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The language of Jaya’s soul

By Alwin M. Ignacio, Contributor

10/31/2009

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Following the success of her gold album Cool Change, Jaya, the country’s queen of soul, is back with a brand new collection entitled Real Love Stories. In this 14-track offering, the Queen of Soul beautifully renders her version of carefully selected song revivals that tell the stories of life, love and how music stirs one’s soul.

“We wanted to follow up the first album, and luckily, it was a modest success,” says Jaya about her latest musical foray. “Cool Change was my first time to do a revival album and it was an experience I enjoyed to the hilt. I wanted to do another one. We recorded this one when I was six months pregnant. It’s very hard to sing in your last trimester since at anytime you can give birth. And nakaraos naman kami after the 14th song.”

She adds: “I just wanted to sing songs that reflect the many aspects of life, and I just wanted to have an album that people will continuously listen to. And that every number might move them to tears, remember memories of failed love, of reconciliations. I just want to give these selections my own flavor — my own touch, so to speak.”

Jaya’s favorite tracks include “Finding Out the Hard Way,” saying, “This was one of the very first songs I performed professionally. Many people are not aware that it was my mom (Elizabeth Ramsey) who pushed me to become a singer Napilitan lang talaga ako at first; eventually, I realized that, indeed, mother knows best.”

On “I Will Survive,” Jaya says, “I intend to write a book about my life maybe when I turn 50. There are so many things that happened to me, and the Gloria Gaynor ditty fits the album to a tee. You see, my love story was… My first husband was American, and it was the best and worst thing that ever happened to me. The best kasi nakatikim din ako ng puti, the best talaga ‘yun,” she laughs heartily.

She continues, “He saved me from my lowest low, and yet it was also the worst. I thought he wanted children, but he did not. So we went our separate ways. What I’m sharing now is just the tip of the iceberg pero marami pa.”

On “Won’t Last a Day Without You,” Jaya explains, “This song is for my kids Sabriya and Dylan, and for my husband Gary. My growing up years can be best described as discombobulated. Being a mom and wife is probably the biggest achievement of my life. When I did not have them yet, I was just going with the flow. Kung ano ang nandiyan, go! Frankly, I have accepted the fact na okay lang if I don’t have kids, a partner, or malaos ako; I can always go back to America and work in K Mart or Macy’s. Now, I wake up in the morning knowing that these two kids are relying on me, so I had better clean my name. My heart has become bigger because of them. They gave me the sense to be good. Nagkaroon ako ng pagmamahal sa sarili, takot sa Diyos, and my greatest purpose now is to become a good mom.”

Admittedly “a work in progress” as a parent, Jaya says, “I’m in the entertainment business so my priority will be my work and my family, of course. Being a mother is a totally new experience for me. Everyday, I learn and discover something wonderful. For example, breast feeding. I breastfed Sabriya and Dylan, ang sarap-sarap ng feeling, especially when you hear them burp, then after a few days or weeks, you will see na jumujubis (or) your baby is getting fat. When Sabriya first called me mama, cry talaga ako. I am very, very happy as a woman. As a whole, my being now is bonggang-bongga!”

Though hers is a concept album, it is evident that Jaya has brought soul and romance to a whole new level. More than a compilation of memorable tunes, her latest musical offerings lead us to a journey where every wound, scratch, slap, tear, smile or kiss suddenly has a “theme song.” Jaya’s Real Love Stories gives us all that, and more!

Released by GMA Records, Jaya’s Real Love Stories available in Astroplus, Astrovision, SM Record Bars and Odyssey Music Video outlets nationwide.