Martin Nievera feels brand new

By Neil Ray Ramos

?Who would?ve thought that it will take 25 showbiz years to finally feel reinvigorated,? Martin Nievera says during the launch of his new album recently.

According to Nievera, he took a lot of things, adding, ?I even took my family for granted. I just didn?t care before. I felt like it [success] would never end?it was like when it rained on Martin, it just poured.?

His separation from Pops Fernandez, he said was the key to his reawakening.

?It wasn?t exactly the process or that of being separated but more so realizing that she has finally decided ?enough?,? he said, ?when rumors about this and that boyfriend were finally hitting the headlines, I thought, ?better get yourself sorted?.?

Nievera said he was lucky enough to still have friends who believed in him.

?It was because of them that I decided to do good? to clean up my act? to show them I was worth the support.?

Nievera said he took ?baby steps? to achieve his goal and little by little he rediscovered who he really is, as a person and as an artist.

?I kind of my lost myself but I really do think I?m finally getting my balance back.?

?For Always,? he said, is another step towards creating ?that new path,? for himself.

Part of this is avoiding using the word ?forever? as title.

?Yeah, people associate the word with me, right? Like I use it all the time but that?s the old Martin? now It?s ?For Always?? it is where I am right now, I?m actually going to start a new series with this,? he said smiling.

But why do covers again?

?Well, that?s what they wanted, that?s what the market demands? it?s not as if I didn?t actually start this trend locally,? Nievera said.

The 15-track album, which is being released under PolyEast Records, contains ?80s and ?90s hit including ?Now and Forever? by Richard Marx; ?Maybe This Time? by Michael Murphy; ?Old Photographs? by Jim Capaldi; ?Reunited? by Peaches & Herbs, (which he did as a duet with Fernandez); ?Come What May? by Air Supply; ?Heaven Knows? by Rick Price; ?All at Once? by Whitney Houston; ?All My Life? by America; ?Sometimes When We Touch? by Dan Hill; ?The Search is Over? by Survivor; ?I?ll Always Love You? by Michael Johnson; ?Everything I Do I Do It for You? and ?Heaven? by Bryan Adams; ?After All? by Cher and Peter Cetera; and ?The Last Time? by Eric Benet.

Nievera said he handpicked most of the songs. ?Of course, my producer had a say as well but I was the one who actually sat down with the arrangers and all.?

And how was it recording with Fernandez?

?Honestly, I would know, we didn?t do it together,? he divulged with a laugh. ?She did her part and I did mine after her. Well actually, we were together for about eight minutes or so at the studio? she was already on her way out.?

Out of all the tracks in the album, Nievera said he liked his version of ?The Last Time? best. ?I think it was really good. Of course, the song in itself always gave me goose bumps.?

The recording sessions for the album took him mere five days but Nievera was adamant it wasn?t hurried.

?As I said? I?ve reawakened. I?m more passionate with my work? with what I do now? not only for live performances but for recordings as well. Just listen to the album and you?d know.?