Sarah Geronimo: hining Brighter and Brighter!


By WALDEN SADIRI


With the news of her afternoon soap opera “Sarah, The Teen Princess” coming to an end, rumors soon surfaced that Sarah Geronimo’s popularity was dimming and THAT was the reason they are ending the show. But the truth is far from the rumors circulating as explained by Sarah’s talent manager and close friend of Vic del Rosario (direct manager of Sarah Geronimo) June Rufino.


According to her, Sarah Geronimo’s drama show was slated in an afternoon spot as an experiment and it performed beyond their expectations since it was the most popular in that timeslot. Also as promised, the show had two seasons. Now, offers have been coming in for Sarah for a new show.

But this time around it won’t be for an afternoon timeslot because the “Pop Star” might soon be the newest “Primetime Star” once Mr. Del Rosario decides on the right project for her which is said to be for primetime.

The popularity issue is immaterial to Sarah as she explained during a casual lunch with the press last Wednesday to share her “Night of the Champions” US concert tour experience.

“There is pressure when people compare you to other singers,” explained Sarah about new singers and now her contemporaries like Rachel Ann Go. “But it was never my mentality to worry if they surpass my career or not. What I want to happen is for them to make it too like what happened to me.”

A good gauge of Sarah Geronimo’s popularity was the “Night of the Champions” shows in New York, Chicago and San Francisco wherein Filipinos in said States recognized her as well as her colleagues Mark Bautista and Rachel Ann Go wherever they went. She personally felt like a very big star as her “kababayans” flock to the restaurants they go to and places they promoted their concert.

In the concert, she even had several standing ovations. They were amazed for her rendition of “To Love You More,” her Celine Dion medley and Regine Velasquez medley. A first timer in America, she was overwhelmed by the warmth and hospitality of her “kababayans.” More importantly, she worked her charming innocence to the delight of her audience. In one instance, when the crowd yelled that she could just stay with them and never come back to the Philippines, she wittingly smiled and replied how could she do that when she declared with immigration that she was coming back to the Philippines. Her remark made everyone laugh. Also, the venues they performed in were always packed and she was more than satisfied knowing she made them happy.

Sarah is thankful to ABS-CBN for giving her show “Sarah, The Teen Princess” because it introduced her to the Filipinos living in US. She stressed that that contributed to her successful concert there. She also acknowledged VIVA’s big boss, Vic del Rosario, for her success saying that without him, she would not have reached her goals as an artist.

The singer’s efforts in showbiz didn’t go unnoticed too as she was bestowed honors by different award-giving bodies in the country. She was the recipient of the Most Promising Female Artist in “Aliw Awards” and was the Best New Female Recording Artist for “Forever’s Not Enough” and the Best Dance Song for “Sa Iyo” from the 17th Awit Awards.

Next for Sarah Geronimo is her upcoming album under VIVA Records which is in its finishing touches already. The album called “Princessa ng Buhay Ko” also has an Ogie Alcasid song composed especially for Sarah. The music video of her second album’s carrier single entitled “How Could You Say You Love Me” was shot in the US by director Timmy Jimenez. Her debut album already reached quadruple platinum status.

Also in the works for her is “Lastikman” wherein she plays the love interest of Mark Bautista who happens to be Lastikman. She joins other seasoned actors in “Lastikman” like Cherie Gil, John Estrada, Danilo Barrios, Elizabeth Oropesa, Tuesday Vargas and cameo appearances by Senator Bong Revilla as Captain Barbel, Anne Curtis as Dyesebel and Joel Torre as Lastikman’s father.

(Sarah’s popularity too has won her endorsing jobs for fast food chain Jollibee and Charmee.)

Her schedule of shows for next year is also starting to fill up as early as now. She will return to the US again for a repeat peformance in “Return of the Champions” in May; she will also be part of the Lunar Parade on Feb. 12 in Los Angeles, On Jan. 22 and 29, she will be in Guam and Hawaii respectively for another tour of “Night of the Champions.” But this Nov. 19, she will have another concert with fellow champion singers in “Pinoy Idol.”

In such a short span of time, Sarah has proven to everyone that she is not all about hype but of talent. Her manager Boss Vic del Rosario describes her as having a certain kind of magic that captivates her audience. Only 16 years old, she definitely have more things to offer as her musicality matures in the business. Some who have seen her perform can’t even help but compare her to “American Idol’s” Jasmine Trias who visited the country recently.

When asked about how she feels when people say that she is better than Jasmine Trias, she simply replied, “Ewan ko po. I saw her in ‘American Idol” and napahanga niya ako kasi lahat po ng songs na ibinibigay sa kanya pumapasa siya.”

On the lighter side, her recent trip to the US proved to be a memorable experience for the young lass. As a bonus, Boss Vic treated her and her family to a Celine Dion concert while in America. She admitted that she was really mesmerized by her idol.

“Napanganga na lang ako,” she described.

She also finally saw Disneyland and the first character she looked for was Mickey Mouse. She enjoyed four rides which included Indiana Jones. According to her, they weren’t allowed to board scream-rides since they might lose their voices in the process and they still had shows scheduled. She was also flattered with the gifts she received from her Filipino fans. She and her colleagues received “balikbayan boxes” filled with assorted goodies.

With all her successes so far, does she still have a Christmas wish?

“Well, I hope my family will be complete this Christmas and I hope I won’t be working on that day,” she smiled. “But I don’t mind if we spend Christmas in the States para makakita ako ng snow!”