The one and only Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez-Alcasid is celebrating her 56th birthday on April 22! And in true “ASAP” tradition, she treated viewers to a couple of delightful musical performances during the April 19 episode, where she captivated audiences with her rendition of “Zombie” by The Cranberries and a heartwarming duet with her beloved husband, Ogie Alcasid, of The Carpenters’ classic hit “I Won’t Last A Day Without You.”
As fellow “ASAP” mainstay and OPM icon Martin Nievera asked her about the lesson she’s learned in this new year in her life, Regine began by describing it as a “blessing” and sharing that the experiences she’s gone through had brought her the wisdom she now has.
She expounded, “Through the years, I have come to love living with the skin that I have now. I have more wrinkles, have more white [hairs], my voice [has] changed. When I look [in] the mirror, it’s me, but somehow, it’s not the same. But I have come to love who I am now. So again, it’s different, but it’s still me.”
Regine then got emotional as Ogie answered host Zsa Zsa Padilla’s question about the non-material gift that he wishes to give her, which is to bring her back to the time when their unico hijo, Nate, was still a young boy at least for a day, since he knows how much she would love that to happen.
This prompted her to open up about the personal struggle she’s been going through since last year, which she thought was just because of her voice gradually changing. However, she realized that it was largely because of her not being ready for her son—who's now a teenager—growing up.
“It wasn’t a sad thing that he grew up. I had a wonderful relationship with my son,” she clarified. “I wasn’t just ready [for] him growing up, and I realized that I wasn’t his world anymore. Mayroon palang gano’n? It’s like empty nesting, kind of. And since mag-isa lang siya, parang it broke me.”
She told everyone that there’s nothing to worry about since she’s now already in the process of healing, and it’s something that mothers like her normally go through. Ogie lightened up the mood by poking fun at his own height, which their friends, Martin and Gary Valenciano, playfully supported.
Aside from her birthday, Regine’s “ASAP” family also celebrated the latest accolade she had received last March—the “Woman of the Year” award from Billboard Philippines, which is the highest recognition in its “Women in Music” event that recognizes women who have significantly shaped the music industry through their contributions, artistry, and influence.
Her fellow honorees “Rule Breaker” KZ Tandingan, “Hitmaker” Yeng Constantino, and “Powerhouse” BINI congratulated her on this momentous achievement through pre-recorded video messages. Erik Santos and Angeline Quinto also personally delivered their heartfelt messages before she blew out the candle on her birthday cake.
Catch the country’s longest-running and award-winning musical variety show, “ASAP,” on ABS-CBN sa ALLTV2. Kapamilyas can also watch “ASAP” on Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), Jeepney TV, A2Z, iWant, and TFC.