Gerald Santos, dream catcher

Balladeer and international musical theater artist Gerald Santos is living proof that dreams and wishes do come true.

With desire, luck, talent, prayers and passion, nothing is impossible. The possibilities and opportunities are endless. And yes, it is the love you give and infuse on your choices that catches the dream.

Amateur days

Santos admitted that no one in his family is musically-inclined. His parents do karaoke, listen to the radio and play the cassette tapes of their favorite artists. So it was a surprise when they heard their second son can carry a tune and sing well.

“As a young boy, my ambition and dream has always been to become a singer,” Santos said. “ I want to be on stage, to sing the songs I want to sing. Even at a young age, singing is my passion.”

He continued: “I think I was able to join more than 50 amateur singing contests as a boy. Seventy percent of them, I was proclaimed the winner. The remaining 30 percent, I went home empty-handed.”

One core memory that happened during his amateur days, shared Santos: “There was a protest after I won. Most of my contenders, and their parents of course, cannot accept the fact that I was proclaimed victorious and my winning song then was ‘Natutulog Ba Ang Diyos.’ Of course, my competitors, who were mostly young girls, mga biritera na sila (they are belters). So, they cannot accept their defeat.”

“The whole protest incident made me sad,” said Santos. “I was only nine years old when I experienced that there are indeed sour losers. And what added more hurt was the fact that some of those who were protesting presented themselves as friends.”

‘Pinoy Pop Superstar’

Nineteen years ago, Santos caught his first big dream. At the age of 15, he became the grand winner of the second season of GMA 7’s Pinoy Pop Superstar.

“I think what made me win the singing contest was my heart,” Santos said, “I know I was not technically polished, no classical training whatsoever. Raw talent and all the feels ang binibigay ko sa mga kanta (are what I give to the songs) that were assigned to me.”

It was Wency Cornejo’s “Hanggang” that propelled him to victory.

Santos said: “I can finally share this now. You know, during the contest, I was frustrated when they gave me the song. Pinoy Pop Superstar was a big singing competition and it bothered me back then that the song was quite simple. Melancholic yes, but there were no big moments to shine. Thank God that everything went magical. I was able to tell its story. Conveyed its message to the judges and the audiences. It was indeed my heart doing the singing.”

“It was my first big win,” Santos said. “A dream that I realized. I still remember my shock and surprise when I heard my name being proclaimed the winner. I knew that time, I looked up, sa langit (at the heavens,) thanking God in my mind and heart. It was a blessing, a truly huge one for it started the ball rolling and the push that I needed for my career as an artist.”

Catching Thuy

“Nerve wracking,” Santos said while remembering his Miss Saigon audition experience. “Auditioning was an alien thing for me since the theater productions I did prior to Saigon were offered to me immediately. The tension, the nerves, the anxiety was over the top knowing that we were around a thousand who trooped to the audition. Then, every call back, the numbers of the people significantly diminished.”

The third callback, Santos said, was the most memorable because: “The man who made the musical, Claude-Michel Schonberg, was present to oversee it. My gosh! I remember that I literally shivered, star-struck, I was ill-at-ease. When I was singing the part, he said: ‘Stop! You are a millisecond late.’ Then he went to the piano, played the music for me, and as I sang, he said that I needed to be precise. It was kind of surreal for me. This great musical composer, accompanying. It was like the time when he played “Sun and Moon,” with Lea Salonga, singing beside him.”

Santos said: “Apart from hitting the high notes, I think I bagged the part because of the emotions and truth I gave Thuy. I think that nailed it. And of course, thanks to God always.”

He performed Thuy for two years at the Miss Saigon UK/International tour. He clocked in 550 performances. On two separate occasions, two legendary musical theater actresses who became Kim, watched him, Lea Salonga and Joanna Ampil.

Santos said: “Remembering this makes me teary-eyed. Who would have thought that the two Filipina musical theater greats, people I admire from a distance, will take some time to watch me? I was in pins and needles knowing that the original Kims were in the audience.”

“I was about to quit show business before the Miss Saigon opportunity happened,” Santos came clean. “I was exhausted with the reality that for all the good and hard work I was doing, my career was neither here nor there. It was going nowhere. God is really good; being Thuy was a buzzer beater. I was about to give up then He gave me my biggest break. “

Concert

Titled “Dreams,” Gerald’s concert is slated on 3 December and will be staged at the Newport Performing Arts Theater.  

“This concert is my idea,” Santos said. “All the songs in the repertoire are my choices. They are forever in my musical playlist. I sing all of them. I love them. But I never get the chance to perform them because most of my former concerts were thematic. This will be the first time I perform them on stage.”