For decades, Regine Velasquez has been celebrated for a voice capable of reaching soaring notes and delivering powerhouse performances. But Asia’s Songbird is candidly acknowledging that the instrument that helped define her legendary career has changed with time.

During the media conference for her upcoming three-night “FINALE” concert, the OPM icon revealed that she went through a difficult period when changes associated with menopause affected her singing voice.

Velasquez admitted that there was a point when singing—something she had done almost instinctively for much of her life—suddenly became unfamiliar.

“And there was a time, parang nakalimutan kong kumanta, and I couldn’t figure out what was going on with me, but every time I would go and see my doctor, there was nothing wrong,” she shared.

The singer described the experience as having what she calls a “menopause voice,” explaining that hormonal changes can affect the vocal cords.

“It’s a symptom of menopause and it’s actually devastating. Not all women experience it but sabi ni Dra. Vicki Belo, it apparently affects 50% of women in the absence of estrogen,” Velasquez said.

She added that she experienced changes in her vocal cords, including dryness and reduced elasticity, making singing more challenging than it had been earlier in her career.

“‘Yung parang kumakapal na ‘yung vocal chords, nawawala ‘yung elasticity ng vocal chords which is unique,” she explained.

For an artist whose voice has been central to her life and identity, the experience was understandably unsettling.

“One day, I woke up and it’s just like my voice was taken away from me. I couldn’t sing, nasisintunado ako,” she recalled.

But Velasquez eventually learned that the changes did not mean losing her gift. Instead, she had to understand her voice again and discover how to work with the instrument she has today.

“I still have my voice, it never left, it’s just that it’s in a different form so I have to work with what I have now,” she said.

Rather than attempting to recreate exactly how she sounded at the height of her younger years, Velasquez has embraced the reality that a singer’s voice naturally evolves.

“I can no longer be what I used to be 10 years or 20 years ago. I can no longer sound like that. I still have my beautiful voice but it’s just different,” she added.

That acceptance carries particular significance as Velasquez prepares for another major milestone onstage.

Her sold-out “FINALE” concert will take over the SM Mall of Asia Arena for three consecutive nights on October 17, 18 and 19 at 8 p.m.

For an artist who has spent decades setting extraordinary vocal standards, “FINALE” arrives with a different kind of story behind it. Regine Velasquez is no longer trying to sound exactly like the Songbird of 10 or 20 years ago.

She is singing with the voice she has now—and embracing its new chapter.