RICHARD POON - "FOR YOU"

Another sleek and standing tall jewel of the OPM industry is Richard Poon. At first glance you'll be tempted to have an impression that he's a sort of Chinese or something.

Actually you're right!

Richard was born and reared in Makati City, Philippines. Nonetheless, his mother is a Taiwanese and a singing super star out there. His father is from Singapore.

Richard's father is a chef, perhaps giving him a hand in his cooking and in his Mr. Poon Restaurant chain. Besides, his father is also a basketball sensation in Hongkong.

We've got him fresh and good-looking for a grill of pictorial and interview sessions. Together with him are musical hunks of the same industry, Jed Madela and Jay-R.

“Fresh Old-School” beat the perennial question “What kind of music you have?” He has picks from golden voices of the golden oldies, like Frank Senitra, Matt Monro, Tony Bennett and so on. Nevertheless, listeners and fans never did mind from what corners of the world and to whom did he covered his hits. What is apt to them is his crystalline voice rapturing them every time he sings with them.

Richard's creativity and giftedness dangles a bit. Perhaps, unknown to few, he himself arranges his songs. His tandem with his pianist Osen Fernando, made it to some whole new cover set for some foreign mainstreams like “Complicated” by Avril Lavigne, “My All” by Mariah Carey, “Beautiful Girl” by Sean Kingston, “Umbrella” by Rihanna and many more. His four-piece band tosses him to a new level of gigging sensation.

His newly hewed image never alienated him for few nominations of some grand award-giving bodies such as AWIT Awards paralleled with Gary V., Jose Marie Chan and Martin Nievera. Further, he is nominated as Best New Male Artist and Best Male Hotel and Lounge Performer at the ALIW Awards 2008.

Miss Earth International 2007 marks another cache of fame and respect for Richard Poon, when among the arrays of balladeers; he was the one chosen to do a serenade among the final 8 contestants left at the UP Film Theater.

Richard is a Business Management graduate and he doesn't even have formal conservatory or music lesson tutorial yet made to the top like a pro. Right now he is at the roof of the two recording craddles MCA Records and Cornerstone Music. While he is doing some recordings, off the record he's a culinary practitioner and cooks at his little Mr. Poon Restaurant. He’s doing some Oriental food specialties.

At this point, we put onboard our record of Pinoy Song Magazines to posit from him his musical perspective. Richard introduces himself, “I'm hundred percent Chinese. People still make a wrong impression na I'm Korean. My dad is from Singapore and my mom is from Taiwan pero dito ako pinanganak kaya I speak very very well in tagalog. I speak Tagalog, English and Chinese.”

Richard has a back-up band that must have tempted him to go solo beforehand, but somebody else changed his mind, “ayaw ko but somebody changed my mind, my manager, Ericson Raymundo. He is a good friend. He sees things other people don't see ahead of time.”

He was hit by some few influences in the music industry, nevertheless, he was a guy of creativity independence; making something new out of them. “Everything in between pinapakinggan ko from Classical to rock. Feeling ko na-shape ako as a composer na wala akong borders. Sa second album, 'yung “Complicated” ni Avril Lavigne na rock ginawa kong standard. In the next album, you can see me fusing rock to standard, rap to standards. Gusto ko standard music pero may nagra-rap sa gitna. P'wedeng bossa nova and standard, p'wedeng acoustic standard, p'wede ring pop kasama ang standards and classical at standard.”

Never been into school of music never left him handicap even not knowing how to read notes. His natural talents supplement them with his band. He said, “actually contrary on what people think, I've never had any formal schooling in music. I cannot read notes. Self-taught s'ya lahat. Pinapakinggan ko lang. I do adjustments with my band na kinuk'wento ko lang. Mas maganda kapag pinapakinggan mo kasi when you read notes, nawawala 'yung creativity.”

Richard might not have made to recording his tune, and consequently, not made it to our record if he did listened to his family discouraging him a bit about music, but he did prove them that it's quite different here, and changed their minds. “On the contrary, there was unspoken words na h'wag kang pumasok sa music. Sa Chinese family, they would not want you to go into music kasi they feel na it's unstable which is very true. It's a very financially unstable world. So spoken and unspoken ayaw ng family ko ng music especially my dad. Pero ngayon iba na ang point of view nila especially when they saw me on TV and I achieved success.”

As a newbie in this so called industry, Richard has never travelled well. However, with the help the of one of the nations media giant, he made it to some point in Europe as well as Asia. He continued, “I've never been well traveled. But, because of this genre the ABS-CBN Global 'yung TFC na tinatawag napadala ako last year sa Sydney, Australia to perform sa isang stadium na napakalaki na ang audience ko puro Pilipino tapos this year lang sa Japan naman puro Pilipino din sa isang malaking auditorium. So there are a lot of inquiries sa Dubai, sa Europe and inquiries to go back to Japan again by September. Because of this job, I was brought to the places I’ve never been to before. Traveling is one of the coolest things about this job.”

