Only the word “Game!” crossed into Gary “Mr. Pure Energy” Valenciano on Tuesday, August 30, about his collaboration with singer-actress Julie Anne San Jose for the song Di Ka Akin.
In the virtual media conference for the single, Valenciano explained that San Jose’s level of experience influenced his participation.
“Because you know, when you talk about artists at the level of Julie Anne, these are the artists who just don’t come up with a song for the sake of coming up with a song.
“They come up with something that stems from somewhere. And I found out that she’s going to write the song,” he said to the press, including LionhearTV.
Upon hearing the song, Valenciano and his wife, Angeli, were blown away, even posing a question, “Bagay ka ba sa ganito Gary, o hindi?”
“Kasi it’s a love song. So how do you put somebody her age, and my age together doing a love song like this?”
The legendary singer-songwriter was glad that things “worked out,”, especially with the difference in both of their singing styles.
Di Ka Akin was arranged by Mon Faustino, who Valenciano recommended.
“I told Julie Anne, I said, ‘Listen, if there’s anything you want to be changed in this, you just say so.’ Again, being the artist that she is, she said what she wanted. So it went back to Mon Faustino, they redid it, and the next thing I knew, I have the music na here in this very studio.”
Meanwhile, collaborating with the iconic singer had San Jose feeling nervous and fulfilled at the same time.
“Because it’s everyone’s dream, it’s every singer, it’s every artist’s dream to do a collaboration with Tito Gary,” she explained.
Di Ka Akin is released under Universal Records, where both Valenciano and San Jose are recording artists.