Ibinahagi ni Martin Nievera ang mga aral sa pagpapakumbaba nang makausap siya ng entertainment media sa press launch ng album niyang Take 2 noong Linggo, Agosto 24, 2025.
Ang Take 2 ay collectible vinyl album ni Martin sa Vicor Music na naglalaman ng sariling bersiyon niya sa mga awiting "Leaves" ng Ben & Ben, "Special Memory" ni Iwi Laurel, "Ngayon at Kailanman" ni Basil Valdez, "Tell Me" ni Joey Albert, at ang 2025 version ng "Be My Lady" — ang kanyang hit song noong 1983.
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Napag-usapan ang mga personal na karanasan ni Martin noong kasikatan nito bilang mang-aawit dahil sa kanyang pahayag na bumalik sana ang panahong pumipirma siya ng autograph para sa mga tagahanga niya.
Pagbabahagi ni Martin: “I hope that more things will come back, like CD signing, album signing, autograph signing in the malls.
"So I can see my fans again and the people who I can make autographs, ‘Hi, what’s your name?’
“I will spend the whole day doing it because I love it. Some artists don’t like it. Some artists wanna go, finish in thirty minutes.
“I will spend the whole day because I wanna know, I wanna know what you’re thinking. Why are you still in line waiting for my autograph? What did I do right? What did I do wrong? Bakit nandito pa kayo?
“I miss the person-to-person promos, even this presscon, I miss this. You people asking questions, I see you writing in the book… there’s a relationship here.”
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THE NEW GENERATION OF CELEBRITIES
Ibinahagi rin ni Martin ang ilang obserbasyon niya tungkol sa ugali ng mga kabataang artista ngayon.
Saad niya: "Some of the kids don’t understand. They’re such in a hurry to get things over with.
"When they get to my point, forty-three years in the business, they're gonna wonder, 'Where did it all go?
“'Ang bilis ng oras! Hindi na ako sikat. Hindi na binibili ang albums ko or whatever. Nobody cares about me.
"'There’s another version of me and another version of that person…'
“I keep telling that guy to slow down ‘coz fame today is very fast. Very, very fast.
"So you need to embrace the yesterday. You need to love every moment of your... not naman your fame but getting to that point."
Ibinigay na halimbawa ni Martin ang isang lalaking young artist na sinabihan niyang yakapin ang moment na pinagkakaguluhan siya ng fans.
Lahad ng Concert King: “I was with a young artist... I can’t mention his name because this gonna sound like I’m badmouthing.
"But he had all these fans with huge banners, not flyers, banners, waiting for him on the street and he was like this [wave].
“At least he waved and I went, and his father was with him, and I said, ‘Dude, you need to embrace these. This is not forever.’
“And the father goes, ‘You listen to him! I used to watch him when I was younger!’"
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BIGGEST MISTAKE OF MARTIN'S LIFE
Pinagsisisihan daw ni Martin ang panahong tinatakasan niya noon ang fans na naghahabol sa kanya.
Pagbabahagi ng 62-year-old singer: "Here’s the truth, I used to run away from girls just to get to my car after doing the promo in the school. I used to run away from them.
“That was the biggest mistake of my life.
"I should have let them tear me apart because that’s not gonna happen again!
"You're gonna get old. You're gonna get wrinkled. They’re gonna go to the next younger guy.
“And it’s happening already in my life. You either embrace it or you commit suicide.
“Either it gets to you mentally… I am no longer that guy anymore. I used to be the Piolo [Pascual] of ASAP. I used to be whoever, you name it. I used to be that.
“I am not that guy anymore but I am still on ASAP. How did I do that? Why am I even still here?
“Because I embraced everything. Even the moments they were telling me, ‘You’re no longer that guy!’
“Well, I have an album. Some people care, at least twenty of you here. These people give a damn so I must be doing something right.”
MARTIN HURT WHILE RECALLING THE PAST
Tinanong ng PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) si Martin kung nasasaktan siya habang binabalikan ang nakaraan.
“Yes!” sagot ng mang-aawit.
“Yes! It really hurts. But what hurts more is when I see someone younger, more popular than me just letting it go.
“Dude, tomorrow, wala na yon and I don’t mean tomorrow as a figure of speech. I mean, literally tomorrow, wala na yon. Dude, you need to embrace that.
“Stop the bus. Get off the bus and you hug those people or tweet about it, 'Whoever you are on the street, maraming-maraming salamat!’
“During my time, the fans, they save their money to watch my shows. People who do not have any money will save their last peso to watch. They will sit on the worst seat ever to watch or get a glimpse of me.
“There’s no screens back then. We have the worst sound system and I am not gonna pay attention to that person in the cheap seat.
“That person in the cheap seat got me here today. That’s why I am here. That’s why you’re even here.
“So for me, these young stars, embrace it, love it, and mean it ‘coz tomorrow is not there.”
Pagpapatuloy niya: "And when you’re really popular and sikat, you won’t listen to someone like me.
"But few years from now or maybe less, much less than few years from now, you will remember.
“You will remember that I just said it. 'Tama pala si Martin.' I don’t wanna be right! Prove me wrong!
“Well, I don’t wanna be right. That’s why people ask me, the young kids, ‘Why do you care so much?’
“I’m always going after the younger ones, ‘Come here. I will show you something. Let’s do this.’
“Why do you care so much? Because they’re the ones picking up where we left off. When I’m dead and gone, this industry better be in a good place. I work so hard, especially shows like ASAP.
“I care so much because I want them to excel. I am no longer that guy who wants to be the only one to excel.
“Dapat ako lang, sikat ako. No one should surpass me. Those days are gone.
"I want you to surpass me. I want you to sing better than me. I want you to do something with your fame.
“If you are the flavor of the month, people are talking about you, I want you to do well.
"The whole country, all our people are counting on you so don’t let this moment pass you by. Do something good with it."
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FACING THE BITTER TRUTH
Isa lamang si Martin sa mabibilang na icon sa entertainment industry ng Pilipinas na nagagawang aminin sa publiko ang kanyang insecurities at mga kinatatakutan sa buhay.
“Again, this is the legacy I want to leave behind,” diin ni Martin.
“I want the people to know that the road to success is not the quick one, is not the smooth one. It’s not the one that smells good and it’s so beautiful.
“It’s the rough one. Choose the rough road, don’t use the easy road.
"Choose the rough one and you’ll end up sitting in this seat just like me because you would be okay with yourself.
“You will make decisions that are good, not just for you but for the people you love, the people around you. You’ll make your mom and dad proud not about your fame but about you.
“You’d be an asset to the business that you’re working in. You’ll be an asset to the friend beside you.
“If you only think of yourself, which is what showbiz does, let’s face it, if you’re no longer that guy, they’re gonna forget about you.
“But the moment nag-hit ka ng konting success, kunwari sa ibang bansa, everyone is there, 'Pare, kilala ko yan, atin yan, Kapamilya yan.'
“I was here yesterday, same guy, what happened? And it’s not the fault of the industry because ang dami namin.
"We’re so many that come and go, come and go, and after that individual, how are you gonna stay?
"Coming and going is easy. Staying? That’s hard!”