Outside the fold of music, Richard will be caught chopping celeries on boards and stewing Chinese cousins. He would play basketball, during slack time, but now it's quite different, he burns few of those free times for walking extra miles for some other local artists. “Ngayon it's more of composing songs during my free time kasi I write songs for other artists. I've written a song in Piolo Pascual's 'Timeless' album; I composed a song for Gerard and Kim Chiu sa 'My Girl' OST; I've composed a song for Charlie Green and ewan ko lang kung gagamitin ni Yeng 'yung song na kinompose ko sa papalabas na album n'ya.”

He is not only gathering fans and fame, he's actually getting famous individual to his artistry. His collaboration and forthcoming connections with some OPM bigwigs shall hail him to a right of his own in the industry. He thought, “for now this year na standards pa rin ako na medyo generic. This year, there are talks na magkakaroon kami ng concert ni Regine sa Music Museum. There's going to be negotiations between me and Jose Mari Chan kasi nga raw ako ang bagong Jose Mari Chan. In the future, I would like to collaborate with Christian Bautista kasi siya ang Josh Groban ng Pilipinas. Other people that I'd like to work within the next albums pa kasi I wanna be risky standards t'saka rock with Yeng, standards with bossa nova I'll get Sitti, standards and rap I'll get Billy Joe Crawford and standards with R'n'B, I can get Jay-R. With the younger generations I would like to collaborate with Sarah Geronimo. Si Sarah kasi she can sing anything. Feeling ko, it's a challenge for her kasi it's a new thing for her. T'saka kapag sinabing Sarah Geronimo tatanggapin 'yan ng masa talaga.”

I'll Take Care Of You take him, and he takes it to for himself – to associate it with himself. “Siguro sa akin, 'I'll Take Care of You' kasi d'un ako nakilala 'yun ang most popular song ko. Anywhere I sing that song umpisa pa lang pumapalakpak na ang mga tao. 'Yun 'yung na-connect sa akin. 'Yun ang brand ko.”

Before we will unload further inquiries for him to entertain we do have the guts to ask him how he should react to those raking his musical prowess to nothing in return. “50-50. I agree na mali ang piracy. Dapat itigil 'yan kasi mali 'yan pero sa totoo lang the surrounding is changing the time is changing nowadays everybody is going to the internet dito talagang dina-download siya for free eh sa States nagbabayad talaga ang mga tao. For me, if you are staying in the Philippines, you have to be brutally honest on what's happening. For me, piracy is really bad but learns to accept na if piracy will work for you in terms of you'll be known to other people it will help you in a way to be known.”



ALBUM TALKS

How do you prepare for this solo effort?
I get a lot of sleep muna. A lot of vocal exercises every day. Studying the songs. I have to understand kung ano ang emotions nung songs.

How easy or difficult it was to do your album solo record compared to when you were in a band?
Everything may pros and cons. I think easier ngayon kasi mag-isa lang ako. I have the freedom to dictate kung ano 'yung gusto kong sound. I arrange and compose songs so metikuloso ako pagdating sa music. When you're in a band equal footing kayo e. S'yempre pagbibigyan mo kung ano 'yung gusto n'ung iba. Music is relative. What is nice to somebody might not be nice to me. Being in a band is good din kasi you'll learn to compromise but now I'm solo artist, one of the major advantages is you control yourself. You have the power to really decide on what you want. Lahat ikaw na. You have bigger responsibility na kapag nag-fail wala kang ibang p'wedeng sisisihin kun'di ang sarili mo.

How your album does reflect your personality?
I'm very meticulous; I listen to rock, salsa, pop, new wave and a lot of classical music. I don't like making an album na generic para bang pare-pareho kinanta mo lang ng iba't-ibang lyrics pero the same arrangement. I'm a very emotional person so gusto ko 'pag masaya 'yung kanta, the instruments and the way it sounds kailangang masaya. Sad song, kailangan parang may kirot sa buto mo so even the arrangement and the way you sing it should come out na kailangang nalulungkot din 'yung makikinig. I really have a personal touch not only to the voice but with the instruments. I want music to be very expressive.

Of all the songs that you have on 'I'll Take Care Of You' is there one song that means more to you than the others?
“The Last Time” kasi napakaganda n'ung song laging kinakanta ito sa mga weddings. 'Yung song parang sinasabi n'ya na nagmahal na ako dati pero nahanap na kita – “it's the last time I'll fall in love.” Ang ganda n'ung song and the way it is arranged may climax y'ung song. Beautiful wedding song, a girl song.

How did you choose on what’s the best songs to be in the album?
I think dalawang aspect 'yan first, 'yung preference mo, preference ng banda ko at ng manager ko. Second is from our point of view to balance that off half of it feedback ng mga nanunuod sa akin kasi I have regular gigs every Tuesday sa Eastwood. So bina-balance ko 'yun minsan kapag masyadong gusto ng tao personal taste mo namamatay 'pag ikaw naman may gusto minsan hindi naman maganda sa public.So 50 percent, our point of view by us, my manager and company plus ako then 50 percent naman sa mga tao, mga fans ko. Tinatanong ko sila kung anong tingin nila like anong songs na ayaw n'yo, anong mga songs ang gusto n'yo. I listen to my fans.

What frame of mind were you in while doing the album?
Nagmamadali kasi I started standards June 2007. I made the first album September 2007 minadali 'yun e wala pa akong label. Ginawa namin 'yung 12 songs saka namin prinesent sa mga labels.

Is there a particular artist or album that you listened to do that somehow influenced your sound?
Kung sound, dalawang part iyan. Vocally, I super listen to Harry Connick, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. Sa sound, half din I listen to old school 'yung mga 50's mga Johnny Mathis, Matt Monroe super old para makita ko 'yung horn section. Pero like Bublé I arrange it para magtunog bago. Meron din akong listening na pop like Beyoncé, Sean Kingston. So mine-merge ko 'yun sa gitna. So y'ung vocal old school pero 'yung music halo siya ng old at saka new para 'pag pinakinggan mo 'yun natatanggap siya ng public. Kaya rin nag-gold and going platinum na 'yung album this month. Even though wala ako sa mainstream, binibili siya kasi nga 'yung old sounds ginagawa kong bago. Sa mga gigs ko, I make sure that I fuse the old and new sounds.

How do you approach studio recording? Do you attempt to recreate your live sound on the record or vice versa?
On the contrary, mas gusto ko ang live sound. Ang live sound keeps it live. Hindi ako same na ang live kailangang i-duplicate sa recording. Sa studio kung kayang lagyan ng violins, cielo, french horns lahat 'yun ilalagay ko kasi 'yun ang maririnig mo hanggang mamatay ka e, sa radyo. Iba ang sound ko sa recording at iba ang sound ko sa live.

Are there any other new instruments that you experimented with the album?
First album medyo generic ako e piano, standard brass, trumpet and trombone. But for the next album naglagay ako ng cielo, contra-bass, more live violins, alto saxophone. Naglagay ng flutes for the first time and nylon guitars at spanish guitars and extra percussions para live and iba't – iba 'yung base namin may arko de bajo and electric bass. Sobrang mas experimental ang second album. I took a bigger risk.

Did you have a lot of creative control with this album?
Yes. I play some instruments and I also arrange. I'm very meticulous when it comes to my music. I'm super hands-on and I really meddle with the notes.

Let's talk a bit about your songwriting process. Do you have a typical process that you follow – lyrics first? Melody first?
Wala may times na music first o kaya melody first. Ang principle ko lang if it comes drop everything.

What moods do you want your listeners to take away upon listening to your album?
I want them to feel happiness pero may sadness din gusto ko 'yung wide range of emotions. Gusto ko nafe-feel lahat ng emotions.

Do you think that there’s an advantage in going out and playing gigs and generating a buzz before actually releasing your album?
It depends on the artist. Someone told me na you have to study your market. I started doing gigs from June to December 2007 gigs muna then I came out in ASAP in January 2008 d'un pumutok na ako I guess because of the TV exposure. I think both will work but depending on what you offer at kung ano ang strategy mo. Any formula will work depende na 'yun sa diskarte ng management.

What more do you want to tell us about your first album that you care to mention?
Testimony lang 'yung first album ko na I'm going to reach this place. Actually inaway ko 'yung manager ko. I told him na I don't want to go on standards because I have a lot of original compositions. Getting out of my band before, I wanted to go solo. I wanted to make a new band and do originals. Ang scare ko sa standards kaya ayoko kasi I have to sing the Sinatra stuff which will take away the original stuff. Ayoko talaga but n'ung na-convince ako ng manager ko to sing three standard song sa isang show. Maraming lumapit sa aking tao. May isang Amerikanong nagsabi sa akin “alam mo kung ano ka dati n'ung nakita ka namin na kumanta ang value mo ngayon nag-doble.” So, the first album is a testimony that Michael Bublé is doing something right. He brought the old school music and added a young feel to it true enough na na-blur n'ya 'yung generation lines. It's a great privilege for me to be doing that in the Philippines. Some people say na ako raw 'yung next Jose Mari Chan. So sa first album masarap malaman na kapag sinabing standards “ah si Richard Poon 'yan.”

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