sama sa Pasko there, just before the lockdown.”

To give one an idea about the concert venue, her team has sent this piece of information saying that “(it is) nestled near Tagaytay City… away from the hustle-bustle of urban life.” It’s a place where visitors can while away or smell the roses as they “feel the love amid the cool breeze brought about by the ridges and forests of the scenic mountains.” It adds that as guests enjoy and partake the scrumptious dinner buffet “spread out in an open air garden setting,” Kuh and her daughter Isabella take the center stage and provide the entertainment.

“Alam mo naman kung ano yung kakulangan ko na pag-ka-hyper, yan ang daughter ko, very alive (You know what I lack of, my daughter is hyper and very alive),” shared Kuh on the experience of performing with Isabella on the same stage and the latter’s musical preference by saying, “She loves jazz songs na love songs.”

Since Hello Love is a mother-and-daughter show, one will get a glimpse of the songs they have in common. “One of the songs that we love to sing together is Celine Dion’s Because You Loved Me… For all those times you stood by me, at gustong-gusto yan ng mga tao (people simply adore it) and we love that song, di ba parang kinakanta mo rin sa Diyos (it’s like you’re singing it as a prayer to God).”

Aside from the heartwarming tunes, Kuh said that she and Isabella will also sing fast songs “because we don’t want our audience to fall asleep, but we sing mga melodious love songs, hindi naman masyadong mabagal. We like singing those kind of songs kasi romantic. I’m gonna be doing some standards and then, some of my hits. Isabella will also be singing some standards, yun ang mga preferences namin and I guess people like that from us.”

Speaking of her hits, Kuh’s I Think I’m in Love and Till I Met You will definitely be a part of the repertoire, as one may guess. What the audiences can hear and watch is a product of Kuh and Isabella’s collaboration. They will also do some duets.

“We don’t sing songs na parang we feel we do not really live out the lyrics, you know what I mean. Gusto namin we are inspired by what they (songwriters) write, how they (artists) sing (them), yung ganun (you know those things),” shared Kuh.

What distinguishes the upcoming mother-and-daughter concert from similar musical presentations, according to Kuh’s team, is it happens in what one may call during the love month and it also celebrates other forms of love, besides the romantic love one associates it to. Through the songs, Kuh and Isabella will share varied points of view about life and love.

Although the artist can adapt to the virtual and online platforms of performing, which are common in the pandemic times, Kuh enjoys and looks forward to an in-person or onsite concert.

“Siyempre, you learn what they really like to hear. You also develop your singing, your talent kapag merong iba ang reaction kasi,” she said. “Alam mo if you did the song well, makukuha mo yung reaksyon ng tao. Ako I love singing live more than, sa totoo lang, recording.”

Asked what keeps Isabella, the singer-songwriter, busy these days, the information given to this paper says she is involved in the worship services at the Hacienda Isabella on Sundays, occasionally. Isabella is also into painting and helping publish a booklet of prayers titled Pray Away with Rita Marie Abiog as writer.

During the interview, Kuh also shared some of her and daughter’s future musical endeavors. “We’re doing a song together perhaps after this show. Mag-duet (We’ll do a duet) you know. Isabella is also going to do a song from Vehnee Saturno.” By the way, Vehnee is a known Filipino songwriter and composer.

For now, Kuh and Isabella are in the thick of things, preparing for the pre-Valentine show, in which guests have a choice to have dinner and watch the show (for P2,000) or an option to spend a weekend at Hacienda Isabella after the musical presentation. The show commences at 8 p.m., but dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m.

(For details, call 63920-2868895 or 63917-8139065.)