What would you do after an 18-hour trip? Most of us would catch up on our sleep to reenergize. But British singer-songwriter Jay Sean, who popularized last year’s anthem “2012,” chose to head straight to the gym and work out, and then enjoy a well-deserved foot massage.
Jay Sean, whose well-toned pecs and abs are shown in almost all of his music videos, was in Boracay last week for a one-night-only performance for the 16th Nestea Beach victory party at Club Paraw.
For an artist like him who travels a lot, he believes that staying fit and eating healthy are of utmost importance. “Long trips can sometimes make your body feel sluggish that you just want to sleep, but I can’t afford to sleep because I have a concert,” he said. “To keep myself up, I work out.”
Jay Sean, whose real name is Kamaljit Singh Jhoot, first performed in Manila in 2010. His Boracay stint is his first beach performance in the country.
For him, performing at the beach has a very different feel compared to performing in the city. “The beach vibe puts everybody in a different mood,” he said. “People are a lot happier and relaxed.”
Fun, healthy, active
And this was evident among the crowd who, despite the day’s many activities, which saw reigning men’s champion University of the Visayas and women’s champion Central Philippine University (CPU) defend their titles and take home P100,000, seemed light and ready to rock the night.
This fun, healthy and active lifestyle, like what Jay Sean has, is what Nestea brand manager Myra Garcia said they wanted to promote among the youth and young adults.
“The games are always exciting, and the 24 teams able to make it through the national finals this year are stronger and better,” Garcia said. “That’s what we want to showcase here—during the day, they have an active lifestyle, and at night they relax and take part in fun and light activities.”
As the teams battle it out, spectators were also treated to staple Nestea Beach activities like paraw sailing, consumer games and a beach cleanup. But unlike the past 15 editions of the volleyball tourney, this was the only year where local celebrities were not in sight. (That’s why there was no celebrity exhibition game this year.)
But this was also the first time an international artist had been invited.
Though Jay Sean’s latest gig in the white sand beach of Boracay is only his second in the country, he revealed that he had been to the Philippines at least four times. And every time he’s here, he admires the hospitality of Filipinos. “The rest of the world can learn something from the graciousness, politeness and warmth of the Filipinos.”
With a total of 128 teams joining the competition this year from NCR, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, it wasn’t a surprise that the championship match between CPU’s Jovelyn Gonzaga and Fiola Mae Ceballos against University of Santo Tomas’ Maruja Banaticla and Judy Caballejo was a crowd-drawer.
Beating UST 22-20, 22-18, CPU went home as the three-peat champions of the tourney. Gonzaga said they were expecting the win, but admitted that this year’s competition was fiercer
and stronger.
“Everyone prepared well for the games,” Gonzaga said. “When we ended up third in the VisMin leg, it became a challenge for us to step up our game.”
PHOTOS BY ANDREW TADALAN