Dubai: Musician and actor Aiza "Ice" Seguerra dropped by the Gulf News headquarters on Wednesday for a tete-a-tete ahead of the performer's concert on May 11 at Boracay club in Dubai.
Thrown in the conversation was the singer's top food cravings in the UAE, the recent departure from politics and what Filipino expatriates in the UAE should look forward to when they visit the Philippines next.
But first, we let Seguerra do a #Pinoy challenge. We put a collection of mystery words in a box that the singer-songwriter can pick up and then use in a song. Watch the video above or click here.
Seguerra has a big fan base in the UAE where the acoustic singer has been regularly performing in the last decade.
"I can't remember when I first visited Dubai but I remember it was January and it was very cold. Of course you guys now have more malls, more areas to go to. I'm just surprised at how things changed really fast here," the performer tells #Pinoy.
Read more #Pinoy stories in UAE
Most Filipino expatriates here grew up seeing Seguerra on television where the actor first shot to fame as a child star before pursuing a career in music. The actor also had a two-year stint in politics before quitting the post of National Youth Commission chairman last month.
Here are more takeaways from our interview with the actor and musician:
WHAT'S NEW
I resigned from government, so now I'm a private citizen again. I am coming out with new songs but it will be released on Spotify so it will be easier for people to access.
NAME CHANGE
I've always been "Ice" since I was in high school. So I didn't really think of it as something new. But yes, this year was the first time I really told everyone to call me by that name. But it's a name that I've used since I was in high school. It's what my friends call me.
Seguerra also talked a bit about politics...
Politics is not for me, so that's why I stopped. It's worse than show business.
LESSON FROM STINT IN POLITICS
There's still a lot of good people working in government, it's just that people don't notice them because the spotlight is always on those corrupt politicians.
DEALING WITH DETRACTORS
I'm not one to please anyone. I'm not confrontational either. If they don't like me, I leave them be.
And took us back to how the actor started in show business
ON BEING CHILD STAR
I didn't plan it all. Being a child star, you need to be good in acting and you have to be cute.
SHOWBIZ LOVE TEAM
Obviously I'm not a "love team" material but I tried that. It didn't happen.
FORAY INTO MUSIC
I was 7 years old when my mum forced me to do voice lessons. I didn't want to but she insisted. When I was in Grade 6, I learned how to play the guitar. Just to be cool, not because I was thinking of being a musician. Then my mum asked me to do gigs. Just me and my guitar. I was so embarassed at first. I thought no one was interested. But then people started taking notice and I got invited back into TV shows. And then an album came out.
FIRST ALBUM
I actually didn't want to do an album. Then Pagdating ng Panahon happened and everything just followed.
ON SONG WRITING
I'm very insecure about my writing and at the same time I am so sensitive about it. The tendency is if you write something and you put it out, people tend to criticise and that part I wasn't ready before but now I'm kind of trying to overcome that.
CAREER LOWS
There was a time when I thought my career wasn't taking off. I thought maybe I'll take a vocational course that I can work on because I'm the breadwinner in the family.
CELEBRITY FRIENDS
I have very few celebrity friends. I am close with musicians like Juris. We love to eat and talk when we are together.
We also talked about Seguerra's travel tips and wishlist.
TRAVEL TIPS FOR FILIPINO EXPATS
Definitely not Manila. Go to the provinces. Boracay island has shut down but I've heard from locals that it's so pristine and beautiful now. Imagine in six months from now. There are so many beautiful places that haven't been discovered. I've been to Kalinga province and Sagada. Cagbalete Island is really nice. It's just a quick boat ride from Mauban, Quezon. Antique is also beautiful, with its waterfalls.
TRAVEL BUCKETLIST
There are so many places I want to visit. I loved hiking when I was still fit and I want to go back and do that. I haven't even been to Pulag. My friends were there and I got jealous just seeing their photos. I want to explore the entire Philippines.
The family-oriented star also talked about family time
FAMILY MOMENTS
I'm a home buddy. I could just watch films at home. My wife loves to cook, and my mum too. They're both great cooks.
FAMILY TIME
I really value family time. I see my parents are not getting any younger and I really want to at least be there for them and take care of them and their needs.
FAMILY SUPPORT
Actually I've been blessed with a family who supports me without questions asked. I'm not a big fan of explaining my decisions to people. I do it because I feel like doing it. So far they've been very supportive.
And of course, we talked about one of Ice's favourite subjects: Food
FAVOURITE FOOD
My wife's adobo. That's my favourite. Her pochero is also amazing. My mum cooks this amazing paksiw. That's my other favourite.
FOOD CRAVINGS IN UAE
I actually like this fast food restaurant called Taza. I really like the roast chicken. It's really good. I forgot the name of the chocolate that we can only buy here. It's green. Patchi. Yes! I love to eat.
PHILIPPINE FOOD TO TRY
In every locality there's a different dish that you need to try. I'm a big fan of sisig. Sigig ni Aling Lucing sa Pampanga. Then there's roasted chicken in Bacolod. Big, juicy chicken. You can pair that with grilled oysters that you can dip in soy sauce, vinegar and kalamansi mix.
COOKING
I love to eat, so it's a good partnership. This is a very symbiotic relationship wherein she cooks and I eat what she cooks.
FAVOURITE FOOD TO ORDER AT A RESTAURANT
Japanese. Filipino and Japanese. They're tied. But now I'm craving for Shake Shack.
On the actor's plans
I don't really plan things. I've lived my life without really planning things. I tried that before but life gives you other things. Planning is sometimes futile. Right now I'm easing my way back into music. I want to do my own stuff, doing things with the people who support me.
FILM DIRECTING
I've always wanted to direct. That was the plan back in 2016. My wife and I planned to do this film. She will write the script and I will direct. We even joined film making workshops just to learn. Everything was set, and then we got appointed to government positions. I hope to go back to that. I want to be a really good director and make films that are relevant but at he same time can capture an audience's attention. But who knows what's going to happen?
