Tuneful teen queen

19-year-old Sarah Geronimo launched her latest CD 'Taking Flight' recently

By Aprylle Liabres (Contributor)

Published: Mon 5 Nov 2007, 11:02 AM

Last updated: Sun 5 Apr 2015, 12:32 AM

que She’s 19, turning 20 in July next year. But even then, most people still tend to think of Sarah Geronimo as a girl rather than a woman.

There could be two reasons for that: first, Sarah (who still has to outgrow her habit of girlish giggling) has never had a serious relationship, and second, she’s never far from the protective gaze of her parents, particularly her mom Divina, who accompanies her to all her showbiz engagements, including her travels abroad.

“I know, I must seem so naïve and innocent sometimes. I guess that in many ways, I'm still really a kid,” admits Sarah in an exclusive interview that took place backstage at the mall show to promote her latest CD, Taking Flight. The album was produced by Viva Records. Viva has managed Sarah's career since she joined showbiz as the winner of the talent search Star For A Night, which also launched the career of Mark Bautista.

We point out that the album's title is such an apt metaphor for her, a teenager who's about to become an adult. Sarah confesses that most of the time, she's terrified about making the big leap from teenager to adult because there's so much she still needs to learn about life. Sometimes, she feels pressured to grow up quickly because her 20th birthday is less than a year away, and as an adult — and a celebrity at that — people expect her to act a certain way. “I need to mature,” says the singer, who's currently starring as Emerald, one of the Jewel Sisters, on the ABS-CBN primetime soap Pangarap na Bituin.

In Pangarap na Bituin, Sarah's character Emerald has finally admitted her feelings for Terrence, the band singer played by Jericho Rosales. In real life, though, Sarah has never really felt what it's like to be seriously in love. Despite that, she's in no rush. She points out that maturing doesn't necessarily mean going out and falling head first into a relationship with the first guy she sees. The girl is an astute observer, if nothing else. “I've learned a lot from friends [who have suffered because of falling in love too early],” says Sarah. “I've learned that the more you rush into love, the more it leads nowhere.”