Richard Poon remains loyal to 'old music'
For someone like Richard Poon, once you begin to love standards, there’s no turning back.
That’s why he never entertains the thought of deviating from his chosen genre of music in spite of trends.
Ironically, standards weren’t something he was initially keen on.
But, he explained, “When you spend time listening to the melodies, pag nakapasok ka na at a certain point you cannot get out. The melodies are too rich.”
With two platinum albums under his belt, Richard knows there’s a sizeable market for his chosen type of music—even if he remains the only mainstream performer in his generation who sings with big bands.
Dream come true
But Richard is set to cross generational lines when he shares the stage with the legendary singer-songwriter Jose Mari Chan. The concert, “The Songwriter and the Crooner,” scheduled on December 2nd at the PICC Plenary Hall, is a dream come true for Richard who admits that he grew up “memorizing Jose Mari Chan’s songs.”
“Tito Jo (Jose Mari Chan) as a musician, he makes melodies that make you smile. ‘Yung kapag nakikinig ka you have this positive cozy feeling. The melodies he makes for me, is immortal. Hindi nakakasawa,” he said.
Richard also said it would be an honor for him to sing Jose Mari’s classics. Two of his favorites are “Tell Me Your Name” and “Beautiful Girl.”
Perfect combination
His collaboration with Jose Mari Chan is a perfect match as their musical styles are complementary, Richard added.
“I’m younger but I sing way much older than my age, siya naman he’s a little bit older than me but he sounds so young. For me ‘yun ang irony namin.”
Richard has been compared to other artists but being labeled as the “young Jose Mari Chan,” for him is the most surreal.
“Feeling ko noon kamukha ko si Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Yachang, tapos lately si Ryan Bang. Nasa airport ako, sabi nu’ng driver, 'Ryan, ikaw si Ryan, di ba?' Feeling ko, lahat ng singkit kamukha ko pero nung kinompare na ako sa kanya (Jo Mari Chan), honestly I love his songs. Songwriter din ako, eh. Pero siya successful na, ako neophyte na songwriter.”
However, Jose Mari Chan himself has a different view of Richard.
“Each person is unique. Richard Poon is Richard Poon, and there will never be another Richard Poon. So those who say that Richard Poon is another Jose Mari Chan probably were just joking. He is his own man, he has his own personality, he has his own style and I'm proud of him. I really am,” he said.
