A welcome sighting of Julia Clarete!
Last night, November 27, 2024, she was spotted performing at a benefit show for a friend and fellow musician.
The show, dubbed ReyVolution A Benefit Gig Series, was held at the ‘70s Bistro Bar in Anonas, Quezon City, a place with a storied music history.
The ReyVolution is a pick-up from the name of Julia's friend, Rey Abella, a musician whom local bands like to address as "Sir Rey," to show respect to a talent that composes, orchestrates music, creates magic on the keyboard, and has helped many aspiring musicians.
Julia, now 45, used to be a “tambay” of the well-known bar when she was young and callow and eager to learn from the country's best musikeros. Thus, the long friendship with Sir Rey.
More popularly known to the public as a TV host and actress, largely because of her years in Eat Bulaga!, a 40-plus-year-old noontime variety show, Julia is, among entertainment industry insiders, long been respected as one talented singer.
When Sir Rey, 64, was diagnosed recently with a blood problem, many musicians jumped in to help him through this challenging period—Julia among them.
Last night, with her very handsome 17-year-old son Sebastian on guitar, Julia performed “First Cut is The Deepest” by Rod Stewart.
Mother and son were wildly applauded.
Julia and Sebastian performing at Bistro 70's. Video courtesy of Paolo Abella.
The performance marked Julia’s most-recent public performance after she stepped away from the limelight in 2015 to focus on her personal life.
She married Irish business executive Gareth McGeown in 2017.
Read: It's confirmed: Julia Clarete is now Mrs. Gareth McGeown!
Julia then followed her husband to his country, which was also the site of their wedding ceremony, whose festivities ended with Julia surprising their guests with songs done with gusto and skill.
Since then she has occassionally accepted showbiz projects, the latest of which was Barangay Mirandas, a 2023 TV series on Net 25, but for the most part Julia has focused on family.
Read: Julia Clarete reveals love story with Irish husband Gareth McGeown
musicians come together for fundraising event
Julia jump-started her performance with an auction of wines she brought in as part of the fundraiser.
She played the role of auctioneer herself. And clearly, her years as a TV host have given her the skills to keep an audience laughing, bidding, and giving up their money happily.
The woman is a born entertainer.
Among those who bid—and eventually won the box of wines—was PEP editor-in-chief Jo-Ann Maglipon, who also happens to be a friend of Sir Rey.
In ReyVolution A Benefit Gig Series, other performers included The Bloomfields, CBI Lady I, Red Dela Peña & Hiyas, Dino Pascual, High Targets, and Johnoy Danao. All have to be seen and heard to be believed!
The next leg of the series will have still other musicians—among them, Cooky Chua, vocalist of the band Color It Red, and today one of the Tres Marias, which includes Lolita Carbon and Bayang Barios—coming together in My Brother's Mustache Folk Bar on Scout Tuason, Quezon City, on December 5, 2024.
As Julia announced: "Everyone's welcome!"