Poppert Bernadas goes 'Solo Pop'
Shortly after the start of the show, he said he felt like a debutante.
After 18 years of being a member of the Ryan Cayabyab Singers, he was leaving his “family” to go out on his own. It’s not that Poppert Bernadas never performed without RCS, since he had been a well- known voice in musical theater for the past 15 years or so, starring in a number of musical theater pieces, including PETA’s blockbuster Rak of Aegis. More recently, he starred in Alice Reyes Dance Philippines’ production of the musical dance classic Rama Hari, collaborated on by five National Artists: Ryan Cayabyab for Music composing the score, Alice Reyes for Dance doing the choreography; Rolando Tinio for Theater and Literature translating the lyrics to English; Bienvenido Lumbera for Literature doing the text and lyrics in Tagalog; and Salvador Bernal for Theater and Design, for sets and costumes. With his powerful voice, he brought the house down with his portrayal of the villain, Ravana, highlighted in a review as “the most unforgettable… spine-tingling vocals” that “added to the delectable villainy.” Cayabyab, Poppert’s mentor, describes him as “a unique Filipino talent… gifted with an extraordinary voice quality and range and excellent artistry.”
For the July 12 concert at Music Museum, the reviews were once again justified with Poppert’s first-ever one-night-only concert entitled “Solo Pop.” Performing his favorite or personally significant songs, Poppert’s performance went beyond expectations, opening with Nina Simone’s Feelin’ Good, a choice, he said, that expressed his feelings—”Its’s a new day, it’s a new life for me… birds flying high…sun in the sky”—with a positive burst of independence. It was followed by his invitation to his audience to “relax and join my company” expressed in Benson Boone’s Mystical Magic.
Just from these two teaser songs, the audience was set for Poppert’s journey into a genre I suspect he is most attracted to: pop rock. It’s a genre and a literacy gleaned from his musical theater experience.
He started with a tribute to his mentor, Maestro Cayabyab, which included the heart-wrenching Iduyan Mo, tackling the high notes with his signature belt. This was followed by a musical theater suite with numbers from Poppert’s early role in the musical theater piece Rak of Aegis that featured the pop rock songs by the band Aegis: Basang Basa sa Ulan and Luha. Here, Poppert turns up the gruffer rock vocal tones, giving the songs necessary edge. The suite ended, nonetheless, on a nostalgic note with the Judy Garland hit Somewhere Over the Rainbow, resonating with the older members of the audience.
Poppert also featured originals. Two compositions, Sana Ako Nalang and Kung Hindi na Kaya, written by Gino Cruz (music) and Toto Sorioso (lyrics), were premiered that night, alongside Bitaw, composed by Jesper Mercado (music) and Poppert himself (lyrics). That song was a duet with Regine Velasquez, who recorded the number with him. Regine’s trademark has always been her belted notes (in local parlance, "birit"). In the duet, the singers’ high vocal ranges complemented one another. It was a well-marked cameo for Regine, and Poppert’s first stage appearance with the singer known as “Asia’s Songbird,” the “Queen of Pop” and “Whistle Queen of Asia.”
The next suite featured songs by Barbara Streisand and Barry Manilow, highlighted by Streisand’s The Way We Were and Manilow’s Even Now, rendered in what might be termed as ‘80s “theatrical pop.” Poppert’s vocal range managed the colorations of style—from Streisand’s Broadway influences to Manilow’s more romantic, sentimental side—while maintaining his unique brand of breathing through the phrases.
A set of six songs, by perhaps the most popular composer of the OPM generation, George Canseco, popularized by Basil Valdez, were next— Hanggang sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggang, Paano Ba Ang Mangarap, Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan, Kung Ako’y Liwan Mo, and the iconic Ngayon at Kailan Man—and Poppert deftly tackled Valdez’s delivery, depth and, most importantly, distinct phrasing. To call it ”hugot” does not quite do justice to this impalpable approach to song interpretation.
Not to be ignored was a Gen Z medley of songs by 23-year-old singer and composer Zack Tabudlo, whose record-breaking hit Binibini enjoyed exposure in Billboard magazine not only in the Philippines but in other Southeast Asian countries as well. Poppert’s falsetto manages to somehow mimic a warm embrace when he gets to the part: “Isayaw mo ako sa gitna ng ulan…”
Towards the end of the show, Poppert gave a loving tribute to his mother who passed away in 2018 and whose absence he feels to this day. Mama Ko composed by Maestro Ryan and Payakap composed by Toto Sorioso both featured lyrics written by Poppert as a testimony to his love for his mother, originating from a letter he once wrote to her. Payakap pleads for that warm embrace he so misses.
As an upbeat denouement, Poppert offered a medley of two songs by a band that helped spearhead Philippine alternative rock sometime in the ‘90s: Rivermaya, led by Rico Blanco and singer, Bamboo. Himala, with its wishful-thinking lyrics that go beyond reality, flowed into Kisapmata, with lyrics playfully grieving over fleeting love. Popper tied that theme to the possible threat of short-lived popularity or celebrity—the so-called “15 minutes of fame” in the entertainment field.
The show ended with two medleys that speak of moving forward despite the odds: Tuloy Pa Rin, popularized by the Neocolors, and Tuloy Ka Lang. As the final medley, Bawat Daan by Ebe Dancel was followed by Maestro Cayabyab’s composition Nais Ko, poetically enumerating high-flung desires, hopes and wishes. Ending on a happy note was the Queen encore Don’t Stop Me Now and a grateful Salamat.
Poppert Bernadas’ “Solo Pop” was more than a concert. There to cheer him on were friends from musical theater who not only applauded but sung along with him and gamely joined in the stage repartee when needed. Poppert’s choice of songs and curation fit into a personal narrative, and were clearly the by-products of a multi-leveled talent, one that can elicit a multitude of emotions over several entertainment genres.
