After 12 years, Pops Fernandez has announced her return to the concert scene as she marks her 40th year in showbiz.

But before discussing the details of her two-day concert dubbed "Always Loved" at the Theater Solaire on Feb. 9 and 10, Pops was excited to announce she's now a grandmother at 57. Her eldest son, Robin Nievera, and his non-showbiz partner Mian Acoba welcomed Baby Phineas Atlas into the family.

"Excited. Pero baka mag-iba yung feeling ko kapag makasama ko na yung aking first grandchild. Sa ngayon kinuwento ko lang na excited ako pero for sure, kapag nakita ko na yan, hahagulgol ako sa tuwa dahil mababaw ang luha ko sa mga ganyan," said Pops during her presscon at Mesa Restaurant in Morato, Quezon City last Monday, Jan. 8.

(Excited. But my feelings will be different when I get to be with my first grandchild. So far, I just told you I'm excited, but when I see the baby, I'll cry joyfully because my tears are shallow for things like that.)

Pops expressed her desire to be called "Lolli-Pops" when she became a grandmother.

Concert scene

Asked why she decided to return to the concert scene, Pops said: "I just realized puwede pa pala ako mag perform. Akala ko kasi hindi na (puwede). All of us go through a lot of ups and downs. Hindi ko naman pinatagal yung downs kasi ayokong maging malungkot.

(I just realized I can still perform. I thought I couldn't. All of us go through a lot of ups and downs. I didn't let the downs last because I didn't want to be sad.)

"Noong nag-down ako, that's when I decided to produce shows. And then I discovered I could do other things, pala. But then again, I missed performing. Kapag nakakapanood ako ng co-artists na kumakanta, sabi ko, parang gusto ko uli gawin yan. So one song led to another. And then I realized nga na kaya ko pa.

(When I was down, I decided to produce shows. And then I discovered I could do other things. But then again, I miss performing. When I watched my co-artists sing, I wanted to do it again. So, one song led to another. And then I realized that I could still do it.)

"Kanina sinabi ko why I decided to celebrate after a long time, ang tagal ko dinecide kung dapat nga ba ako mag-concert uli kasi nga ang tagal tagal ko na siyang hindi ginagawa. But I realized, 40 plus years at sayang naman kung hindi ko siya ma-celebrate. I will miss the chance. Baka by then hindi na talaga ako makapag-celebrate. 

(Earlier I said why I decided to celebrate after a long time, it took me a while to decide if I should do a concert again because it's been a long time since I've done it. But I realized 40-plus years, and it's a shame I won't be able to celebrate him if I don't. I will miss the chance. Maybe by then, I won't really be able to celebrate.)

"Nilakasan ko lang talaga yung loob ko. Sayang naman. Hindi kasi ako nakapagcelebrate noong 30 years kasi eh. So at least in my 40-plus years nasabi ko na-celebrate ko ang aking 40 years in the business. It's also my way of thanking everyone who supported me in my years in showbiz," she added.

(I didn't get to celebrate 30 years ago. So, in my 40-plus years, I celebrated my 40 years in the business. It's also my way of thanking everyone who supported me in my years in showbiz.)

Pops said her former husband, Martin Nievera, and her long-time friend, Gary Valenciano, are expected to be her main guests in the concert. "But there will be surprise guests."

For her upcoming shows, Pops promised to sing her signature songs "Dito" and "Little Star." She rarely performs these gems for personal reasons. But this time, she's ready to sing these songs once again.

Pops believed her hosting stint on "Penthouse Live!" in the 1980s paved the way for her showbiz success. She will always remember her jampacked concert at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila in December 1985, ruined by a downpour.

She held the title of concert queen for many years, headlining sold-out shows at Folk Arts Theater, Ultra, Araneta Coliseum, and other important venues. Pops reflected on other concert queens in the music scene.

"Mahirap sagutin kung sino pa ang mga concert queen sa atin. When you say concert queen, total package 'yan. Ang dami nilang magagaling," Pops said. (It's hard to answer who our new concert queens are. When you say concert queen, it's a total package. There's a lot, and they are so good.)

Goals for 2024

Pops is planning to travel this year, which is something she hasn't done much of in her earlier years.

"Hopefully, I can do more shows. At the same time, I balance my life. Shows and then siguro take a break with my family and then more shows and then retake a break with my family. Hopefully, when I take a break, I get to spend more time with them. Traveling is a big deal because I could not do it before. After all, I got so busy. 

"Ako lang ba ito? Pero kapag nagta-travel tayo, somehow nakakalimutan natin ang problema natin. Maybe we are not focused in a certain place na nag-iisip lang tayo. I also love seeing new things and discovering beautiful things," she said.

Pops and Martin

It is undeniable that Pops and Martin were a beloved duo in showbiz, despite their eventual separation after years of being together. She admits it requires a significant amount of mental conditioning and acceptance of what has happened to their relationship.

"You have to go to the level na dapat sobra ka ng strong. I said it before it took a lot of years. Ayoko ng balikan yung pain but it has to be mentioned para malaman ng mga tao na hindi siya ganun kadali for those who are probably going through the same thing I went through. Hindi madali pero it's possible," she said. "It's totally up to you."

"Rather than mag-kaaway kami for the benefit of our children who were very young then, mas mabuti ng mas okay kami. Again, it's not easy. So you have to condition yourself, and you have to accept it. And then again, you must be strong enough," she added.

Pops mentioned that there were occasions when she and Martin still had disagreements, indicating that their relationship was not always smooth.

"Parang nagkatampuhan kami recently lang. Pero hindi naman mawawala yun kasi nga we are in separate situations. I don't want to pretend na we are 100 percent okay. 

"We go through certain tampuhan, but what is good about it is we know how to deal with it. Time always heals all wounds. We always choose to be okay, and we settle it. We talk about it privately. We settle these misunderstandings privately also," she said.

Pops and Martin got married in 1986. Their marriage was annulled in 2000. Aside from Robin, their other son is Ram. Many fans still hold out hope for a real-life reunion.

"Ang cute nila! Sobra akong grateful na maski alam nila na medyo baka hindi na yon mangyari, they're still there at naiintindihan nila ‘yung situation namin," she said.

Pops added: “Ang magandang nangyayari sa amin, a couple of years ago, I posted something on my Facebook kasi naaliw ako na every June 28, naaalala pa nila at sine-celebrate pa nila ang anniversary namin ni Martin.

“So, kami ni Martin, hanggang ngayon, ang batian na lang namin sa June 28, ‘Hey happy June 28th,’ because nga I know that we have fans that still celebrate it and still a big deal for them.

“And thank you that they accept us for our situation now,” she said.