GARY V MOVING TO US?

GARY V

Another talented artist moving to the US is Gary Valenciano. Last year, it was April Boy who brought the entire family to California while Jim Paredes of the APO HIKING Society migrated to Australia.

Gary Valenciano, said goodbye to his fans recently during a free concert at the Ayala Center here ... but not before he and his son Gab rocked the hall and sent them cheering.

Gary said it could be his last performance in Cebu for a long while, since his family was moving to the United States and staying for the first full quarter of the year.

Gary wowed young and old alike, as he always did when he came around. They sang with him when he dished out his popular ballads, and rocked to the beat when he shifted to a dance mode.

Showdown

His “dance showdown” with Gabriel, or “Gab,” proved he could still shake it. To the crowd’s applause, he sang “Wait Forever,” carrier single of his latest album, “Relevance.” The song was composed by Cebuano Jude Gitamondoc, who did five of the songs in the album.

In a press conference after the concert, Gary V said the plan to relocate to the US came about after a meeting with songwriter/record producer Craig Jensen and an offer of the Jesus Is Lord Movement (JIL) for him to do a 45-city world tour.

Jensen, who brought Fra Lippo Lippi to the country recently, had urged Gary to reach a wider audience for his gospel songs.

It’s time

Gary said JIL’s offer convinced him it was time to do just that. In March or April next year, the tour starts, he said. In between, he will be doing some recordings.

Gary said he was excited about the planned move, “to promote my inspirational songs there,” but admitted he was finding it difficult to leave old friends behind. And so for him, he said, the prospect is “bittersweet.”

In the US, the singer said, he intended to study music production and sound engineering—for both CD and film.