MANILA, Philippines – Music producer and songwriter David Foster said that the Philippines is very close to his heart, adding that he loves coming back here because of Filipinos’ love for music.

“I love coming to the Philippines for many many reasons, the biggest reason is, of all the countries that I have ever been in the world, the Filipinos are the biggest music-lovers I’ve ever met,” he said during the press conference for Hitman: David Foster and Friends at the Marriott Hotel, Monday, August 17.

David will be accompanied by singer Natalie Cole, American Idol season 2 winner Ruben Studdard, Boyz II Men, and Charice for a one-night concert at the Araneta Coliseum on August 18. Two Filipino singers – Mark Mabasa and Asia’s Got Talent finalist Gerphil Flores – will also perform at the concert.

David said that he was amazed by the Filipino talents he saw during his judging stint with Asia’s Got Talent. He said that when he sees a potential talent, he will track them down.

“My job is to make records, to find talent wherever I can. If there is a singer in Austria that sings great, man or a woman, I will track them down like I tracked Celine [Dion] in Montreal. I’ll go anywhere to see great talent. I know there are great singers in the Philippines. Gerphil was my golden buzzer on Asia’s Got Talent. She’s, of course, a Filipino. El Gamma won Asia’s Got Talent, they are Filipino. The girl Gwyneth (Dorado) is Filipino and Junior New System so 4 of the top 10 were from the Philippines,” he said. ([WATCH] Asia’s Got Talent: What’s next for the Filipino grand finalists?)

As for Gerphil’s career, David said: “We’ll see what happens with her. If she proves that she’s good as she is, I’ll be tracking her down.”  

He also praised Mark Mabasa, whom he discovered a few years back in one of his concerts. Mark even performed for the press.

Mark Mabasa performs for the press. He will perform tomorrow at David Foster’s concert. pic.twitter.com/Gd8UpfmXUF

— alexa villano (@alexavillano) August 17, 2015

With so many reality shows, David said that he is not keen on what they call the “bedroom stage.” He said aspiring singers should continue to work as hard as they can, saying that success doesn’t come easy. 

“You need to sing in the bars, train like the way Natalie did. The way Ruben did, the way Charice did… I don’t how you’re going to be a superstar without knowing how it feels to be hated. So from the bedroom to the reality show, is not a good practice,” he said. 

Charice and concert 

The concert also serves a reunion for David and Charice, who performed with him in many of his shows. David also produced some of the tracks in her past albums.

When asked how it felt to be reunited again after Charice performed on Asia’s Got Talent, David joked: “Terrible!”

Of course, viewers who saw David and Charice perform together on Asia’s Got Talent know that both delivered a tender, soulful cover of Sam Smith’s “Lay Me Down.” David introduced Charice then as “the pride of the Philippines and all of Asia.”

“We don’t like each other,” Charice said, totally in jest, before proceeding to perform an impromptu song of “Reunited.” 

David leads the singing of "Reunited." pic.twitter.com/px2MXvGtKe

— alexa villano (@alexavillano) August 17, 2015

David shared that until today, Filipinos abroad approach him, thanking him for giving Charice a chance to shine on the world stage.

“I’ve said this before to the press.. every single day of my life, no matter where I am in the world, a Filipino comes up to me everyday and says to me ‘Thank you for bringing Charice to the world.’ I can’t take full credit for bring Charice to the world…

“The journey it has been so incredible, the Filipino viewers are so proud of people like Charice and Mark and the support system is one big family… it’s like a family of 100 million [people]. 

“I think her struggles and her journey where she came from and where she’s gone are truly remarkable,” David said. (READ: Charice to Oprah on coming out: ‘I was ready to lose my career’)

All of the stars are looking forward to performing for the Filipino audience. Natalie and Ruben said that the audience is the one reason why they love to sing.

“Ruben and I did a show with David in Las Vegas. And I just feel like it’s totally different. I think the difference is you love the music so much,” Natalie said.

“The energy is different over here, it’s appreciated more here but also David makes the touring experience easy and there’s more camaraderie, like a summer camp,” Ruben said.

As to what to expect from the concert, Charice said: “We love the music. We buy the CDs, everything. We actually don’t look behind the CD to see who wrote song, who produced the song… This is your chance to see the man who made all the hits, all the songs of our lives from Celine Dion to Barbara Streisand to everyone, this is the Hitman,” she said. – Rappler.com