About

Hey there!

Glad you could come by and check out my website! Here is the 411 on me:

BEGINNINGS

I was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I am the first of three children to Filipino parents. After 6 months adjusting to the world around me, we moved to a suburb in the east end where I would grow up with my brothers.

Around the age of four, my mother brought me to the Yamaha music schools, where I would spend 6 months learning the ABCs of piano. I did not really feel comfortable with my piano teacher, that much I can tell you.

I dropped out of piano school after some confusion with my schedule – i had an early piano lesson and to a kid, it still means the same thing in timing. When I finished my class, i didn’t see my parents. I had thought they would never come back. So at the age of four, I walked home on my own.

For the next couple of years, I worked on my art skills. I took an interest in Charlie Brown and Snoopy.

The turning point came in the sixth grade, when a girl in my class was playing piano. I was very much interested in her, and thought that if I could play piano, I might be able to ask her out.

So at the age of 12, I went back to piano lessons and spent more time learning.

Turns out that even though I was able to connect with her, I was too shy to ask her out. So I spent more time on the piano than I did working on asking her out.

One weekend during that time, I discovered that I had perfect pitch, which is the ability to recognize pitches without the use of an instrument. I also found that I could imagine up songs and actually play them out; whatever was in my head would end up on the piano keys.

HIGH SCHOOL MULTIMEDIA YEARS

In High School (Stephen Leacock Collegiate), I took courses in Music, Visual Art, Multimedia and Television Production. In fact, I probably spent more time in the Music and the Television production departments than in any other area of the school. For hours, I’d either show my music teacher a new music composition I came up with, or show my Television teacher a new computer animation I did on a Commodore Amiga, which to me, was the best multimedia computer system ahead of its time.

I’d work on cartoon animations that would be broadcast on air and even at our school concerts. My dream was to do it all – Music, Animation, Cinematography, you name it. I wanted to make my own computer animated movies with my own music.

After graduating from high school, I later went to study at the Ontario College of Art and Design, mostly because I wanted to get a job in design and not have to make music become a boring study; I wanted it to be fun.

MUSIC CAREER

After I graduated from College and started work as a designer, I saved up every penny I could to build my recording studio.

I eventually worked with a couple of singers and produced my first CD. Not a financially affordable endeavour, but it was something to start with.

I later got to work on a compilation CD with Jim Stoeber, a fellow producer from Winnipeg, whom I later became friends with. We’ve worked on over 5 CD projects since.

Besides Winnipeg, my work has also spanned the other side of the globe – Europe. I got the pleasure to work with a young artist by the name of Jamie Stevens in Cologne, Germany. We’ve worked on over three albums together, some of them hitting the charts in Cologne.

All of the producing, collaborating and songwriting was fun, but I wanted to venture more into another world that I had been wanting to try for so long, which was to be a singer-songwriter and performer. With this, I enrolled in singing lessons with the Royans School for the Performing arts. I was so happy with the results that I decided that this was going to be the school for me.

I later met my future significant other, Chyrell Samson (a local singer) and produced her first debut CD. Upon discovering that I could sing, she and I worked together as performers for many events and functions. So many doors were opened from there. We were also known for singing “The Prayer” at many weddings.

Through the Royans School, I got a chance to work with many students and talented artists. The one student that I worked with but never knew much about his background was Brian Melo. We recorded harmonies together at Metalworks Studios in Mississauga, Ontario. Jokingly, i always forgot his name, but he never forgot mine.

On September 11th, 2007, I definitely would not forget his name because he was later crowned Canadian Idol. There is a saying that you never know who you’ll work with or associate with – because everyone is a potential star.

So, that’s pretty much my biography. In a nutshell, I am Singer, Songwriter, Keyboard and Piano Player, Composer, Arranger, Producer and Recording Engineer. In short, a musician with many hats, but a musician nevertheless.

My mission is to be able to leave every gig and every recording that I do with audiences having a smile on their face. Smiling because they were touched and inspired, understood and comforted, and most of all, enjoyed the musical experience that I created for them.

ON HEALTH AND WELLNESS

I’m a huge believer in health and wellness as well. I do whatever I can to practice it. Part of what makes my mission, to leaving smiles on people’s faces, is to also have them feel better about themselves and to feel better in general. Which is why I promote and encourage a healthier and better life.

Nowadays, everyone is into achieving better health, wellness and even helping save the planet and environment. Imagine, in 2001 it wasn’t that popular to get into health, wellness and the environment. But that all changed when 2005 came around.

I am also an Independent distributor of health, wellness and environmentally friendly products, which for over 52 years has helped changed people’s lives for the better.  I’ve helped people accomplish goals in the areas of weight management, immunity, flu, colds, bone strength, sports nutrition, even earning an extra income.

In the year 2000, my sickness of constant coughing got worse and worse, to the point where I had shingles and also couldn’t control my hacking and coughing, which would go on for a good 120 days in the winter months. I’d take cough medicine every 10 minutes and even an inhaler. I’ve actually had the sickness for most than 20 years. When I made the decision to practice natural health and wellness, things changed and i was stronger and healthier than ever before. In fact, since 2001, I never needed prescription medicine or an inhaler ever again.

ON FINANCIAL FREEDOM AND LIFESTYLE

I believe that everyone, including Musicians and Artists, should seriously start looking into improving both their health and their financial lifestyles. The days of the glamorous rockstar lifestyle, with all the booze, the smoking, recreational drugs and wildness are being replaced with something much better, more prosperous, healthier and with more longevity.

If you really want to know more and are seriously interested, visit my site now to inquire how you can improve your life, your finances and your health.

If you are a musician and artist also reading this, I highly recommend checking this out. You’ll live longer and be around longer to create your art and craft. The longer you’re around, the longer you’ll be appreciated, especially by new crowds who will appreciate you.

Thanks for visiting this site! Hope you enjoy the rest of it =)