ni Julie Bonifacio @Winner | Oct. 14, 2024
Photo: Raymond Lauchengco - Sharon Cuneta / FB
First celebrity crush ni Raymond Lauchengco si Megastar Sharon Cuneta. ‘Yan ang inamin ni Raymond sa mediacon ng kanyang major concert titled Raymond Lauchengco: Just Got Lucky (JGL) in celebration of his 40th anniversary in showbiz.
Inilunsad as a male lead star si Raymond sa iconic teen movie na Bagets noong ‘80s. Kasama niya sa Bagets sina William Martinez (na pinakasikat na heartthrob during the 80s and revealed na siya pala ang nag-suggest ng title), JC Bonnin, Herbert Bautista at Aga Muhlach.
Ang Just Got Lucky naman ay kabilang sa soundtrack ng Bagets movie. Ilan pa sa mga sikat na kanta ni Raymond ay ang I Need You Back, Farewell, So, It’s You at ang classic song na Saan Darating Ang Umaga? na likha ni George Canseco.
Bilang baguhang artista ay pinalad siya na makasama sa pelikula sina Megastar Sharon Cuneta (Cross My Heart at Bukas Luluhod Ang Mga Tala) and Diamond Star Maricel Soriano (Saan Darating ang Umaga), separately.
“Sharon discovered me, a lot of people didn’t know that. Uh, she was actually my first celebrity crush and at that time, she’s going to IS (International School),” pagri-reveal ni Raymond sa mediacon ng JGL na ginanap sa East Palace.
Napansin daw si Raymond ni Mega kasama ang parents and siblings ng singer-actor. Since siya lang daw ang only guy among his sisters, kaya napansin siya.
Kuwento ni Raymond, “She goes, ‘Who’s that?’ ‘Oh, that’s my son.’ Siyempre, may yabang-yabang. And then, I was cast in her movies, I stayed where she was recording. So, Sharon started it all for me.
“And can you imagine was it like for me to be this close with my first celebrity crush? You know, in front of the camera singing with her, it was awesome.
“But, you know, later on, just like Sharon, Maricel became a very, very good friend to me. And she called me a lot, you know. She was uh, ‘You should always know where the camera is. You should always look for the light.’ She always told me things that only seasoned actors can really know about.
“But the first encounter?! Uhm…. not so thrilling! Not so thrilling!”
Invited daw sa JGL concert ni Raymond ang mga nakasama niya sa Bagets and hopefully, ang Diamond Star na si Maricel.
“Uh, well, the girls have confirmed. Si Aga wants to go. He’ll be here in Manila. Herbert is kinda busy with his stuff. But, they’re all invited and I would love it if they will be there because this is surely about them.
“Alam mo, tama si GR (Girlie Rodis, his manager and one of the producers of JGL concert), I was not hinged on celebrating my 40th anniversary. It never really occurred to me, initially. Because I didn’t want it to be about me.
“It only makes sense when I realized it wasn't about me. It’s about the audiences I sing for, it’s about them, it’s about you. It’s about saying thank you to them.
“So, that’s what I like to celebrate and that also includes the ‘Bagets.’ I’m hoping that they will come.”
Ginanap ang mediacon ng Raymond Lauchengco, Just Got Lucky sa East Ocean Palace Restaurant sa Parañaque City last October 2.
Isa sa special guest performers sa concert ni Raymond ay si Bituin Escalante. Ang direktor ng JGL ay si Waya Gallardo na anak ng batikang singer na si Celeste Legaspi, habang si Marvin Querido (formerly of Neocolors) ang musical director.
“It’s my way of giving thanks because these are the people who have been the same to me for the last 40 years and who continue to listen to me so I really, really want to express my gratitude,” lahad niya.
“And the way I feel I can best achieve that is by bringing my audiences back to the time where it all started. The fabulously fun '80s.
“So the show is going to be an ‘80’s show where I’ll not just be singing my hits but songs and beloved ballads from the ‘80’s and to make it really fun, I’m going to be doing fast songs with dancers which I am not known for. So I will be needing your prayers,” ngiti ni Raymond.
Nabanggit din ni Raymond ang mga pinagkaabalahan niya nu’ng panahon na hindi siya masyadong active sa showbiz.
“The problem with life is that it’s too short for all of one’s dreams and I’ve had many, many dreams. Unfortunately, sometimes that would mean having to put singing in the backseat. Because I wanted to become a professional photographer. My dream was to do exhibits and have a studio. And so I gave myself time to explore that creative restlessness,” lahad ni Raymond.
Dagdag pa niya, “And then all of a sudden, I wanted to become a director. Why? Because all my mentors were directors. So I wanted to experience what it would be like stepping into those shoes. Lo and behold, that took 20 years for me. I directed over 500 projects, including film and theater, lots of concerts, etc.
“And then during the pandemic, I got forced to stop, everything stopped. The thing is, I have always gone back to singing because singing is my first love and one of the reasons why we are calling this show JGL is because every time I return to singing, audiences embrace me. Without judgment, without question. So feeling ko talaga, I’m very lucky. The more appropriate term is, I’ve been very, very blessed. I don’t think we can accomplish all our dreams in one lifetime so I think we have time. I’ve gotten to a point in my life where most of the restlessness has settled. I’ve tried pretty much all the major things that I’ve wanted to try,” pag-amin pa ni Raymond.
Grab na your tickets, baka magkaubusan. Marami na kasi ang excited na mapanood si Raymond for his solo major concert.
