A chart-topping new music video. The honour of being named Ambassador of Rock. What else can multi-award winning pop-rock artist Yeng Constantino possibly ask for?
“I’ve never had a boyfriend... I’m really asking God to bring that person into my life, maybe this year or next year,” Constantino told tabloid!.
The pop-rock singer was in Dubai for a post-Philippine Independence Day celebration on Friday. Her Facebook page, which has gotten almost 900,000 likes, was busy as she posted pictures of herself in the emirate—one with the Burj Khalifa in the background, and another of a recent purchase: a black, studded Alexander McQueen handbag. “My favourite is anything with studs and skulls,” she said, showing this writer the studded, gold loop earring she was wearing.
Shopping is a temporary high and the red-haired rocker — this year’s Favourite Female Artist at the MYX Music Awards — admits “it’s hard to be alone”, with only her personal assistant to keep her company most of the time. “I want someone who I can talk to about my problems and visions in life. So [I’m] just praying about it.”
Constantino stirred excitement among fans when she recently posted on Facebook a picture of herself and actor Enchong Dee, her leading man in the music video Chinito, the second single from her album Metamorphosis. Chinito is a term referring to a Filipino with Chinese ancestry. Chinitos have strong Chinese facial features.
“The song really tells what my type of guy is. Well, I really like guys with small eyes. I think they’re very charming. So when I was writing the song and I closed my eyes and thought of a leading man, he was the first guy to pop into my mind,” Constantino said.
And what was it like with Dee? “He’s easy to work with. I could talk to him… that’s how I felt,” Constantino said. But whether their pairing will turn into something romantic, only time can tell. Time that, admittedly, Constantino has little of. On Saturday, she was due to travel to Bahrain for another post-Independence Day celebration organised by The Filipino Channel.
After that, she will be busy preparing for a concert with rock star Bamboo at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila in August. “That’s a dream come true for me,” she said, adding that performing alongside Bamboo is nerve-wracking but challenging at the same time. “When he performs it’s like he’s bringing you to another dimension… I don’t know if I am going to have that same intensity of performance.”
A December birthday concert is in the works. The singer-songwriter is also working on a new album, while giving serious thought to her latest role as Academy of Rock’s new ambassador. She is the first Filipino to be given the recognition by the academy, Singapore’s only music school dedicated to rock.
“My albums are like my diaries. I write songs that I’ve experienced. And I want to share my experience with people through my songs… I want to inspire young people to pursue their dreams and be who they really are,” she said.
Constantino has been more outwardly self-expressive this year, dyeing her hair red for one thing. “I dyed my hair because I want to try something that would excite me for my next album,” she said. “I feel this is the season where I’m so passionate and so focused on what I’m doing. And my hair represents what I feel inside and I want to keep it this way.”
