Last October 28, Iya Villania experienced a role reversal
since she did not introduce a musician or a music video, but she herself became
a singer during the media launch of her debut album titled Finally!
The MYX VJ performed "Spell's Broken" and "I Never Cry" at the Dynasty Room of the Imperial Palace Suites in Quezon City. Iya admits that she really wanted to pursue a singing career when she arrived here in the Philippines back in 2002. She used to model and actually sing in Sydney, Australia, before she was discovered by her current manager, Arnold Vegafria.
The manager recalls that he noticed Iya when he saw her walking the ramp at a modeling stint. He was even more impressed when he saw her sing as the front act of Geneva Cruz during a 2002 concert in the Land Down Under. Arnold convinced her to relocate to the Philippines and start a showbiz career.
Will Iya be willing to give up her hosting career for her singing career? "Yeah, I would coz that's what I came here for," she says. "And I would have to actually [give up hosting] because when I host, namamaos ako and I can't really sing. Of course, nasa scheduling naman yan ni Ate Vanessa [her handler]. I told her, when there's an event that would require to shout like MYX Mo, make sure that I don't have to sing the next day. But if I had to choose, I'd choose singing."
She launched her 12-track album at ASAP ‘08 last October 12. Why is her album being released just now—a year and three months after it was started?
"Dahil nga ang tagal, I was doubting na baka hindi na
dumating yung day na yun [becoming a singer] pero finally, here it is. It's
been something that we have been trying to work on for a long time. In the six
years that I have been here, we'd try a song then we would resume in a couple
of months. Then recently, we decided to just focus on the album."
(Click here to learn more about Iya's debut album Finally.)
The title of the first song in her album, "My First Broken Heart," gives rise to the question: who first broke Iya's heart?
"I was ten years old. Puppy love lang naman yun, e. Pero alam mo naman, akala mo, pag-ibig na pero hindi naman pala. Nag-last kami ng isang linggo," she recounts. "Tapos yung naging girlfriend pa niya, actually yung best friend ko!"
The boy was her grade-school classmate in her
former school in Australia. Since then, Iya and the guy, whom she cried about in
the past, have reconciled.
How many hearts has she broken? "I haven't broken anyone's heart. Ako yung parating broken-hearted, e. Ako yung parating binebreak...ng mga puppy love ko," she clarifies.
PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) asked Iya to describe what she felt when she saw her co-host Cheska Garcia walk down the aisle during her wedding last October 9. (Click here to read related article.)
"Ay, sobrang nakakatuwa and super happy ako for them
because, even before they got married, they already looked like a married couple.
Parang formality lang [yung wedding]. But they just look so good together.
Tapos natuwa pa ko kasi sa kanilang dalawa, nung habang nag-speech-speech yung
mga parents, si Doug [Kramer] pa ang umiyak nung nag-speech ang mommy niya. E,
hindi ba expect mo na yung babae yung iiyak...pero si Doug yung umiyak."
WEDDING PLANS? PEP asked Iya if she and her boyfriend of four years, Drew Arellano, have any plan to settle down soon. "A, matagal pa," says the Fil-Australian lass.
"We talk about like, you know, if ever,
where do we think we'll end up: Australia, the U.S. or Pinas? Yun lang, but
hindi yung serious na...kailangan in couple of years kasal na, wala naman."
Did she feel pressured by seeing other people, like her co-host Cheska, settle down?
"Wala. E, kung si Drew nga halos yung buong barkada niya kinasal na...sa loob ng four years na kami ha. Almost all of his friends got married. And I ask him if he got pressured din, he says no. And I'm not there yet."
The MYX VJ is now 22 years old and her boyfriend Drew is
28 years old. Despite their six-year gap, they have been together for four
years. What does she think is the secret to their relationship?
"I think it's because both of us want to keep it together. We're both family-
oriented, we both love to eat. If ever there are problems, siguro sa pag-iisip.
Kasi nga siya, mature na, ako baby pa. He's very patient with me," says Iya
about her beau, who is currently the host of QTV-11's Balikbayan.
Iya is expected to graduate this December from De La Salle University where she
completed her course in Psychology. In fact, given Iya's academic standing, she
is running for honors when she graduates this semester.