Martin Nievera

Crooner Martin Nievera, widely known as the Philippines' "Concert King," entered the world on February 5, 1962, in Manila as the son of Filipino balladeer Bert Nievera. During his formative years he lived primarily in Hawaii while his father performed with the ensemble S.O.S., also recognized as A Society of Seven. Motivated by that paternal example, Nievera moved back to the Philippines in 1982 to launch his own singing career. That June he issued his debut LP, Martin...Take One, which attained platinum status within five months. At the same time he began sharing hosting duties on the television variety program Penthouse Live! alongside Pops Fernandez, later his spouse and already celebrated as the Philippines' "Concert Queen." His follow-up album, 1984's The Best Gift, likewise reached platinum certification. By 1987 the show had been retitled Martin and Pops Twogether to mark the couple's marriage. Although his emotionally heightened material tended to leave rock & roll reviewers unmoved, Nievera's warm stage presence attracted broad audiences, and throughout the 1980s and 1990s his recordings and concerts enjoyed fervent popularity. The 1997 release Journeys achieved strong sales in both Hawaii and the Philippines, while the single "You Are My Song" brought him Awit and Katha Awards for Best Performance by a Male Recording Artist. The marriage ended the following year. Nievera then created the album Forever in an effort to reconcile with Fernandez; when reconciliation proved impossible the project was released commercially anyway. It became the second-highest-selling album in Philippine history and generated two 1999 sequels, Forever Forever and Return to Forever. The first consisted chiefly of covers that chronicled his distress at the separation, whereas Return to Forever conveyed his eventual resolution; each was certified platinum. As an international figure Nievera has performed across the United States, Canada, Guam, the Middle East, and Singapore.