Odette Quesada, walang planong iwan ang trabaho sa Amerika

May regular job pa rin si Odette Quesada sa States at sa tuwing bumabalik siya ng Pilipinas para mag-concert, nakabakasyon lang siya.

Sa Human Resources department ng isang private company sa Amerika siya nagtatrabaho na wala siyang balak layasan.

Nasa Amerika ang kanyang ina at anak na kailangan daw niyang bantayan kaya mas pinili niyang magpabalik-balik na lang sa bansa tuwing may concert.

Kasalukuyan siyang nasa Pilipinas para sa kanilang Valentine concert ni Ogie Alcasid na pinamagatang Love Q & A on Feb. 14 and 15 sa Newport Performing Arts Theatre pero ang kanilang Cebu concert sa Nustar Convention Center ay mas mauuna – sa Feb. 13.

“I came back for the first time for a homecoming birthday concert in 2020, right before the pandemic. We had a smaller venue way back then, so that’s like less than 600, and then we did two nights. And then I was supposed to come back in March to do a repeat, kaya lang nag-pandemic nga, and then we put that aside until the pandemic kind of faded in the background.

“And then, sabi nila, we’ll do it in Resorts World. Sabi ko, that’s too big. No, I thought for myself, you know. I mean, I’m not delusional, so hindi ko rin akalain na that we’d sell out very quickly, and then all of a sudden we had to do another couple of nights. I had to come back in November. Like I mentioned before, I have a day job, so I have to go back to the States again, file my leave of absence again, and come back again, which I also did for this one,” pag-amin ni Ms. Odette na ang dami talagang pinasikat na kanta.

Actually, gulat si Ms. Odette na hanggang nga­yon, relate na relate pa rin ang karamihan sa mga pinasikat niyang kanta.

Inamin din ni Ms. Odette na ang Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez ang may idea na magsama sila ni Ogie sa concert.

“I went to watch Iconic (concert nina Sharon Cuneta and Regine) in San Jose, California and then she (Regine) came up to me, ‘I want you and Ogie to do a concert together and I already have a perfect title for it.’ She said, ‘Q &A.’

“Sabi ko, ‘are you sure?’ Kasi ‘Q’ will be ako mas unang name,’” pag-alala ni Odette sa short chikahan kahapon habang may jetlag pa raw siya.

At ito na nga ‘yun.

Ayon sa mister ni Regine, kabilang sa mga na­ging theme song niya ang mga kantang Till I Met You, A Friend of Mine, Farewell, A Long, Long Time Ago, and Don’t Know What To Do ni Ms. Odette.

Kahapon ay todohan ang kanilang rehearsal at nung nag-break lang kami nakasingit ng interview.