Martin Nievera's latest CD, 'As Always.'

No one who attended the press conference tendered for Martin Nievera on Jan. 30 could’ve guessed what he answered when asked: Have you found true love

“I sing about it, I write about it, I fantasize of having it like any other guy...but do I have it? Did I have it? Will I have it?  I don’t know,” he began.

Then more like speaking to himself than to people, Martin elaborated on the subject.

“Maybe you find true love in God. Or in your dreams—whatever it is—in your craft, your passions. Maybe that’s true love.

“Maybe true love is not necessarily about a guy and a girl and a ring and having 75 kids. Or...maybe true love is making up and breaking up endlessly,” he said.

For someone who has been married and has had several girlfriends before and after holy matrimony, it sure is wholly uncanny that he still can’t say for sure what true love is.

“Maybe I had it but didn’t know it at the time,” he backtracked. “That happens you know: Something could be staring you at the face and you don’t see it... you don’t know it’s there.”

  If he was talking about his ex-wife Pops Fernandez, nobody was sure---nor did he let on. But Martin did talk about his current relationship with his ex-wife in a way that may affirm that he’s had her in his mind.

“I’m gonna say this line [about my relationship with her] and it’s gonna sound awful:  I can’t get rid of her—and I don’t mean that in a negative way. Do I feel trapped? No.”

Martin explained that he and Pops have reached a point when what they have now may be “for a purpose.”

“Maybe God wants us to realize that we’re not supposed to live with each other, yet we cannot live WITHOUT each other. Even Pops says we have a strange relationship. But I think we’re doing pretty good the way we are.

“I need her, she needs me. It’s like, when I need someone for... who am I going to call? Yeah… ghostbusters (laughs). Yeah, in that case, Pops is my ghostbuster.

“If I have to name someone with whom I may have found true love, then Pops is a very good candidate.”

 Martin said that people who will try to read between the lines of his songs in his latest CD, “As Always,” will be doing so in vain. Although all of the tracks in the CD speak of love in a positive note, the balladeer said that Pops didn’t even cross his mind when he chose and internalized the songs for recording.

“These songs are here simply because these are some of my favorites. I recorded it in a week’s time,” he said, almost blandly.

Some of the tracks in “As Always” are remakes of “Everytime You Go Away” (Paul Young), “You’re All I Need” (White Lion), “One Hundred Ways” (James Ingram), “Fixin’ A Broken Heart” (Indecent Obsession) and “How Do You Keep The Music Playing” (James Ingram and Patti Austin). The track list covers a wide range of styles from blues-pop to ballad and jazz, all with Martin’s own spin on them.

“As Always” is the follow-up to his Platinum-selling “For Always” CD released last year. Martin will promote his latest output via a show at Robinsons Galleria on Jan. 31, Robinsons Pampanga on Feb. 6, and Robinsons Metro East on Feb. 7.

And because the day of hearts is drawing near, some may want to know if the balladeer will ever marry again.

“I’m afraid to get married again. For me, marriage is the scariest move.

“There are many leaps of faith one can make in life but marriage is the highest. The expectations. Can I finally be committed... can I live the rest of my life with this person…,” his thoughts trail off.

Calling on Cupid?