OPM icon Ogie Alcasid is excited to share the concert stage with Odette Quesada in the Valentine's show dubbed "Love, Q&A" at the NUSTAR Convention Center on Feb. 13 and Newport Performing Arts Theater on Feb. 14 and 15.

When the project was offered to him, Ogie exclaimed, "Wow!" However, this isn't the first time he'll share the stage with Odette.

"During the pictorial, I got to talk to her. I realized nag guest na pala ako sa concert niya noong araw pa. She said to me she was excited to do a concert. Syempre kinilig ako. She was always quiet. She's so humble," Ogie said. "She's my kindred spirit kasi songwriter kami. Nakaka-identify ako sa ginawa niya."

Ogie, 56, reminisced about how the music of Odette had become unforgettable for him.

In the 80s, when he was still in high school as part of Kundirana, a high school music ministry from La Salle Greenhills, Ogie said his solo number was "To Love Again," originally sung by Sharon Cuneta and written by Odette Quesada.

"Tumatak sa akin talaga yun and since then naging Odette fan kami. The song 'Farewell' naman naging part din ng buhay namin 'yun. Kinakanta namin during graduation. Nag iiyakan pa kami. Her music was part of my childhood. To do a show with her, it's super exciting. It's a thrill for me," Ogie said.

Ogie also mentioned her other OPM heroes. 

"That time, when you mentioned the likes of Kuh Ledesma, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Gary Valenciano, Martin Nievera, Odette Quesada, parang ang layo nila.

"One time I saw Kuh Ledesma at Shoppesville. Nakataas pa ang collar ng damit niya. Ang ganda-ganda talaga ni Kuh. Iba talaga pag-artista. Then fan din ako ni Joey Albert. Yung kanta niyang Tell Me, na ginawa naman ni Louie Ocampo, sobrang naka-identify ako roon. Kasi nagbreak kami girlfriend ko. Si bumili ako ng record. Yun pala kapitbahay ng friend ko si Joey. So pumunta ako sa kanila ang nagpapirma ang ng 45 ng Tell Me. So I'm a fan of OPM. 

"Kapag nakikita ko pa rin si Basil Valdez, natatameme ako. Sila Rico Puno kasi naging barkada ko. He was my first idol. We became friends until he passed away. Si Basil parang may enigma. Starstruck pa rin ako," Ogie also said.

Ogie expressed his desire to work together with Odette in composing a song.

"I want to experiment with Odette writing a new song. So I will have to talk to her again. Tignan natin kung makakagawa kami ng collaboration," he said.

Ogie admitted that most of his compositions are in Pilipino, although there have been compositions in English, but they were never part of his albums. But his wife Asia's Songbird encouraged him to write in English after he showed her the lyrics of one of his compositions in English.

"I wrote a song in English pero wala pa itong melody. If this is goodbye, just walk out the door. I see the writing on the wall. Don't wanna hear how it all began. Don't wanna know the rest of the story. All I want to feel is that you love me as I do. So if this is goodbye, my love, just go," Ogie read to showbiz media. "We will see."

Ogie has nothing but good words for his musical idol.

"She's so simple about what she says. Pinoy na Pinoy. So noong sinusulat niya yung mga kanta niya, she's in her 20s. She's a genius.

"I'm just honored to be sharing the same stage with one of my music heroes Odette Quesada. Sa ASAP nagtribute na rin kami, kinanta ko yung Give Me A Chance," he added.

More collabs

Ogie said he is thrilled to collaborate with young artists for a series of projects this year.

"I'll be coming up with some collaborations with younger artists this year. So I'm excited for these ventures," said Ogie, who celebrated his 35th year in showbiz in 2023.  He did not reveal these young artists. 

Asked about the popular artists he admires, Ogie said: "Marami. Sila Arthur (Nery), Zack (Tabudlo) and Adie.

"Si Adie naka trabaho ko sa Wish. Nasa likod ako noon hinihintay ko yung turn ko. Pinapakinggan ko. Tapos tilian yung mga babae. Sabi ko, 'Ang galing. Ang ganda ng music.

"And then noong New Year naman, napakinggan ko si Arthur Nery. Sabi ko, 'Ang gagaling ng mga batang ito.' Of course si Zack. Sino ba ang hindi nakakakilala kay Zack?

