Yeng Constantino rocked the house down at Aneheim, Cali

Rock princess? For one night last July 21, she was the rock queen who brought the house down in Anaheim, California.

Yeng Constantino is fairly known in this side of the world, yet, quite surprisingly, a throng of die-hard fans came in droves to catch her perform live along with guests Makisig Morales, Ronnie Liang, Jay-R Siaboc, RJ Jimenez and Luis Manzano. A group of not-too-young ladies were even heard singing along with her when she was singing her signature hits, Hawak Kamay and Pangarap Lang.

She burst into the Philippine mainstream music industry when she was proclaimed grand dreamer in the hit ABS-CBN talent-reality show Pinoy Dream Academy (PDA). The show,

loosely patterned after the equally hit Pinoy Big Brother series, showcases a group of aspiring singers as they go through a series of tests and training while fans vote by text for their favorite dreamer.

The petite singer, a dead ringer for Angelica Panganiban, is only 18. But on stage, she transforms into a performer way, way beyond her age. She exudes a natural confidence that would belie the fact that she is doing her first major solo concert in America.

At Heritage Forum in Anaheim (the same venue where Sarah Geronimo will perform on Sept. 1), Yeng held the audience captive for nearly two hours with a lively mix of her hit compositions and an impressive suite of alternative rock songs.

“I will never become a diva,” she proclaimed amid loud cheers from a crowd who welcomed her as if she’s the new voice of modern Filipino music. She has that angst-ridden appeal of a rock star when she performs yet transforms to an innocent, carefree teenager when she renders transitions between songs. She behaves like a wild child when she performs yet admits to not even having had any boyfriend. She has that appeal that could easily cross over to the AB market, although she is most proud of her CD upbringing. “I may look rich but I come from a poor family,” she says.

Last July 20, this writer had a short chat with Yeng during a private dinner hosted by one of L.A.’s most successful concert producers, Alfonso “Tito Al” Chu at his residence in Anaheim where big stars like Angel Locsin (who came with friends Cogie Domingo and L.A.-based former UMD dancer Brian Furlow) had stopped by to say hello. Angel stayed for a few minutes and left to catch an early morning flight to London. She was radiant and smiled when asked about the huge media frenzy back home behind her move from GMA 7 to ABS-CBN. But I digress.

Asked how she describes her PDA stint, Yeng replies a terse “Astig!” I would later discover she popularized this expression during her Pinoy Dream Academy run.

Tough, indeed, was her struggle to have her voice heard. “I started joining singing contests when I was nine. At 14, I started auditioning for TV shows but I always got rejected,” Yeng recalls. “PDA was the only show that gave me my break.”

The youngest in a brood of five, Yeng had to give up school for financial reasons and started singing with a band for P250 per gig.

“My dad would always accompany me to my gigs. We had a self-imposed deadline that if I turned 18 and nothing comes out of my attempts at hitting the mainstream, I would have to give it up and return to school,” she reveals.

Pinoy Dream Academy proved to be the turning point in her (and her family’s). At nearly the same time she was set to start her PDA stint, their house was demolished and her entire family had to relocate with only P10,000 as remuneration. As fate would have it, Yeng won a house and lot that came along with her winning the grand prize. “I feel so blessed that the Lord gave me this chance to help my family.”

Yeng’s humble background also captured the hearts of an adoring public, hungry for another performer who came from their ranks. And it was not only in the Philippines where she gained a loyal following. In the US, a group of admirers started an on-line fan club that has steadily grown and was able to pack almost half the capacity of the 1,300-seater arena.

“Her debut concert is on track with Sarah’s first solo concert in L.A.,” exclaims Tito Al. “I am excited for this girl.”

Tito Al, who was instrumental in making Sarah huge concert artist in America, promised to bring her back again.

On concert night, Luis opened the show to swoons of delight from girls in the audience. Luis was later joined by Makisig, the front act performer.

Makisig, more popular in the US as Super Inggo than as a singer, rendered three songs before the crowd finally got to hear the fresh new voice coming out of the Philippine music scene today.

Yeng, clad in chic, funky attire, started with her giggly-tuner Time In and the earnest, melodious Pangarap Lang.

Then she rocked! This writer became an instant fan.

She prepared three suites of alternative rock songs. When Yeng covered Alanis Morissette’s Uninvited, she sang it with passion and daring, one would think she was singing her heart out to someone.

Her impressive vocal styling recalls that of Amy Lee, lead vocalist of Evanescence. When she finally did the cover of Lee’s Bring Me to Life, Yeng just completely blew everyone away. Her contemporary vibe sets her apart from many young singers who have performed in the US before her. She covers a myriad of musical genres from Disney pop to teenybopper love songs, from Kelly Clarkson’s pop-rock to Dido’s alternative rock. Yeng does it all, and she does it so well.

In-between her sets, her three co-dreamers performed their respective hits. To no one’s surprise, they all sang really well. The crowd had a hard time choosing which one to give the loudest cheers to.

But among the guests featured, a special unannounced performer came onstage to her fans’ utter glees. Sheryn Regis made a surprise appearance in support of Yeng and rendered three songs that showcased her stratospheric vocal range. Seasoned performer that she is, she engaged the crowd with her Bisaya antics and proudly announced that she received a visa that allows her to perform uninterrupted, if she wants to, in the US for two years.

But the night belonged to Yeng. Given another year, she could command the same audience size the likes of Sarah and Regine Velasquez do now.

Yeng’s US concert tour continues for another month with stops in four more cities across the US.
Raymond de Asis Lo, L.A. Correspondent
Philippine Star