Martin Nievera on past woes, future investments

Martin Nievera

For three decades, Martin Nievera lorded over the local performance scene, earning the title “Concert King” along the way.

This he carries with aplomb till today. In fact, last Valentine’s Day, Martin had another successful performance at the SM MOA Arena, with good friend Regine Velasquez-Alcasid. The show further cemented his and Regine’s reputation as a certified crowd-drawers.

He may be reaping success after success in his endeavors nowadays but there was a time in his life when Martin was down and out.

He admitted in an interview that the years following his separation with ex-wife Pops Fernandez were “lean years.”

He added, “Siguro mga one year akong walang show, walang trabaho. Walang tumatawag, so I went to Las Vegas and became a bum.”

While there, Martin jammed with bands, apart from “washing and vacuuming cars, cooking barbecue…”

“That was my therapy,” he explained.

“Sobrang numbed ang feeling ko, hindi ko alam na wala akong trabaho. Sobrang manhid ang feeling ko. Singing solo or with a group is like therapy then, it’s my happiness. It’s all about me,kung ano ako, puede kong itago or ilabas sa stage, the good or the bad…”

He related his experience to that of Vhong Navarro, who is currently embroiled in two rape cases.

“For artists like Vhong who go through a crisis, it’s the one thing we hate most in show business – this saying that ‘the show must go on.’ Kung may show ka, people depend on you to entertain them, the show must go on. You have to cry later, think about yourself later. The show must go on! Kailangan marunong kang magtago ng feelings mo, ng sakit mo, ng frustrations mo.”

As hard as it was, Martin admits that he emerged through it a better person.

“Somehow it (hiding your feelings) helped. I became a better singer, a better composer. I even became a poet! It’s really hard to be in show business when you have a battle. It makes you a better performer or artist, but napakasakit ang process.”

To keep himself in top form, Martin admitted to going on diets. “But ang hirap mag-diet at mag-perform at the same time. But I have to do it ’cause I don’t want to look like a fat pig on TV. We gain so much weight on TV.”

He also works out but “not religiously.”

He said, “I have a gym in the house and in the hotels where I stay, I make sure that there’s a gym. I also like to walk. I get intense about it a week or two before the show…”

When asked about investments, Martin was sad to say “diyan ako kulang.”

“I don’t have any business endeavor yet, I didn’t have the money to burn. I think that would be next. My dream is to have a restaurant, a comfort food restaurant where I can sing. Where my son Robin can sing, where all my kids can sing. That’s what I want to do – have a place not too big or too small with comfort food to offer.”

With a tinge of regret, Martin added “I should have done this earlier. That’s my regret, when I was younger, my not being business-minded. I was having so much fun kasi.”

Given the chance, Martin would want to call the resto “Big Mouth Burger.”

“Mahirap hanapin ang right beef for it, but I’ll find a supplier and find a nice place, ‘yung cute lang, hindi masyadong malaki…there’s hope pa naman for me for this, di ba?”

Martin Nievera on past woes, future investments

Source: Mb.com.ph (February 28, 2014 at 01:22PM)

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