“Kasi ‘Born for You’ took so long to prepare,” she says. “Inabot ng six months. Also, nag-focus muna ako sa bago kong album. But ‘Born for You’ is worth the long wait. I play Sam Kazuko, a Pinay who grew up in Japan. My dream is makikala ako as a singer sa Pilipinas. Meantime, I’m working as a tourist guide.”
Elmo is Kevin Sebastian, a singer-actor who goes to Japan to shoot a music video. The story banks on the concept of the red string of fate in Japanese folklore, which says there’s an invisible red string that connects two people who are destined to end up with each other. No matter how many knots (buhol) there are in the string, they will eventually be resolved for true love to triumph.
In the case of Janella and Elmo, their conflict has its roots from the complicated relationship of their respective parents, Bernard Palanca as Buddy and Vina Morales as Cathy for Janella, Ariel Rivera and Ayen Munji Laurel for Elmo. Bernard is a composer and he has written the song ‘Born for You’ for his wife, Vina. He hands it first to record producer, Ayen as Marge, who thinks it’s a potential hit and gets it from him. Bernard runs after Ayen and, in the process, gets hit by a car and dies. Ayen owns the song, gives it to Ariel as Mike and it becomes a big hit.
Also in the powerhouse cast of “Born for You” are Gina Pareno, Freddie Webb, Jimboy Martin, Joj Agpangan, Francis Magundayao, Smokey Manaloto, Ogie Diaz, Katya Santos, DJ Durano, Paulo O’hara, Neil Coleta and Young JV, directed by Jonathan Diaz.
So how is it working with Elmo in “Born for You”? “The first time we met, he’s so quiet. Sabi ko, quiet din ako, paano kami mag-uusap? But in Japan, nag-work kami together for almost three weeks. So nag-bonding kami and I didn’t expect magiging close kami agad. We had a night na free time, so sinamahan niya ako mag-shopping. Ang tagal ko sa loob ng store but he patiently waited for me. It also helped na pareho kaming anak ng singers at mahilig sa music.”
