The Philippine Business and News Exclusive interview with JOSE MARI CHAN
CHRISTMAS is not CHRISTMAS without FAMILY
Every time Christmas season comes, we hear at the malls and even in the radio the song “Christmas in Our Hearts”.
The Philippine Business and News is blessed and privileged to interview of one the country’s most respected singer and composer, Jose Mari Chan.
Unknown to many, Joe has always loved music and enjoyed singing, ever since he was a kid… at the age of 9 years old. And it was also the first time he sang “live” before a studio audience. In a Sunday Radio program called “Childrens Hour” over station DYRI in Iloilo City.
All through his grade school days, he often joined in singing in school programs. Even up to High School he already started to write and compose his own songs, inspired by the emergence in the Music scene of American singer/songwriters like Neil Sedaka and Paul Anka.
In college, at the Ateneo De Manila. he was a soloist in a Band with my Atenean classmates. They performed in parties and in weekend campus fests. It was during that time when he somehow became a regular Host and Emcee of weekend Campus Shows in various colleges in Metro Manila. All this time he would take the opportunity to sing his original songs on guitar.
Jose Mari Chan has composed so many songs, and it is interesting to note that the Christmas in Our Hearts, the most popular and most played Filipino origin Christmas song turned out to be the PERFECT CHRISTMAS song composed by him.
Here is the brief background for the appreciation of everyone.
Joe’s daughter Liza was in her room studying for an exams when he handed her a cassette of the song and asked her to learn the song. Then Liza asked her Dad, “When do you need this for, Dad?” Joe replied, “We are recording it tomorrow”. And the rest is history.
According to Joe, his last choice to sing the song with was the perfect choice. A Father and daughter tandem doing “Christmas in Our Hearts”. Couldn’t have been better.
In parting, Jose Mari Chan has three important words of wisdom for the Filipinos which everyone should here, not just for Christmas to live by, but something we ought to follow and live everyday in our life.
Watch the video: