This is an excerpt of this month’s cover stars Erik Santos, Yeng Constantino, KZ Tandingan and Moira Dela Torre and the people who keep their passion alive.
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Just like many of us turned to music during these difficult times, our Champion Singers turned to their significant others to lean on.
KZ starts to become emotional just thinking about her husband, fellow musician TJ Monterde.
“Ako po, um, akala ko mahal na mahal ko na si TJ kaya ko siya pinakasalan. Pero everyday pino-prove niya that I could love him more everyday.”
KZ Tandingan
“Ganito pala ‘yung feeling na—‘Ta mo, tinatanong niyo pa lang, naiiyak na ako, eh…”
KZ begins to cry.
“Grabe ‘yung fear ko nu’ng nag-pandemic. Tapos may mga work ako na hindi ko alam kung paano ko siya magagawa. Like recently, may gig ako tapos it was supposed to be on ground work with my band; full set. Tapos, um, nalaman namin na may nag-positive pala du’n sa band rehearsal. Tapos the following day, pina-swab test namin ulit. ‘Yun, negative siya, pero ayaw i-honor nu’ng client. Hino-honor lang nila ‘yung first result. They want me to still perform pero gusto nila gawin ko na lang sa bahay. Sobra ‘yung anxiety, ‘Bibitawan na lang ba natin ‘yung gig or gagawan natin ng paraan?’ Kasi dati, kung like before pandemic pa siguro ‘to, parang mas madali na, ‘Sige, bitawan na lang natin kasi baka hindi rin naman natin mabigay ‘yung quality ng performance na hinihingi nila.’ Kasi siyempre, they are paying you. Ibig sabihin nu’n they’re expecting what they paid for,” KZ shares.
“So, in-open up ko sa asawa ko. Sabi ko, ‘Bibitawan ko ba?’ Kasi hindi ko kaya. ‘Yung setup lang namin sa bahay was a setup for, like, ‘yung normal live streaming. So, imagine-in mo ‘yung pag-downsize nu’ng production. Ta’s sabi niya, ‘Hindi, ako bahala.'”
Among the three girls, Yeng has been married the longest. And when she begins to talk about how she leaned on her husband in these difficult times, she too, begins to cry.
“Magse-7 years na kami,” Yeng recalls of her relationship with her husband, musician and worship leader Yan Asuncion. “Alam mo, aminado ako may parte nu’ng relationship namin na naging discontented ako kasi cino-compare ko siya sa ibang lalaki na parang… Kasi sobrang bato ng asawa ko, eh. At times, ‘di siya sobrang sweet or showy. Ta’s parang itong nagpandemya…[begins crying] Nakakainis ka talaga, Gitri! Buti na lang ‘di ito live sa IG mo.…sobrang na-appreciate ko siya; na, ‘Lord, sobrang thank you na kahit maging against na ‘yung mundo sa ‘kin, pero ‘pag kasama ko ‘tong taong ‘to, okay ako.’ Sobrang bait, sobrang talagang… See, ‘yan talaga kasi nakakapagpaiyak sa ‘kin nang ganito, eh!”
“Siyempre, alam naman natin, parang si KZ ‘tsaka si Moi, ‘di ba nga ang laki-laki ng kinikita namin? Magpa-pastor asawa ko, ‘di ba? Kaya ko kayang magbreak ngayon (from her career) kasi he handled lahat nu’ng pinaghirapan ko and we have passive income because of that. Sobrang smart niya with money. He handles ‘yung finances namin. I never thought sa life ko na puwede akong… Ang hirap magsalita, eh! Na kakayanin kong mag-rest ng isang buong taon, wala akong work, na mabubuhay ako. Pero ‘yung feeling lang na ‘yun na parang sobrang grateful ako. Sobrang grateful ako na gan’on siyang klaseng person na napaka-responsible ta’s sobrang bait, walang reklamo, alam niyo ‘yun? Minsan tayo, sobrang pagod, sobrang moody dahil sa work natin, pero wala akong maririnig na complaint. Puwede na, eh; puwede ka nang mag-complain, puwede mo na akong pagalitan right now.
Pero never once, ‘di man lang nakapagtaas ng boses asawa ko sa ‘kin ever. Lagi siyang nasa end; na-i-a-understand ako na parang, ‘Sige, maybe you’re so tired.’”
Yeng Constantino
Moira’s love story with husband and bandmate Jason Marvin Hernandez is quite special because their relationship was tested almost immediately after they got married, even before the challenges of the pandemic came to them as a couple.
“So, I was in the hospital for three months, and that was a month after I got married. And so, our first year was the most chaotic year ever because that happened,” Moira shares. “We were friends for six years before we got together. Um, but yeah, after that, when the pandemic hit, that was the first time we got stuck in the States for six months. We were with my dad. But that was the first time we ever became housewife and househusband. Because for the first year of our marriage, half of it, we were in the hospital, half of it, we were on tour. So, we were never really home until the pandemic happened,” she narrates.
“And I learned about him that he’s so good with house chores, he’s clean, he cooks for me. I mean, ‘yung steak niya tapa, pero okay lang kasi it’s the thought that counts. And then it was also during the pandemic that his writing became so amazing. So, I got to rest, I got to really work on my mental health. But I said this on my birthday—one of the things I’m most thankful for him about is it’s so hard to take care of someone with lies in her head. Like, it’s so hard to take care of someone with depression, and then there are days na it’s also hard to be attracted to someone who has confidence issues. But there are days that I catch myself and we’d be in bed and then we’d spend the whole day together, and I would forget that I felt fat, that I was insecure about my skin, because he always looked at me as if I was at my best. And then I’d look in the mirror and I’d… But then he would always…
“I would always forget my insecurities when he looks at me…because tinatanggal niya ‘yung fears na ‘yun, nakakasulat na ulit ako,”
Moira Dela Torre
Moira adds how her husband Jason has helped her with her music during times when she would feel deep insecurities.
KZ, Yeng and Moira are not just blessed in their musical journeys, but also very much blessed in love. All three found husbands that are also musicians, some would say lesser stars than they are but all three would argue are better partners than them in life. That they got the better end of the marriage.
And ultimately, this is also what Erik wants for himself.
“Sumasagi lang siya sa utak ko. Pero kasi all throughout the pandemic, nandiyan naman ‘yung family ko, eh. So, parang kung ano man ‘yung kakulangan na ‘yun, napupuno ng pagmamahal nila sa akin. So, hindi ko siya masyadong naiisip,” Erik explains.
When I ask him if he, too, like the three, want to get married, he answers very clearly.
“Yes, of course! I want to. Actually, I have been praying for a beautiful wife and beautiful children. Pinagdadasal ko talaga ‘yun.”
Erik Santos
Um, hindi ko lang alam kung kailan. ‘Di naman ako nakikipag-date, wala rin naman akong dina-date, ‘di naman ako lumalabas, alam mo ‘yun? Pero ‘yung prayer ko, consistent. Consistent ‘yung prayer ko,” he confesses.
Read more about Erik Santos, Yeng Constantino, KZ Tandingan and Moira Dela Torre’s life away from the stage in MEGA Entertainment’s September 2021 issue available in Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.
Photography DOOKIE DUCAY
Creative direction JANN PASCUA
Art direction NICOLE ALMERO
Beauty Direction TRINA EPILEPSIA BOUTAIN
Makeup NIKI MEDINA (for Moira), JAKE GALVEZ (for Erik and KZ), LEI PONCE (for Yeng)
Hair MJ RONE (for Moira), MYKE ARCANO (for Erik and KZ), DANA NALOG (for Yeng)
Styling ICA VILLANUEVA (for Moira and Yeng), MYRRH LAO TO (for Moira and Yeng)
Production Design TIPPING POINT COLLECTIVE
Shoot Coordination ERICA LUNA and LOUIS ESGUERRA
Special thanks to ERICKSON RAYMUNDO, JEFF VADILLO, CARESS CABALLERO, CYNTHIA ROQUE, MAC MERLA, PHER MOYA, JEN VALENCIA, BETINA MEDINA, CJ CABUNGCAL, LIZ ALVAREZ
