Me & Gary V.

Several years ago, through my then boyfriend, I discovered Gary Valenciano, Filipino pop star extrodinaire. He has a beautiful voice. Ballads might be what wins him awards but dancing is what made him a household name. He performed here in Nashville this weekend and did a couple of routines with his 18-year-old son Gabriel. Um, wow. ("My daddy can pop-and-lock better than your daddy!") It was fabulous fun.

Early on, in my "Gary V. discovery" stage, two songs in particular stole my heart: Sana Maulit Muli (Tagalog) and Could You Be Messiah. The first is a love song about loss. The second is about a guy who's grappling with whether or not to accept Christ. I've been a fan ever since. (Love stories and Jesus--Ha! Does anything else matter?)

The last time Gary & co. (wife Angeli, et al.) were in the area, I had a chance to share a meal with them. They are such fabulously approachable people, very humble and very kind. It's so strange to think that they get mobbed when they're in the Philippines! It was nice seeing them again and seeing that their graciousness had nothing but increased in the past four years.

If nothing else, check out the video of Gary and Gab. Very cute. (Yeah to house music remixes!) It's a brief taste of the show they gave Sunday night.

[Read it in The Tennessean.]