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Songwriter Rey Valera dreams of cassava farm someday



Aside from his famous hits, which have been revived by the country's most popular singers, Rey Valera will be remembered as the songwriter who penned the first big hit of Sharon Cuneta, "Mr. DJ."

Noel Orsal

Songwriter Rey Valera dreams of cassava farm someday

Nini Valera

Tuesday, June 29, 2010
01:01 PM

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Known for his sticky-sweet love songs that defined a generation, Rey Valera, 56, has created a song that would personify his artistry as a rock star. 

 

"Sa Aking Panahon," never heard on radio, is Valera's take on his generation's demoralization under the country's social and political conditions. 

 

Ang ating bayan mahal ng kalikasan 
Palaging may araw, maghapon ang kuwentuhan 
Sa aking panahon, may formalin na ang gulay 
Mangidnap ng tao, parang hanapbuhay 
Mayron kaming Xerex , gigisingin ka sa sex 
Morale nami'y babang-baba, nang-rereyp pati bata

 

Chorus: 
 
Ito ang bayan ko ngayon 
Ito ang aking (aming) panahon 
Kung maaalala mo (niyo) kami 
Ito ang aking (aming) panahon

Sikat ang Pinatubo, umalis mga Kano 
Ngunit ang isip namin, G.I .Joe pa rin 
Pagkatapos mag-aral, takbo ay Amerika,  
Tingin namin sa Bayan ay walang pag-asa 
Salitang "pagkakaisa" ay narinig na namin 
Ngunit di alam ang gagawin at anong ibig sabihin

Sa aking panahon, uso ang mag-Saudi 
Pauwi ay mayro'ng TV, may blue seal ang barkada 
May ilang linggo, magbebenta na ulit 
Pinayaman ibang bayan, pamilya'y iiwanan 
Kung marami sanang maka-Diyos sa gubyerno 
At hindi na Diyos ang pera, baka mayro'ng pag-asa 

 

Singing the song in his recent concerts, accompanied only by his acoustic guitar, Valera invests in it his down-to-earth sensibility as a Filipino artist. 

 

In a recent one-on-one interview with Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP) Rey Valera does not justify or defend himself. Instead, the singer-songwriter explores possibilities like, what if he just retires and plants kamoteng kahoy in Mindoro? 

 

"I like it there," he says of the island-province south of Batangas. "May dagat, may ferry boat. Ayoko ng eroplano. Kung gusto mong makawala, di lumayo ka na...Mindoro dahil hindi naman napakalayo na hindi mo na ma-reach." 

 

Growing cassava, which Valera plans to export, is his future project. He still has to acquire the land he would cultivate. 

 

In the meantime, Valera will remain an entertainer. Recently, he cut his forever-shoulder-length hair into a bob. Now he resembles the Latino singer and husband of Hollywood actress Jennifer Lopez. 

 

"Kahawig nga raw ako ni Marc Anthony," he says with a laugh. 

 

He admits that he is "not classic guwapo, survivor lang," and explains how he has managed to endure, even defy trends and time. 

 

"When I was starting, Rico J. was the biggest singer," he recalls. "Basil Valdes was then starting to get big. He had (composer George) Canseco behind him. Canseco's lyrics are matamis, mala-kundiman ang dating ng melody. I positioned myself to be alanganin. And I didn't rely on my vocals. I leaned on my songwriting instead." 

 

The haunting melodies of songs like "Kung Tayo's Magkakalayo," "Pangako," "Sinasamba Kita," "Kung Kailangan Mo Ako," "Maging Sino Ka Man," and in-your-face lyrics of songs like "Ayoko Na Sa 'Yo," "Mr. DJ," "Kung Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko," Ako Si Superman," "Sorry Na, Pwede Ba," became top hits among mass audiences.

 

"I did this because I was trying to avoid being like the others," says Valera. "I wanted to have one style, one sound, 'yung hindi malalaos kaagad. I wanted to create my own path." 

 

Uniqueness in being the ordinary guy singing lilting ballads with street-slang lyrics created for Valera his route to OPM stardom in the late '70s into the early '80s. With the emergence of Viva Entertainment Corporation in the '80s which embraced music and movies, some of Valera's songs found their way into the big screen and, perhaps, pop immortality. 

 

"I salute Vic del Rosario for his music savvy," says Valera of the record and movie mogul who discovered him. "He knows what makes a hit, what doesn't. Alam n'ya ang diskarte." 

 

Valera, however, traces his roots back to Electric Hair, "a never-heard rock band" where he was the vocalist and bass player for seven years. But after one Japan gig with the band, Valera quit and unlocked his baul of original songs. 

 

"I actually had three songs hidden then," Valera recalls, "but they were for the choir in church." 

 

He didn't know how to read or write notes, he admits, and it took a lot of guts for him to submit the first song he had written for then 12-year-old Sharon Cuneta. The song, "Mr. DJ," which evoked the pining of a teeny bopper in love for the first time, was a colossal hit for both the singer and the songwriter. 

 

Even at the height of his popularity, Valera was never into big money, he claims. 

 


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