Ogie Alcasid, Odette Quesada bring back bigger ‘Q&A’

October 19 ------ Ogie Alcasid and Odette Quesada are bringing their collaborative concert “Q&A” back to Manila, promising a grander and more heartfelt version of the show that charmed audiences here and abroad.

Set for November 7 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, this ninth staging of the well-loved music-and-stories concept marks its most ambitious run yet — one filled with nostalgia, new arrangements, and a full-force celebration of Original Pilipino Music (OPM). “The sound will be amazing,” Ogie beamed during the media conference held at Okada Manila’s Glass Ballroom. “We’ve got a full band now — brass, strings, the whole ensemble. From a musician’s standpoint, that’s very exciting. You get the full effect, and it just makes the music come alive.”

Joining the conference via Zoom from California, where she is based and maintains a full-time job, Odette echoed Ogie’s enthusiasm. “This one’s definitely bigger and better,” she said. “We’re making it entirely OPM. During our US shows, we had to cut some of our non-Filipino material and realized that people connected more when we kept it close to home. So now, it’s a full-on tribute to the singer-songwriters we grew up with, and to the songs that shaped us.”

Q&A’s chemistry — that’s Quesada and Alcasid, of course — was instant, and what began in February 2024 as their first time performing together has since become a cornerstone of their wildly successful concert series. Alcasid shared how, after each show, they would regroup and marvel at how smoothly everything clicked. “Every time we perform together, there’s a comfort level. I just look at Odette onstage, and she gets my jokes and even plays off them. It’s just fun. Her mind is always working, and she has such a sharp, grounded take on lifestyle,” Ogie enthused.

Odette added, “Even if we don’t see each other between shows, when we get onstage, it’s like picking up from a conversation we left off 35 years ago. I always feel like I’m with my best friend. Don’t tell Kevin that!” she quipped, referring to her real-life partner. Bouncing off the show’s title, the question was raised whether great songwriters like them are always searching for life’s big answers in order to write a song. Alcasid shared that for him, songwriting has always been intensely personal, admitting, “Everything I wrote is my life in a nutshell.”

In contrast, Odette explained that her process can begin from anything — an overheard phrase, a fleeting idea, or a line that sticks. She recalled how one of her most beloved songs, “Till I Met You” by Kuh Ledesma, was born from something she heard on a bus. “Someone said: ‘I never knew what love was until I met this guy,’” she recalled. That passing remark gave her a lightbulb moment, so she quickly scribbled it down, went home, and finished the song that same day.

Asking after the Q&A format — another trademark of their concert, where questions about love are delivered via celebrity VTRs, and which the singers answer in song — Ogie teased a few surprises. “It won’t just be about Valentine’s this time. The themes will be broader. On music, life, the things we all go through. There will be new cameos onscreen too, and since you brought it up, I’ll make sure we do more of that,” he said with a grin.

Finally, asking the biggest question of all: whether that much-awaited songwriting collaboration between Quesada and Alcasid will ever happen? Ogie said yes and revealed that something is already in the works. “Odette sent me a snippet. I haven’t worked on it yet, but I will,” he promised. “And I might even get to perform it live on concert night.”

Source: manilatimes.net