Christian Bautista dreams of duets with local stars across Asia
BY ROME JORGE
LIFESTYLE EDITOR- MANILA TIMES
Tuesday, 24 November 2009 00:00

The man who led the most recent Filipino invasion of Southeast Asia is set to release a duet in Bahasa Indonesia of “Please Be Careful” with local star Bunga Citra Lestari.

Christian Bautista, a man who inspires fans throughout the region to swoon and sing along, is already talking in their language. “In Indonesia, even though I’m there infrequently, I’m still well received when I sing,” he attests.

Already the duet has been recorded. In an exclusive interview with The Manila Times, Bautista reveals that he is set to fly back to Indonesia in January to shoot the song’s music video.

Bautista’s inroads into Southeast Asia mirror the success and renown that Filipino show bands and singers have earned across the region. From Kuala Lumpur to Shanghai, hotels, bars, nightclubs and other musical venues draw in patrons by prominently advertising that their performers are Filipino. Already, being Filipino is equated with virtuosity and verve.

The crooner further reveals that his Indonesian collaboration is but a first step. He confides, “I want to collaborate with every successful singer in every country in the region.”

Asked if he plans to replicate abroad his forays into acting for local television and theater, Bautista responds, “If they have offers, I would [take them]—guest appearances as much as possible, shows either on TV or live so I can be closer to them.”

Bautista’s most recent album was a collaboration with a Filipino whose appeal stretches across Asia: Jose Mari Chan. “With this album [Romance Revisited: The Love Songs Of Jose Mari Chan], I think I’ve worked with the best of the best. This album went platinum just a few weeks. I was just dreaming [of working] with Jose Marie Chan, Regine Velasquez, Lani Misalucha and Sarah Geronimo all in one album. Now it has come true,” he notes.

However, Bautista confesses that there is till one dream duet he has yet to sing—one with a Filipina of global renown. “I want to have a song with Lea Salonga,” Christian Bautista confides.