"And then I went to Spotify. Eto na yung mga bago. Eto na yung mga pumalit sa amin. At nakakatuwa na marami sa kanila ay singer-songwriters.

"Iba pa rin yung singers siyempre. Pero yung singer-songwriter kasi yun ako eh. Nakaka-identify ako sa journey nila.

"Ang hirap for a songwriter to be heard. Ang dami kasing magaling. It's a very personal thing eh. Kwento mo yun. So I take my hats off to these young guys. 

When mentioned about the difficulty of the young talent, Ogie laughed and said: "Basta. Huwag na lang."

Ogie admitted that he feels sad for the young artist.

"May mga tao talagang mahirap kausap. Maybe they have their reasons. It's hard to say kung ano yung reason. But sometimes, a simple yes or no is accepted. But if you keep waiting and waiting, it's hard," he said.

OPM president for 14 years

Believe it or not, Ogie has remained the president of the Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM), the country’s biggest and oldest organization of performing artists, for 14 years.

"Hindi pa ako napapalitan. I wish someone would replace me because it's time for the younger ones to come in," the husband Regine Velasquez said.

"Nakakatatlong presidente na tayo - Noynoy, Duterte and PBBM. "I encourage the young people, please take over."

Ogie was elected OPM president on July 2, 2010. He took over when some sectors thought OPM music was dead.

"There was this hashtag 'OPM is Dead.' So, we ensured all our projects were geared towards promoting OPM. Marami yun. And then, I saw pockets of movement from different sectors na nagkaroon ng songwriting competitions at kung anu-ano. From that year until 2016, we now see the likes of Moira and the younger people who came from the camp. So, I would like to think that the movement helped all of us. 

"Again, I don't want the organization to take credit for that. Pero nagkaroon ng consciousness sa society natin na magkaroon ng pagpapakilala sa sariling atin. Pero ngayon naguumapaw na ang OPM music. Kaliwa't kanan ang OPM. I'm so happy about it," he said.

Ogie mentioned that the group had fought for the recognition of OPM music.

"Pinuntahan namin lahat yan pati sa Congress. But now nasa playlist na nga mga bata ngayon. Pati sa Tiktok, Instagram and Reels. Ang galing ng nagawa nito sa industry," he said.

"I have a feeling iba na yung needs ngayon. That's why I need someone younger to take over because alam na nila yung generation nagyon. But it's hard work. You don't get paid. It's all the headaches," Ogie said. "Our last meeting was before Christmas. We're due for another one."

Other officers of OPM are Gary Valenciano, Dingdong Avanzado, Noel Cabangon, Jose Mari Chan, Mitch Valdez, and Christian Bautista. "This year we will have an election. So we will see."

'Love, Q&A" with Odette and Ogie

For all kinds of love, we seek answers to our endless questions. Let OPM legends Ogie Alcasid and Odette Quesada put your feelings into words through their timeless hits in one concert! “Love, Q & A,”  which will be held on  Feb. 14 and 15 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater at 8 pm.

Can you imagine a night of experiencing the following soundtracks of your lives come to life: Till I Met You, Kailangan Kita, Don’t Know What to Say (Don’t Know What to Do), Pangarap Ko Ang Ibigin Ka, Farewell,  Pangako, Growing Up, Mahal Kita Walang Iba,  to name a few of their hit compositions.

So what can music fans expect from their first concert together?

"In the first meeting, we wanted to include songs we felt we should have written. Meron kaming mga Cs: George Canseco, Ryan Cayabyab, and Willie Cruz. The repertoire will include songs about heartbreaks, falling in love, and moving on," he said.

Ogie said the songs by Odette, such as To Love Again, Farewell, I Need You Back, and Till I Met You were some of his favorites.

Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime collaboration live this Feb. 14 and 15 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater stage.  Get your tickets now at SM Tickets, TicketWorld, or contact the following: Paulo San Jose – 0917 810 5031; James Rodriguez – 0917 829 2173; JhayR Dela Cruz – 0917 818 9847; and Raf Sangco – 0917 807 9387.

“Love, Q & A” is presented by Newport Resort Casino and NY Entourage Productions.