"Why didn't you pursue this in your 20's?" I was once asked. Because a career for me when I was younger was just about "working" and "making money". I never considered my passion to be something that I would work for to make money. Why would I expect something that I was enjoying to make money for me? I enjoy music, I enjoy singing and having fun with it is the reward itself.
As a kid, I confined my singing in my bedroom when my Dad bought me a karaoke player. Boredom at home was beaten by my microphone and minus one tapes. In my community, I sang for the church choir. In school, music played a big role in the curriculum and almost every year, there was a chorale singing competition where every student was required to join.
Going to college, I had to think of a "lucrative" career. I knew deep inside, since then, that I have always been an artist as my Mom considered me to be. So I took up a course in Communications. Back in my community, I continued singing for the church choir.
As a professional, I've worked in the field of Communications - as a writer, as a public relations specialist, as a negotiator, as a customer service representative. On the side, in parties and other events, I would sing and jam with bands. I would always get complimented for my good voice and once, Mr. RJ Jacinto, one of the Philippines' big names in the music industry, told me, "With your talent, you will never go hungry." I will never forget that but I never took it seriously.
After getting married and having kids, I took a break from my career in Communications. I was working for the government for more than 10 years and I left to find something bigger. I was lucky for a moment in various industries - the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), hotel, telecommunication sales, magazine, and even in an international charitable organization. Some of the companies I worked for had chorales where I also joined. The demands of the corporate world was tough on me and I took a leap of faith and left the world of employment.
I turned to freelancing and had a few projects. I am still looking for opportunities, even for employment again, and somehow, here I am finding myself trying to squeeze in the world of music and singing. I tried to put up a band and unfortunately, we did not last. Then I tried my hand in songwriting and met an arranger who referred me to a voice teacher who trained me for a year. I cannot pinpoint why, at this age, I have this urge to sing and sing and sing.
In this musical journey, I've met some instrumentalists who I can never do without in my singing.
So, as I proceed to finding my place back to my bread and butter, in the field of Communications, I turn to music and prayer to feed my passion and to give in to my soul.
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