Martin Nievera: The Philippines' Concert King

Born on February 5, 1962, Martin Nievera is truly one of the pop singers that Filipinos can be proud of.

Hailed as the Concert King of the country, his performances had wowed audiences not just in the Philippines but worldwide. He had achieved a lot and gained many fans as well as awards for his singing and acting capabilities. With several product endorsements and albums in his possession, Martin is indeed an outstanding entertainer that many people can look up to.

Martin Nievera Career:

> Inspired by Bert Nievera, his father who was a successful singer in Hawaii, he came back to the Philippines in 1982 to start his own career.

> June 1982, Martin.Take One, his first album was released. In just five months, it reached platinum status. To add to his booming stardom, he won the Most Promising Entertainer of the Year from the Aliw Awards Foundation in the same year.

> With this success, he began co-hosting Penthouse Live with the concert queen, Pops Fernandez, who later became his wife.

> The next year, 1985, Martin Nievera appeared on a special television program dedicated for him called Martin on TeeVee.

> In 1986, he recorded his second album called "The Best Gift", which reached platinum. It is believed that his on-stage appeal made him one of the country's best-loved performers.

> He also conquered movie theaters when he starred in films like the 1986 "Always and Forever", Si Mister at Si Misis and the 1987 Shoot That Ball. All of which co-starred by his then-wife Pops.

> In 1987, the show Penthouse Live became Martin and Pops Twogether as a celebration of their marriage. He had two sons, Ram and Robin but their marriage only lasted until 1998.

> In order to win her back, he recorded an album entitled Forever. He did not succeed though. However, the album was a huge hit and turned out to be one of the best selling music compilations in the history of Philippine music.

> He made two other albums, Forever Forever and Return to Forever, which both tackle about the break up. Being the celebrated musician that he is, it was no wonder the albums reached platinum sales.

> His affable and slightly comical exploits earned him some television series and exclusives such as the 1992 Tales of the Madman TV special for his 10th anniversary in showbiz.

> In the year 2000, he hosted award shows. Among them were the Asian Song Festival and the Aliw Awards.

> He released more albums in the next year. The most successful were his 2001 My Souvenirs, which went triple platinum and the 2002 Chasing Time. The latter turned gold before Martin Nievera even launched it and platinum after three months of its release.

> In 2006, he was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the renowned Awit Awards. This is an honor he genuinely deserved because of his contribution to the Filipino music scene.

> Aside from those, he also received the Entertainer of the Year award in the First Annual Visionary Awards, which was held in Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, California. This is a confirmation that Martin Nievera is recognized in his hometown as well as in the other parts of the world.

> The same year, he was also awarded with the Best Male Performer recognition from the prestigious Guillermo Mendoza School Foundation.

> In the year 2007, he released a new album entitled Milestone CD, which was released in August. After three months, the record turned to gold and in April of 2008, it reached platinum status.

> Martin is a very busy man. Aside from recording an album, making movies and hosting or TV appearances, he also dominated endorsing well-known products. From Coca-cola to Palmolive Soap, Toyota Corolla to Commercial Bank of Manila, he can be seen showing off his charms everyday.

> The release of his most recent album prompted a concert tour, which was undeniably a sold-out one. From January 19 to February 3, 2008, he performed in front of thousands of screaming fans in different areas in the Philippines.

> Currently, he is temporarily based in Nevada with his partner Katrina Ojeda and their son, Santino.

> On February 6, 2009 he will be doing a reunion concert with his ex-wife Pops Fernandez at the Araneta Coliseum entitled Missing You, which is a pre-valentine and post-birthday celebration for him.

Famous and extremely talented, Martin Nievera will surely last long in show business. Every performance is a surefire hit, making his audiences stand up to their feet and give him the loudest and cheeriest applause that he truthfully deserves.