Almost 30 years in the US, Filipino singer-comedian Fe Delos Reyes revealed she had no regrets when she left the Philippines at the peak of her career.
"I was 35 then when I decided to go to the US. Gusto ko na rin kasi magkapamilya. So it was a choice to build a family," said Delos Reyes during an exclusive interview in Quezon City recently. (I also want to have a family.)
Delos Reyes admitted that flying to the US was one of the best decisions she ever made. And even if she built a happy family, she was able to do showbiz on the side with the full support of her husband, children and friends.
"No regrets because I was able to do both - family and showbiz. Hindi ako nag-babysit sa US. Ako talaga ang nagpapalaki sa mga anak ko," she said. "I didn't babysit in the US. I am really the one raising my children.)
Delos Reyes had another mission when she went to the US: to search for her sister.
"I also went to the US to search for my sister but that's another story. I had a long lost sister na hinanap ko talaga sa US.
"We're together now. We're so close. My father told me I had a sister and she was adopted. Kapag tinatanong ako kung ilan kami magkakapatid, my answer is depende. Mother side, father side or both sides? But I'm open about it. Meron akong adopted mom, biological mom at stepmom. But they all passed away. (When I am asked how many siblings we have, my answer, it depends.)
“First I searched for my mom, I found her. And then I searched for my sister. I found her in 1993,” she added. “Ganun pala yun kapag first time kayo nagkita. Titigan lang kayo. Nalaman lang niya na may sister siya a day before kami nagklta.”
(That's how it is when you meet for the first time. You just look at each other. She only found out that she has a sister a day before we met.)
Delos Reyes also said that she felt blessed during the pandemic because she and her husband were busy.
"During the pandemic, I am blessed because unang-una walang tinamaan sa amin. My husband has work and ako naman kahit walang show, I was working as a pre-school Montessori teacher. I was teaching little kids.
"Yung ibang school kasi sa US hindi puwede pero sa area namin puwede naman pero may precautions pa rin naman. Our family was solid during the pandemic," Delos Reyes also said. She stopped teaching in June. (Other schools in the US can't do it, but in our area it can, but there are still precautions.)
Delos Reyes arrived in the Philippines in November. "We're hitting two birds with one stone - first I'm here for a concert with Kuh Ledesma and Odette Quesada. Now I'm promoting a single." She wrapped up the two-night concert at Newport World Resorts (formerly Resorts World Manila) in Pasay City last Dec. 2-3.
"Right now I'm not here for good but next year I'll be here longer and more often kasi magre-retire na ang husband ko and then yung mga anak ko tapos na sila. I have two daughters and my husband has two daughters from a previous marriage," she said.
'Hoy, Ikaw Na Naman'
A multimedia artist, De Los Reyes started her professional career in 1979 as a member of Music and Magic, the Philippine's premier show band in the 80's. She turned solo in 1987 and became much sought for her unique one-woman comedy cum dance-musical acts, acts that she updates and performs to this day. She's appeared in top venues like Carnegie Hall, MGM Grand, SF Civic Center, Shrine Auditorium, and many more.
Staying true to her Filipino roots, she's reached out to a diverse world audience, easily wowing crowds from 200 to 20,000.
And to open the year 2023, Delos Reyes releases her song entitled "Hoy, Ikaw Na Naman."
“Hoy, Ikaw Na Naman" is an upbeat song that depicts the typical and romantic Filipina who likes to play hard to get. Written by the one and only Miss Cecile Azarcon-Inocentes, she said “my being homesick inspired me to write this song.”
Azarcon, whose family migrated to the USA in 1984, thought that it was the end of her songwriting career, which was pretty much at its peak at that time, with hit songs like I Think I’m In Love, Reaching Out, Even If, So, It’s You and Special Memory, among others.
Hoy, Ikaw Na Naman was recorded and released in 1994 by Ciel Perlas as part of an all-Azarcon penned album compilation entitled, “Ciel at Azarcon” under VIVA Records.
And now, after almost three decades, “Hoy, Ikaw Na Naman” is being given a chance to shine on its own as a single release under RJA Productions LLC with vocal recording and interpretation by Delos Reyes.
Hoy, Ikaw Na Naman will soon be available on all streaming platforms worldwide. For more information about this release, check out RJA Productions LLC’s social media accounts.