NEGROS BEAT
By ERWIN ‘AMBO’ DELILAN
LA CARLOTA City, Negros Occidental has somebody to be proud of in the field of music. She is unknown to many Negrenses yet she’s a celebrated Chinese singer across the world right now.
The 43-year-old Jenny Cusay is a native of Villa Caridad Subdivision, Barangay 3-Poblacion, La Carlota.
Jenny was a typical kontesera in singing contests when she was a kid. She conquered singing tilts in puroks, barangays, schools, radios, and televisions – provincial, regional and national levels.
Through various singing contests, she honed her singing prowess, developed self-confidence and stage presence, coupled with guts and determination to succeed in life through her craft in music.
Above all, a church choir really prepared her for a life’s journey thru music.
Like any ordinary being, Jenny’s life ain’t a bed of roses, or a sweet melody in music .She had lots of ups and downs but viewed these as potent lessons.
ONCE AN OFW
After graduating college from the University of St. La Salle-Bacolod with a degree in hospitality and management, Jenny went to Cebu to work as a hotel staff.
There, she juggled as a regular staff during daytime and a resident singer at night at Plantation Bay Resort and Spa in Mactan, Cebu.
For almost seven years her patience and dedication bore fruits; one foreign guest got attracted to her “angelic voice”.
The foreigner immediately laid down an offer-cum- opportunity for Jenny to also work as a resident singer in a hotel in Singapore.
Sans hesitation, she grabbed the offer.
But life in Singapore was not perfect. As an OFW, Jenny battled homesickness, mental health challenges, among others. Her music, however, kept her afloat.
While singing one night, luck smiled at her. One hotel guest, Master Yun – a celebrated Chinese feng shui master, calligraphist, and artist – got captivated by her unique voice.
Master Yun, without further ado, invited Cusay to perform in an event in China to sing a Chinese song suited for a high-profile occasion – and that was 10 years ago.
LOTS OF ADJUSTMENTS
Jenny patiently made a lot of adjustments from singing Tagalog and English to Chinese songs – and, yes, she aced it. And the rest is history.
Since then, every time Master Yun has a calligraphic or art exhibition anywhere in the world, Jenny is invited as music performer.
Jenny said she herself cannot imagine her life right now. From local singing contests to Singapore where she launched her singing career as an OFW to other countries like Thailand, Netherlands, Spain, France, Korea, Japan and now China as a celebrated Chinese singer.
Her most recent performance abroad was during Master Yun’s painting exhibit at Hatoyama Hall in Tokyo, Japan on December 2.
But for Jenny, the greatest singing performance she ever did was at the world’s greatest man-made wonder – the Great Wall of China – in October 2023 still for a feng shui art exhibition.
“I couldn’t believe that even after I went home during the COVID-19 pandemic, I would still be invited to sing for Master Yun’s special events, especially his feng shui calligraphic exhibition in many parts of the world,” Jenny said.
Asked about her feeling performing in high-profile events abroad, Cusay simply exclaimed: “Gratefulness (as always). Overwhelmed, too!”
“Grateful because someone believes in your capacity to deliver. Overwhelmed because you get to know cultures, people, and beautiful places in different parts of the world,” she added.
For Jenny, the songs she sings in Chinese are really unique and great, and suits with the idea of Master Yun embracing people and culture through arts.
“And I guess I got lucky, and maybe have done something good to deserve this privilege right now,” added Jenny.
POWER OF MUSIC
For Jenny, music is power. It changed her life for the better. It has also developed her into a good story teller.
Building a fan based in China and other parts of the world is no ordinary talent.
The story of Jenny, therefore, is worth celebrating by the Negros community./PN
