Wency in the UAE (Habang May Dubai redux)

By Quay Evano, Contributor
INQUIRER.net

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates–During the press conference of award-winning composer and rock balladeer (l-r) Wency Cornejo, sexy actress-turned-singer Ara Mina and saxophone player John Ray for their show in Dubai called “Rock Ballad, Soul and All That Jazz,” one of the members of the Filipino Press Club-UAE asked the three artists how they want to be remembered by people when they are no longer famous.

Wency quickly answered: “More than anything else, I think I will be remembered for my songs. I believe I have composed many songs that have touched the hearts of many Filipinos. For an artist, I believe that is what is important — to have a legacy in the lives of people. Even if I pass away, my songs will live on and in some sense, so will I.”

Yes, for millions of his Filipino fans, Wency Cornejo, the unique and soulful voice behind beautiful ballads such as “Habang May Buhay,” “Hanggang” and “Only You” and generation-defining rock anthems like “Next in Line,” “Mangarap Ka,” “Pagtawid” and “Panahon,” he will surely be remembered for his songs. His immortality is clearly defined in his music. But for most of his closest friends, it is his true friendship, more than his music that he will be remembered for… because that’s what he really is aside from being a true musician — he is a true friend.

It is what I always remember about Wency, being one of his closest friends back home and in Dubai. Without a doubt, I am one of his biggest fans not just because I am his friend, but because his music is obviously the work of a true musical artist and genius. His songs are true works of art — simply melodic, with lyrics that are profound and meaningful, and envelope you with their truthfulness every time you listen to them. But just like his music that has never ceased to touch me, it is his almost twenty-year-old friendship with me that has continually enveloped me with truthfulness. Our friendship perhaps is the biggest hit of our lives and the favorite song we like to listen to.

Here’s a photo of Wency and me.

The last time Wency was in Dubai in 2004, Burj Al Arab was still the icon of the city, construction and other developments in the city were still in their early stages, and I was still single, didn’t have a car and was working for a fashion company. Now, four years later, Dubai is known for having the world’s tallest building, the Burj Dubai; there is mind-boggling fast-paced construction everywhere; and I am happily married with two children (one of whom is Wency’s inaanak), own a car and work for another company. Many things have changed in the city and in our lives, but one thing that has remained constant is our friendship.

Here’s a photo of us with my wife and kids when Wency visited our flat.

You could also say whenever Wency is in Dubai, he performs magnificently for the homesick Filipino expatriates and that I am always here for my friend. Wency arrived in Dubai on March 10 after coming in from a show in Kuwait — his first time to perform there. It was his third time to be in Dubai, performing in 2003 and 2004, both for the Philippine Independence Day celebration, and this time he had more time to shop around, promote his and Ara’s show and just explore the city. It also gave us ample time to catch up on each other’s lives after not seeing each other for three years (the last time we saw each other was when he performed during my wedding reception in 2005).

Here’s a photo of Wency with members of the Filipino Press Club-UAE.

At Chi Garden.

And at the City Centre.

I learned from him that Afterimage is back with a new album that will be released after he gets back to Manila. (I knew since last year that they were back in the studio but he finally confirmed to me that they are ready to hit the airwaves again with some new singles). He let me listen to one of their songs, “Musikero,” and I was instantly blown away by it. He showed me the song’s music video on his iPhone and gave me a copy of their yet-to-be-released album “Our Place Under the Sun,” their fourth album but this time without the original lead guitarist Chuck Isidro, who is now with 6CycleMind, and original drummer, Rogie Callejo. Two new members have filled in for them but the sound of Afterimage is still the same or, actually, much better. With Wency’s voice driving the songs, it is plainly superb.

He asked me for my opinion on the album, if I liked it and how I rated it compared to their previous ones. I honestly told him that their third album “Bagong Araw” was still my favorite although it wasn’t commercially that successful. But I said that this new album could be as big or bigger than their platinum-award winning second output, the album “Tag-Ulan, Tag-Araw.” I’ve listened to the new songs that he and Arnold Cabalza, Afterimage’s keyboardist, have written in the album and I must say that they just grow on you. This album will clearly put Afterimage in their rightful “musical place under the sun.”

Four years ago, in my article about Wency’s second visit to Dubai published in what was then INQ7.net, using the titles of his famous songs, I wrote “tag-ulan man o tag-araw, habang may buhay at hanggang kailanman,” Wency and I will always be friends. Using the lines in his new ballad (the fourth song in the album), “Habang ako ay narito asahan mo ako ay kasalo, kung dumilim ang iyong mundo, kumapit ka sa kamay ko,” this time I write, as long as I am here, Dubai will always be Wency’s place under the sun… the Middle Eastern sun.

Editor’s note: Photos taken by Quay Evano

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