Phil. Star | Christian: A class act

MANILA, Philippines - The slow-moving traffic on the SLEX is exactly the opposite of the life on the fast lane that he lives now. Christian Bautista is not complaining. Near midnight, he is on his way to a provincial show in Cabuyao, Laguna. The romantic balladeer is calm in the standstill traffic, and bears the gridlock like it was the most relaxing thing.

When he travels by land, his big van provides almost all the comforts of home. His clothes are hung at the back of his van. A big gym bag rests on the floor, beside at least three pairs of rubber shoes. He reclines his seat and politely requests his driver to turn down the car temperature. He turns on the interior light and digs into a thick book entitled “1421: The Year China Discovered the World” by Gavin Menzies.

“I love to read historical accounts,” Christian says. He devours a book the way he interprets a song – with gusto, with passion. Perhaps passion is what Christian, 28, is all about. It is the same passion that propels him to give his all, his best as a very talented crooner. His zeal to perform, to sincerely entertain the audience is the reason he’s able to live up to the demands of his life on the fast lane.

“I’m out of the country almost every other month for weeks to promote my new album, ‘Romance Revisited’ in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Hopefully more Asian countries will open their doors soon,” he says. So far, he has recorded five albums. Just recently, he performed at the Pattaya International Music Festival where other big stars from Asia also showcased their talents. With his many appearances in other countries, Christian has been called “Asia’s Pop Idol.”

He adds, “In Indonesia, we are talking to some movie producers for possible projects together in movies and on TV.” In the Philippines, Christian put his acting mettle to the test when he appeared in the movie Mano Po 5 and a teleserye entitled Kampañerang Kuba.

Christian is a household name in Indonesia. Long before he personally appeared on the music scene of Indonesia, the people of this Muslim country had fallen in love with his first phenomenal song, Andrew Fromm and Keith Follese’s “The Way You Look at Me.” This song brought his self-titled album to triple platinum status in 2004...

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