Jed Madela concert in Hollywood a huge success!

IN THE MIX BY MIC DIAZ

Filipino singer, songwriter, TV host and entertainer Jed Madela celebrated his birthday and 20th year anniversary in the entertainment industry with a concert aptly named Welcome to My World at Ovation in Hollywood last Saturday, July 27. Jed came back to L.A. with an arsenal of carefully curated songs that have inspired him and have been the soundtrack of his personal life.

Tucked away in a corner of the Ovation on Hollywood and Highland, The Kookaburra Lounge, which is an Art Deco lounge bar with a 350-seating capacity, was the perfect setting for Jed’s intimate musical performance. It provided the audience a close-to-insider’s look into the vocalist’s musical journey.

Jed Madela was the first Filipino to win a title in the World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA). This native of Iloilo shared that it took a long time for him to get noticed having performed numerous times at bars and lounges around Metro Manila before getting discovered.

The award-winning balladeer opened the show with uplifting original songs, and then took a more introspective look into his journey as a musician with a burgeoning career. Just like Gene Wilder in the movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Jed invited the audience to take a look into his world beginning with the song “Pure Imagination.”

The first Filipino artist to be inducted into the Hall of Fame of WCOPA took the audience on a nostalgic tour with his selection of “classic” songs. It was as if the audience was reliving Jed’s humble beginnings in the music industry with Jed singing classics such as James Ingram’s “Whatever We Imagine.”

Jed recalls he was called various monikers such as “The Voice” and “The Singer’s Singer.” He quipped that all he did was sing covers during the early days of his career so much so that people referred to him as “The Past” for his rendition of the song of the same name. Fil-Am Prince of Pop Garth Garcia, one of the producers of the concert, joined him on stage for a special performance of the song he was initially known for.

Aside from American classics from the ‘60s through ’90s, the balladeer beautifully rendered theme songs from American films as well as Filipino movies with which he was most identified.

WCOPA alumni and residents of Southern California Cristiani Rebada, Kevin Hermogenes, Jeremy Layug and Garth Garcia joined Jed on stage for a showstopping impromptu performance of a Boyz II Men medley.

An array of some of the most talented singers in Los Angeles such as Ysabella Loyola, Savannah Blandino, Janine De Los Reyes, Michael Jurolan and Kenneth Laurente completed the lineup of special guests and amazing performers.

Jed Madela who has been mentoring aspiring artists thanked the producers of this show, MADD, RST Entertainment, Legacy Entertainment and Starlink Promotions and its sponsors as he invited his special guest performers to join him on stage.

Roused, fired up and stimulated attendees quickly filled the front of the stage and danced to a medley of ’70s funk and disco chart toppers, ‘80s new wave and ‘90s House dance hits—an electrifying rare performance from one of the best singers the Philippines has produced.