Ogie Alcasid & Odette Quesada join forces for 9th 'Q&A' concert

For the 9th time, Original Pilipino Music (OPM) icons Ogie Alcasid and Odette Quesada unite for a concert titled "Q and A: Odette Quesada and Ogie Alcasid" at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. This event celebrates the heart and soul of OPM, reminding us of the power of music to inspire and connect us all.

- ROBERT REQUINTINA

Odette Quesada and Ogie Alcasid

"This is our 9th concert together: three in Manila in 2024, and then we did two in California. Another one in Cebu, where we kicked it off. And other places. This one is bigger and better," said Odette during a media conference at Okada Manila recently.

Odette added, "We decided to make the show entirely OPM. When we were doing shows in the States, we tapped other songs, but we decided to go with homegrown music. I think the audience enjoyed it more. So here, we decided to have the show entirely OPM as a tribute to other local artists. These are the songs we grew up loving as singers-songwriters. We will include songs ng mga idol namin ni Ogie. I was surprised we had the same song choices, so we put the songs together."

Asked about their OPM idols, Odette answered, "A lot. Pero di ba Ogie lumaki tayo with APO? (Didn't we grow up with APO?)" To which Ogie agreed. "Having too many shows with Ogie is a welcome surprise." Ogie will also honor Master Rapper Francis Magalona during the show.

Ogie said he didn't count the number of shows with Odette. For him, what mattered was that he enjoyed working with Odette.

"What I knew was that I was excited to work with Odette at the onset. Sabi ng producers namin ang ganda pala ng show kasi they were focused on ticket sales and other things," said Ogie. "They just realized ang ganda pala ng show. So sabi nila let's do another show in Metro Manila. Let's make it bigger — this is it."

Odette zoomed with the entertainment press during the media conference. She contemplated why she couldn't leave her 9-5 job in the US, even though she remains relevant in the OPM scene.