SHE started her career as one of the pre-pubescent singers in the group 14 K. Then she became a staple in Ang TV, a popular youth-oriented show on ABS-CBN. As the ka- love team and one-time sweetheart of Marvin Agustin, she became one of the biggest stars of the kapamilya network (ABS-CBN), known for her singular fashion sense and youthful verve.

Today, Jolina Magdangal is a fixture on the kapuso channel (or GMA 7), starring in a string of TV programs including the recently-launched I Luv New York, SOP, Unang Hirit and in GMA-7’s sister channel QTV 11’s Bongga Ka Star! If that killer schedule wasn’t enough, she is also promoting her latest album Tuloy Pa Rin Ang Awit. In I Luv New York, she is reunited with Agustin in the romantic soap opera about lovers destined to meet in the city that never sleeps.

“I am very happy with my life right now though something seems to be lacking. Maybe it’s because he (Albert “Bebong” Muñoz, her fiancé) is not yet here. If we talk about work, contentment, enjoying what I do, I should say I’m more than happy, I feel very blessed,” Jolina admits.

Million miles away

Jolina and Bebong have been together now for five years, although they have been physically apart for four of those years. The 33-year-old Bebong is a lawyer based in New York.

Jolens says Joey Albert’s song, “Million Miles Away” is currently their theme song. “Although we are miles apart, he helps me a lot in coping with our situation. We update each other all the time through the phone, although it feels odd sometimes. For example, if he is in a party, he will call me up and tell me about it – what he is doing, if he is talking to his American friends, or how the wine tastes, what are the dinner courses… or like last New Year, he watched the Coldplay concert and he told me that, ‘Hey, Gwyneth (Paltrow) is near me!’”

So, what is it about Albert Muñoz that she finds most lovable? “I don’t know how to call it exactly but magaan siyang kasama. He makes me laugh. He knows that I get cranky especially when I haven’t had a decent sleep and he tells me ‘Huwag ka nang moody.’ He is very understanding. Despite the distance, we manage to make it work. He is very nice and a jolly guy and you know, he is even the one who updates me about (former love team) Marvin (Agustin),” she laughs. She says that Bebong will soon be home for good and it’s something she’s excited about.

Is Jolina ready to settle down then? “Getting married and having a family, is of course, another step in any person’s life. I really don’t understand why there are so many people excited about us tying the knot. I guess most people see me as their own their daughter, because they saw me grow up and they want to see me with the man I really love for the rest of my life. I am very thankful for all their love and support. I want them to know that I am thanking God for giving him to me because I know that he is the one that He sent. I don’t mind being Mrs. Bebong Muñoz,” she says.

From Human Christmas tree to Grow-Up Style

Grown-up and with less of the gewgaws that made her look wildly fun but wildly juvenile, Jolens has gradually toned down her style through the years. “Whenever I do something, especially if it has something to do with my career, I make sure that it is something that I won’t regret. Regret does not belong in my vocabulary. I’m happy with the way I am packaged right now,” says Jolina on her image makeover. “They used to criticize as and call me a ‘human Christmas tree.’ It’s really a refreshing change to look womanly.” Always a fashion enthusiast (she once operated her own boutique and had a doll fashioned in her style and image), Jolina continues to keep abreast of fashion styles by surfing the web. She makes sure, though, that her personal imprint stands out. Her style icons include the Olsen twins, Madonna and Jennifer Lopez.

“With me kasi, what you see is what you get,” she declares. “I want people to see me as natural person, that I’m perky despite the wardrobe make-over. There is no such thing as a private Jolina and a public Jolina. Nothing is put-on. And yes, like any human being, I do get upset also, especially if there are intrigues that come my way. I really get sad when that happens, but I don’t allow it to affect my work. The show, they say, must always go on. The image thing is a fun facade and I’m glad that somehow I influence my fans positively.”

A confident new album, a new tv series

Something that her fans will surely support is her latest album Tuloy Pa Rin Ang Awit and the romantic soap I Luv New York. The album has 12 beautiful cuts personally chosen by her. Its main track “Maybe It’s You” became the theme song of the very popular Korea telenovela Kim Sam Soon. There is an assured quality about her in this album – the vibe, the groove and her vocal passion are palpable in each ditty.

“ Gusto is my favorite cut,” shares Jolina. “It is a song that Bebong’s classmate (Khavn dela Cruz) composed. He said that it is the song that he dedicates to me. That the feelings and emotions he wants to convey are all captured in the lyrics of the songs. It is his special message for me.” The song is a passionate track about a lover’s yearning. It is affectionate and confessional without sounding obsessive, and the stripped-down arrangement gives it a very melodramatic, heart-tugging flavor.

She is also very excited about her latest TV offering I Luv New York, which serves as reunion of sorts with perennial screen partner Marvin Agustin. This is the first time that a major Philippine network has embarked on a project of this scale. The whole cast and crew stayed in the Big Apple for 22 days. Jolina plays Polly, one of four main characters including Jennylyn Mercado and Mark Herras, who serendipitously meet in ever-romantic New York City where their entanglements make them realize what matters most in their lives.

Because she plays a TNT, Jolina’s character is disguised in outlandish wigs and costumes to fool immigration officers. She first runs into Albert, Marvin Agustin’s character when she spills coffee on him. Later, she finds Albert is her new boss when she desperately accepts the job of a receptionist for a posh apartment building. Complications ensue when Albert begins showing his neat freak side, while Polly struggles with manic-depressive tendencies. “We were like aso’t-pusa at first then eventually, we fell in love,” Jolina reveals.

So, how was it like working with her former ka love team? “Working with Marvin was a breeze. He is very professional. He is also a very good actor. Our chemistry as screen partners is still there and I’m happy that we are part of such a beautiful TV show.”

Jolina Does Edgy?

Future projects? “I’d like to do movies like the Exorcism of Emily Rose or do characters that have a dark side. I want to portray something that is really intense. It’s about time for me to do something edgy or do something that is totally different from my personality and that it will give me a chance to showcase my range as an actress.”

Tuloy Pa Rin Ang Awit on AVCD format is released by GMA Records and is distributed worldwide by Ivory Music and Records. I Luv New York, will soon air nightly on the GMA-7 channel carried by the cable provider in your area.