Once called the “Prince of Teleserye Theme Songs” with his rendition for Kapamilya drama series, Bryan Termulo jumpstarts his first love: singing — this time in the US. Currently based in Tennessee, the 34-year old Filipino actor and award winning singer-songwriter is back to pursuing his music career.

In his virtual media conference for his new single, “Heart That You Break,” CinemaBravo asked him about his biggest realization in life now that he is based in the US.

“As a person, in life, minsan things happen nang full of surprises. Sometimes yung surprises na mangyayari sa ‘yo, minsan hindi mo talaga magugustuhan. And I think, sinurprise tayong lahat ng pandemic. Nobody likes it. Ang realization ko lang is things happen for a reason at the same time.

“Siguro, bilang tao, wag tayong mag-dwell na wala tayong pwedeng gawin, and we just need to maximize kung ano yung meron, kasi meron at meron talaga. If kailangan kong mag-work nang 8 hours in a day, gagawin ko. Kasi ando’n tayo sa stage nung 2020, yun yung survival stage talaga: Kung hindi ka gagawa, kung hindi ka talaga kikilos, at kung nagiging choosy ka, wala kang mararating.

“It made me realize na kung kailangan mong mag-downgrade… for a specific reason—and as long as the reason is valid—I will take it. At yon exactly ang ginawa ko.”

He also recalled how it is to have culture shock. “At first, talagang andon yung na-culture shock ka, nanibago ka, kasi hindi mo naman talaga ine-expect na magiging ganito ang setup ng pandemic. All you have to do is to deal with it at wala kang magagawa kundi kailangan mong sumabay sa nangyayari.”

It’s also a good thing that Bryan was able to muster all his courage to be patient. “It tested also my patience na minsan tinatanong ko, “Kailangan ba kasi matatapos ‘tong pandemic. Parang napapagod na akong maging cashier… Parang napapagod na ‘ko makipag-interact sa fans ko [virtually], parang gusto ko nang mag-show. It will test your patience… Patience is a virtue. It may sound cliche.

When it comes to being a performer, Bryan highlighted the importance of being creative and resourceful.

“Bilang isang performer naman, in general, meron at meron kang magagawa kahit pandemic. All you have to do is be creative and be resourceful sa pwede mong gawin kahit nasa bahay ka. Hindi ko nga in-expect na yung paggagawa ng mga virtual show, magiging possible. You do Facebook Live, Streamyard very often just to get connected sa mga fan mo. Hindi ko yon naisip! Pero naisip ko:

“What if ang COVID, magtatagal for 3 years… for 2 years… Kailan ako kikilos? Kailan ko ipapakita na ‘Teka lang, kailangan ko pa rin mag-perform. Si COVID, nandiyan lang yan. Pero ako, COVID won’t stop me.”

Kaya naman, inaral ko, step by step, little by little, hanggang ngayon talagang inaaral ko siya, just to prove na merong paraan to improve your craft and to keep performing. Kung ano talaga yung pinakagusto mong gawin, magagawa at magagawa mo.

“Bilang isang singer, kung hindi pa talaga panahon para kumanta with live audience, okay lang yon! Meron kang audio interface sa bahay, lalagyan mo ng reverb yung microphone mo, maganda yung microphone mo, meron kang ring light… Imagine-in mo na lang na meron ka talagang live audience kahit minsan mahirap. Pero kung kailangang gamitin mo ang imagination mo in a strange way, minsan, para lang lumabas yung dapat lumabas bilang isang performer, gawin mo na rin.”

“Heart That You Break” is under the overall production of Mike Bailey, song written by Darren Fewins and Thomas Justin Williams, and sound engineered by IRKO at StudioBeat3 in Los Angeles, California. It is now available worldwide on your favorite streaming platforms such as Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon, Tidal, etc.