Bagama’t maraming tagahanga ang naniniwalang nananatiling walang kupas si Regine Velasquez, inamin ng mang-aawit na natututo siyang makibagay sa pagbabagong nagaganap sa kanyang boses habang dumaraan siya sa menopause.
Sa press conference para sa nalalapit niyang “Finale” concert noong Biyernes, Setyembre 25, sa Quezon City, ibinunyag ng Asia’s Songbird na nagpunta siya sa Singapore upang ipasuri ang kanyang boses. Bagama’t walang nakitang problema sa kanyang vocal cords, naranasan niya ang tinatawag niyang “menopause voice.”
“I went through something like… it’s called the menopause voice. My vocal cords are actually very clean, there’s no polyp, there’s nothing, but somehow, alam mo ‘yung nagka-crack ‘yung boses ko, and somehow, I cannot control it,” ani niya.
Dagdag pa niya:
“There was a time, parang nakalimutan kong kumanta, and I couldn’t figure out what was going on with me, but every time I would go and see my doctor, there was nothing wrong.”
Inamin ni Velasquez na labis siyang nadismaya sa karanasang ito dahil bagama’t naroon pa rin ang kanyang boses, hindi na ito katulad ng dati.
“It’s a system of menopause, and it’s actually devastating. Not all women experience it, pero sabi ni (Vicki) Belo, it apparently affects 50% of women in the absence of estrogen. ‘Yung parang kumakapal na ‘yung vocal cords, nawawala ‘yung elasticity ng vocal cords which is unique,” paliwanag niya.
“I still have my voice, it never left; it’s just that it’s in a different form, so I have to work with what I have now. I can no longer be what I used to be 10 or 20 years ago. I can no longer sound like that,” dagdag pa niya.