Roxanne Barcelo glowed with joy as she caught up with I Feel U host Toni Gonzaga. The two were former contenders for the Metro Pop Song Festival when they were just teenagers.
Looking at her career trail, Roxanne’s entry weapon in the industry was her talent in music. She was groomed to be a singer before she jumped into acting. However, due to self-doubt and fears that come with adolescence, she felt like singing was a scary territory.
At 13, she had big dreams of pursuing music but life happened and finding her ‘sound’ wasn’t as easy as she thought. The reluctance, combined with how her career was surprisingly pulling her to acting, made her forego her musical dreams for a while.
Kismet as it may seem, dreams that had long been ingrained in one’s heart will eventually happen at the right time. Roxanne did several songs in the past. But it was via joining Tawag ng Tangahalan Celebrity Edition in 2019 that she had more courage to conquer the music stage again. “I realized that all the things I’ve been so afraid of exist but they co-exist with courage and hope. It was on-cam where I was battling through going onstage, finding my strength and voice again.”
Those who watched her post-performance interviews for TNT would know her battle with self-doubt, apart from the grief of losing her father, who died due to stroke following an accident.
Her father’s demise was the lowest point in her life. Dreading to lose her parents, it was a crippling ordeal that she didn’t know how to heal from the pain, or if she could still manage to move forward.
He was the greatest man she’s ever known. While he’s already gone, Roxanne still carries a part of him in her heart. Losing him made her realize that every moment, however mundane, has value.
A beautiful plot twist happened when Roxanne didn’t only found the grit to pursue music but she was also given a man who would love her unconditionally. Just December last year, she announced her marriage with her non-showbiz partner, a foreigner who lived in Hong Kong.
Following the surprising news about being a married woman, Roxanne next shared that there’s a bun in the oven. Blessings are pouring down on her and she’s overwhelmed with the pure love surrounding her.
Asked why she kept her romantic life a secret, the singer-actress said she didn’t want to spoil something so precious. She described her husband as a great man, just like her Dad. He makes her laugh and feel loved. Her husband also wrote a letter to her late ‘Tatay’ when he proposed to her. Although she respects her husband’s privacy, Roxanne wishes to share more about him and finally identify the beautiful man soon.
Looking at her colorful life, its ups and downs, Roxanne learned that the heart is a person’s greatest weapon. Life may be cruel at times but what matters is how a person kept the heart pure and full of love because someday the love will bounce back. “Save a part of yourself that is pristine and untouchable. I felt like that is the part of me that can never be changed or shaken,” she said of the greatest lesson life brought her.
Sometimes she wishes that her father is still alive to meet her baby but even if that won’t happen anymore, she knows there’s someone looking over their family. She promised to make her father’s good deeds and memories be known to her child.
She also hopes to create more music. There’s no doubt she loves acting and hosting as well but music brings her a different kind of fulfilment, knowing her father’s last wish is to see her sing again.