Catching up with Anna Fegi

IT’S hard to forget her heavy curls, even more so, her soulful voice.

These are the traits that come to mind upon hearing the name, “Anna Fegi,” the Cebuana songstress who made a mark in national showbiz years back.

Anna shied away from the spotlight sometime in 2006, when she joined Hong Kong Disneyland’s production of The Lion King. She eventually pursued a career as a featured singer in a theater group on board an international cruise line, and since then, little was heard from her over the years—apart from the occasional homecoming concerts she would hold.

And now she’s back. Possessing a passion just as intense as when she first started, and the cheery disposition she has been known for, Anna embarks on a new journey, with a mission that has always been close to her heart.

“I have always wanted to put up a performance school,” she said. The opportunity to do so presented itself when Anna and husband Adam Brown, a musician she had worked with on the cruise ship, decided to settle in Cebu and they were invited to co-manage a reputable music school in the city.

Beginnings

Anna shared that her desire to establish the school stems from her childhood spent in Toledo City, where her greatest challenge, she said, was finding a venue where she could express her craft. She said it didn’t matter if there was no audience as long as there was the chance to do what she loves doing best—performing.

A talented singer and dancer, Anna’s love for musical productions began when she landed the role of Maria in her university’s production of The Sound of Music. Two years shy from her graduation, Anna decided to move to Manila and from then on, “the skinny girl with fluffy hair from Lutopan” as she had described herself, became the Anna Fegi that everyone knows today.

“Attitude is way more important than talent,” the aspiring mentor shared. “All of us are born to be artists. It’s all about finding your forte, your niche. If you know and believe that you can sing, it’ll only be a matter of time before you find the genre that you’re good at.”

This month, Anna and Adam will formally launch The School of Rock Cebu, will be offering lessons in voice, guitar, bass, drums, keyboard and violin. More importantly, Anna said, the school would serve as a venue for budding musicians, where they, as mentors, can pass on what they have mastered over the years.

Aside from the school, keeping Anna busy nowadays is songwriting. She has been working with known composer Elvis Somosot and her former musical director Grant Martin in arranging and producing her works.

In her own words

Anna had released two solo albums before but in neither compilation was she able to use her own words. “I’ve been writing songs since I was in college,” she said, “but back then I wasn’t confident enough to share it with an audience.”

Her newly released songs are mostly about heartbreak, putting Anna in the situation where she’s asked if everything is okay between her and her husband. “These are actually songs that I’ve written a long time ago,” the newlywed pointed out, trying to hold back her laughter.

Now 36 years old, Anna is ecstatic about her projects lined up this year. As an artist, she said that she’s always seeking something new and different—as shown in her multifaceted career.

Who’s to say what she will be up to in the next couple of years? What’s certain, though, is that in her every stopover, she leaves behind a mark always worthy of applause.