About this Artist
MARTIN RAMON RAZON NIEVERA is a singer, songwriter, and actor from the Philippines. Currently, he is one of the main hosts of the musical variety show ASAP ROCKS, which is aired daily/weekly on ABS-CBN.
Along with twin sister Victoria, Martin was born on February 5, 1962, in Manila, Philippines to Bert Nievera and Conchita Razon. Most of his childhood was spent in Hawaii, where his father sang with the group known as The Society of Seven. The Nievera family then took up residence in the Bay Area in California in the late ’70s. Martin graduated from Clayton Valley High School (Concord, California) in 1980.
He was previously married to singer-actress Pops Fernandez, with whom he has two sons, Robin and Ram Nievera. Martin has another son, Santino Martin Nievera, from his current relationship.
Inspired by his father’s talent and success, Martin returned to the Philippines in 1982 to begin his own singing career and by June of the same year released his first LP, Martin...Take One. The album achieved platinum status in just five months, which was quite a feat for a newcomer in the industry.
Martin then began co-hosting the TV variety show Penthouse Live! with Pops Fernandez, then the Philippines’ “Concert Queen,” who would later become his wife. His second LP, The Best Gift, which was produced in 1984, also reached platinum status. In 1987, Penthouse Live! was renamed Martin and Pops Twogether, in celebration of their marriage.
Alas, the marriage failed in 1998, and for the sole purpose of winning back his wife, Martin wrote and recorded a song he named “Forever.” The song quickly achieved Double Platinum in January, moved up to Triple Platinum in May, and later soared to Quadruple status. Even though he failed in his quest for reconciliation, Martin and his music were warmly embraced by his adoring public, and “Forever” has become an all-time bestseller. The two sequels, “Forever Forever” (Platinum in June, Double Platinum in August, and Triple Platinum in December 1999) and “Return to Forever,” also talk about the split.
Martin’s success in the field of music carried over to his career as an actor. He has appeared or starred in eleven movies and seven television series and specials. Martin After Dark, his television show on the GMA Network, which lasted for almost a decade (1988 – 1998), won Best Celebrity Talk Show and garnered for him Star Awards’ Best Celebrity Talk Show Host consecutively from 1989 to 1991 and then again in 1993, 1994, and 1996.
In 2006, the Aliw Awards Foundation Hall of Fame distinguished Martin as Entertainer of the Year and Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. The Honolulu Adviser likewise named him Best Male Singer and Star of the Year in 1988. He also won at the Abu Golden Kite Awards in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as Best Interpreter for a Composition in 1990.
His transfer to the ABS-CBN network in 1998 to 2002 gave the public Martin Late@Nite as well as a television show with Gary Valenciano in July 2010, Twist & Shout. Martin’s film credits include dramas, romance, science fiction, comedy, and action.
Martin had his 25th anniversary series of shows in September 2007 at the Captain’s Bar of the Mandarin Hotel in Makati, and marked a major anniversary solo SRO concert at the Big Dome, Araneta Coliseum billed aptly as “Martin Nievera XXV.”
He appeared with Hawaii’s Society of Seven and Lani Misalucha at the Flamingo Las Vegas from February 13 through April 13, 2008 and performed a pre-Valentine/post-birthday concert with Pops Fernandez entitled “Missing You” on February 6, 2009 at the Araneta Coliseum.
In August 2009, Martin Nievera and Gary Valenciano had their first concert together, entitled “AS 1.” Later, the duo collaborated on an album. AS 1 toured the U.S., Canada, and the Middle East from 2009 to 2011. AS 1 was followed by another back-to-back concert with Sarah Geronimo in February 2011 and Side A in November 2011, both major concerts in the Araneta Coliseum.
In 2012, Martin shared the concert scene with the Philippines’ mega-star Sharon Cuneta at the Smart Araneta Coliseum and in Cebu for a Valentine show billed as “Once in a Lifetime.” He premiered his newest reality show on ABS-CBN in June 2012.