Nonoy Zuñiga marks 50 years in the music business

MANILA, Philippines, August 11 ------ Nonoy will mark 50 years in a one-night concert, ‘Beyond Gold,’ on Sept. 5 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater (NPAT). His set list will include the songs that he has been singing or hearing since he was born (71 years ago on May 4, 1954) up to the present time. Nonoy’s stellar guests in the concert include Kuh Ledesma, whom he alternated with at El Camarote Bar of Holiday Inn with their respective bands Family Birth Control for him and Ensalada for Kuh back in the ‘70s, and Lani Misalucha, whom Nonoy met in recording at the height of his career. “She was doing Natalie Cole and Mariah Carey covers in the ‘80s,” Nonoy said of Lani.

His fellow Hitmakers — Rey Valera and Marco Sison — will also join him in “Beyond Gold.” Through the years, The Hitmakers have supported each other’s concerts even when Rico J. Puno and Hajji Alejandro were still around. “Dahil ‘yan sa matinding pangangailangan,” joked Nonoy. “But we’re really friends. So, we’re always there for each other, supporting each other’s concerts.” Their jokes through the years have been embraced by their audience, even if most of the punch lines were laugh-out-loud moments for the crowd. Their friendship has grown deeper since 2003, when they started as The Hitmakers.

“Before that, we just knew each other, but we were not really close friends, as in we didn’t go out at night,” said Nonoy. “When we had gigs, we didn’t go out together after. When The Hitmakers started, we did that.” “I’ve been thinking about this concert for a long time,” added Nonoy. “Parang matanda na kasi dahil 50th year, not in showbiz, but in the singing profession.”

While he has recorded a number of songs in the past, Nonoy does not think he will still return to recording originals. “Iba na kasi ngayon ang recording,” he lamented. “May social media, may Spotify. But I will still drop an album maybe next year.” Nonoy will also sing Basang Basa sa Ulan, which he recorded in 1981 before Aegis made the tune popular.

Megastar Sharon Cuneta is the “dream” guest of Nonoy in “Beyond Gold.” For some reason, Nonoy has not managed to get Sharon to perform with him onstage since they recorded Init sa Magdamag, the theme song of Laurice Guillen’s dramatic film with Lorna Tolentino, Dindo Fernando and Joel Torre (1983). That’s why Nonoy wanted Sharon to guest in his concert.

He also dreams of getting Star for All Seasons Vilma Santos with whom he previously did the film, “Never Ever Say Goodbye” (1982), directed by Gil Portes. And even Regine Velasquez who re-imagined Ryan Cayabyab’s Araw Gabi, a song that Nonoy originally recorded in 1985. He remains thankful that his fans, supporters and friends are still around who are willing to give their support to him. “While they are here, I will also be around,” he said. “I always tell them, ‘I hope we can still last for a long time.’ We will see each other in more shows.” When he is not busy with gigs in Manila, Nonoy is usually abroad, where his kids are residing. He has five children with his former wife, from whom he separated in 2015.

Although he completed medicine, he never got to practice it after he got busy with his singing career. “I really had to choose the time,” he said. “Maybe if you were in my place, you (would) also choose singing.” “You were at the crossroads of having US concerts where you would earn dollars or go to your clinic to treat patients,” Nonoy said. “But I still love to treat people, especially when they’re sick.”

In the five decades that he has been in showbiz, Nonoy admitted to having lowest and highest points in his personal life and career. “I got separated in 2015,” he shared. “For two to three years, I had to adjust. I completely disappeared from the entertainment scene. Even sa Hitmakers, I stopped performing.” Nonoy had a mental health problem when his separation happened. What happened was a bit traumatic for him, but a new love allowed him to recover from the pain. Yet, the highest moment is when he is with his adult children, who are all based in the US.

Source: philstar.com