Kuh Ledesma to showcase OPM’s timeless beauty

Be it in an intimate or huge venue, any musical presentation from Kuh Ledesma is always anchored on a solid theme that her audience can enjoy and relate to.

Her show this Saturday, Sept. 23, is titled I Love OPM. The acronym OPM, for the younger generation’s sake, stands for Original Pilipino Music, which reflects local artists’ diverse music styles and thoughts about life and love.

One might say that such a music production movement started in the ‘70s, further manifested its popularity in the ‘80s and ‘90s and continues to evolve to this day with the emergence of P-pop.

Kuh knows the music genre like the back of her hand, given her body of work as a singer and recording artist. Besides, she is the country’s Pop Diva and an OPM icon.

Reminding all and sundry about the timeless beauty and relevance of OPM, a collective product of Filipino composers, interpreters, lyricists, musicians, producers and other attendant creatives, Kuh will sing her hits and well-loved Juan and Juana dela Cruz songs, either written in Filipino or English, that have withstood the test of time and trends.

At the Hacienda Isabella, Kuh will also be joined by balladeer Marco Sison; singer-musician Maegan Aguilar, daughter of another OPM icon Freddie Aguilar; and singer-songwriter visual artist Isabella Gonzalez, daughter of the main headliner. They all come together for a night of good music and engaging entertainment.

Kuh, Marco, Maegan and Isabella also remind everyone why the public loves OPM. The repertoire encompasses iconic classics and contemporary gems, according to the information given to this paper.

“This is the fifth time,” said Kuh of her headlining a concert at the hacienda in a brief virtual interview with The STAR. The series of shows began with the pre-Valentine presentation, Hello Love, which was followed by the birthday show, KuhL Getaway Party, and a Mother’s Day concert, Songs for a Mother’s Heart. It was also the venue for Isabella’s concert, Isabella, Pls! A FUNtastic Getaway with Kuh as a director-guest artist.

“In my pre-birthday show, we sang all my hits and OPM songs and people loved them,” recalled she, who is the voice behind tunes such as Ako Ay Pilipino, Dito Ba?, I Think I’m in Love and Till I Met You. “Sabi ko, ‘Hay naku, ulitin natin’ (I told my team, ‘Let’s have a repeat’).” And everybody was simply on board, thus I Love OPM came about.

Concert-goers have a choice to watch the two-hour show at 8 p.m. and have dinner at 6 p.m. prior to it or witness the presentation and stay overnight.

Originally, I Love OPM was planned and penciled for the month of August, known as Buwan ng Wika or National Language Month. Since it usually rains in the eighth month of the year and Hacienda Isabella’s open garden is the venue, Kuh and her team decided to move the show this month.

Again, aside from daughter Isabella, she has Marco and Maegan as guest artists.

“I was a guest in his show and I invited him to guest in my show at Hacienda,” shared Kuh, “para meron akong ka-dueto (So, I could have a partner for the duet segment), and we can sing a love song that is original and Filipino composed. And then, he can perform his Si Aida, Si Lorna O Si Fe.” The balladeer is also associated with easy-listening tunes like My Love Will See You Through and I’ll Face Tomorrow.

With Maegan, she will be given a chance to showcase her musicality in I Love OPM. She will perform her popular songs, said Kuh, who will share the concert stage with Maegan for the first time. Given their music genres, one can expect a good mix of ballads and pop rock, plus big band jazz standards courtesy of Isabella.

Maegan is also expected to sing her recent composition Ama, perhaps an answer or a complementary ditty to her dad’s signature song, Anak.

“(It) is a new song that she composed, it’s a very nice song. I guess it’s dedicated to her father,” said Kuh.

Maegan’s appearance in I Love OPM symbolizes that she has surpassed the recent challenges in her personal life.

“She’s serious and wanting, you know, to really get back in her faith,” said Kuh, who supports Meagan in this endeavor of the latter being in a sanctuary and allowing her do activities like attending Bible studies and keeping herself fit.

Aside from I Love OPM, Kuh will headline a show on Oct. 8 in Los Angeles and 3 Divas (with Concert Queen Pops Fernandez and Queen of Soul Jaya) on Oct. 15 at Yaamava Resort & Casino in California. Her team has been receiving inquiries about her upcoming shows because the “ber” months have officially commenced.

For her ministry, Kuh will grace a show with 200 attendees for a company’s anniversary.

“The owner saw me sharing, you know, my faith, part of my testimony. Nagustuhan niya. Because of that, during the anniversary, he wants me to also share. I’m very happy about that,” said she, a Christian who is always ready to share the Good News and testimonies about love, marriage and life. These individuals include visitors of Hacienda Isabella.

“Kapag pumapayag sila (if they say yes and then) I really make it a point to share the Gospel,” said she, who might tell her personal, professional and Christian lives in a book someday.

However, for this weekend, Kuh takes the centerstage to sing OPM and showcase its timeless beauty. Who knows? She might also perform Nakaraang Pasko, the carrier track from her first Christmas album, to signal the start of Pinoy Yuletide season.

For details, please call 0960-8850288 or 0920-2868895.