Richard Poon: Pop goes the croon

Richard Poon (richardpoon.wordpress.com)

His charm has helped him make a mark in the music industry. His smooth voice and boy-next-door persona have earned him a solid following. Richard Poon, however, has a dilemma – reaching younger audiences.

The 40-year-old singer has nursed a conservative image since bursting into the music scene, and building a repertoire of jazz songs and ballads that his audience has come to love. But even his wife Maricar Reyes, 33, has been honest about not being such a big a fan of both genres.

Surprisingly, the chinito crooner has bravely mixed it up at one point, performing Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” in a show at the Big Dome a few years back. Though the number has been well applauded, he recalls, “’Yun ’yung unang ano ko eh, sumigaw sila. Siguro pinagtatawanan nila ako na I’m singing ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine.’ I don’t know if they’re joking.”

His musical director may have said he’s good at rock but he maintains, “I think it’s a joke because I can’t. I can’t sing like Arnel Pineda.”

So don’t expect to see Poon all tattooed and pierced. In fact, even when it comes to dabbling in different musical genres, he’s not taking such huge leaps. In his shows, including those at PICC, he does big band arrangements of Beyoncé and Maroon 5 songs. On “ASAP,” he does pop songs.

He credits the show for helping introduce him to a wider fan base. “Actually, minsan wala naman akong kinakantang jazz eh,” he says. “Minsan, tuwang-tuwa na ako ‘pag binigyan ako ng luma (na kakantahin). 90 percent of the time, (and when it comes to this) I have to agree with ‘ASAP’ kasi masa talaga ‘yung audience, I have to sing pop.”

For an upcoming “ASAP” show in L.A. he’s added Tagalized versions of English dance hits to what he will be performing.

To keep spreading his wings, next year he plans to write songs for his friends, including Pop Rock Princess Yeng Constantino.

“I’m looking for opportunity to make an all-original album pero hindi ako kakanta, mostly mga kaibigan ko, iba-ibang artist pero lahat sinulat ko. I have a lot of original songs nakatago, mga 40 plus na. Some of them came out already,” he shares.

A s-Poon-ful of Bacharachs

True to form, Poon has just released a new album under Universal Records that breathes new life to old favorites. This time, he takes on the greatest hits of music icon Burt Bacharach.

“I think all of us here naman, we know Bacharach very well. But if you notice, ‘yung mga arrangements, talagang pinag-isipan. Ayaw naming ibigay ‘yung mga para bang so-so lang ‘yung version,” he says.

Assuring fans of unique renditions, his versions include “a lot of saxophones – merong tatlong big band sa 12 songs – and then you’ll hear a lot of jazz, guitar. It’s a mixture, I think, of jazz and pop – very palatable to the ear.”

The 12-track album include tracks like “Always Something There To Remind Me,” “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head,” “I Say A Little Prayer,” “(They Long To Be) Close To You,” among others.

Richard Poon: Pop goes the croon

Source: Mb.com.ph (October 03, 2014 at 05:06PM)

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