After winning the Pinoy Dream Academy in 2006, Yeng Constantino has made a name in music. From creating hits like "Ikaw," "Salamat," and "Cool Off," Yeng became a staple on the OPM scene.

Beginning her journey with Star Music, she exited her comfort zone by leaving her home for 17 years. During an intimate press conference at the Tala Bar in Quezon City on Aug. 18, Yeng revealed that she got emotional after saying goodbye to her former record label.

"Iniyakan ko rin yun during our meeting, umiyak ako. Grabe yung sorry ko kayna sir Roxy, sinabi ko sa kanila na kailangan ko muna maging independent to discover myself again," she said.

(I cried during our meeting. I said sorry to sir Roxy, and I told them that I needed to be independent to discover myself again)

Despite saying goodbye to her longtime label, Yeng revealed that there is no bad blood between her and Star Music, pointing out that she didn't want to burn the bridge between them.

"I’m so lucky. Ako mismo personally, pumunta pa ako ng Star Music. Naiyak pa nga ako kasi syempre laking hiya ko. Ayoko po mag come off as ungrateful, ayoko pong ma feel na I’m abandoning you guys it’s not that it's more of a personal reason,” Yeng said.

(I'm so lucky. Personally, I even went to Star Music. I even cried because of course, I was very embarrassed. I don't want to come off as ungrateful. I don't want to feel that I'm abandoning you guys. It's not that it's more of a personal reason).

Officially leaving Star Music, Yeng recently signed with a new record label called Republic Records under Universal Music Group (UMG) on March 9.

As she ventures a new journey, Yeng has another milestone in her career: owning her music from her former record label. According to the singer, owning her music catalog allows her to earn passive income when she retires in the future.

"17 years na ako sa industry and hindi naman tayo bumabata. I think I’ve been like this simula pa naman nung umpisa. I always think about the future. Itong trabaho namin it’s not forever and what do I have to do in the present para masecure ko ang akin retirement pag tanda," she said.

(I've been in the industry for 17 years, and I'm not getting younger. I've been like this from the start. I always think about my future, and this job is not forever, so what do I have to do in the present to secure my retirement when I get old)

Yeng stated that she plans to release new versions of her music now that she has all her music under her name. She adds that she wants to revisit some of the lyrics of her previous songs. Reimagined, her latest EP, has already showcased re-recordings of her past songs.

"The good thing about owning my songs na ngayon, pwede kong irewrite yung lyrics kasi syempre nagrgrow din ako bilang songwriter. May mga songs dun na natatawa ako. I think I’m evolving as a songwriter as well,” she said

(The good thing about owning my songs now I can rewrite the lyrics because of course, I'm also growing as a songwriter. Some songs make me laugh. I think I'm evolving as a songwriter as well)

The EP is a collection of selected original songs from different eras in Yeng's storied musical journey with an updated and unified sound and interpretation. Given that Yeng now has the rights to her vast back catalog, it's easy to understand why the just-released EP is a dream come true for the award-winning singer-songwriter and why it is just the first of many planned "reimagined" releases to come. 

Since she started re-recording her old songs, Yeng also shared that she wants to collaborate with Kz Tandingan.

"Kz Tandingan, Siya talaga yung isa sa mga dream collab ko ngayon, kasi nagkasama kami sa tour namin sa states. Lalo akong na amaze sa kanya, ang galing niya talaga," Yeng added.

(Kz Tandingan she's one of my dream collabs right now because we did our tour together in the States. I'm even more amazed by her. She's really good.)