EXCLUSIVE: Martin Nievera on what makes ASAP extra special to him: ‘Birthday ko, birthday din ng ASAP’

Jemuel Tandoc

Push Team

<p>Martin Nievera shares what makes the weekend variety show ASAP extra special to him in an exclusive interview with PUSH ABS-CBN.</p><p>“Ang maganda rito yung celebration is not just one day. It used to be on my birthday because ASAP started February 5, 1995 sa birthday ko. So it&#x27;ll always be special for me dahil birthday ko, birthday ng ASAP,” he revealed.</p><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1741938851068EXCLUSIVE-Martin-Nievera-on-what-makes-ASAP-extra-special-to-him-.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><p>The OPM icon also shared that for its 30th anniversary, the celebration of the show will last throughout the entire year.</p><p>“This is the first time dahil siyempre 30 years. Mag-celebrate kami for one whole year, yung 30th anniversary for one full year. But ang March 2, itong celebration ang launch. So yung pinakamalaki ang today,” Martin shared.</p><p>The original ASAP host expressed his excitement about seeing some of the former ASAP celebrities grace the stage once again.</p><p>“I&#x27;m also excited to see how we can continue to celebrate, sa laki ng family ng ASAP through the years. I&#x27;m hoping that we&#x27;ll be showing you more of the older guys, the original ASAP people. Sana lalabas din sila sa mga production numbers to help celebrate our 30 years,” he said.</p><p>In its recent episodes, ASAP welcomed back some of its well-known artists, including Pops Fernandez, Maja Salvador, and Shaina Magdayao.</p><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-2" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DGunOXRSE-x/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A2%2C%22os%22%3A2516229.799999997%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="881" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-2" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>Meanwhile, Martin also recalled how he coined the ASAP title, which has since remained iconic.</p><p>“It was all spur of the moment. Ito rin sa ASAP, pag sinasabi nila, oh Martin, mag-spiel ka. Palagi yun on the spot. So, I think that&#x27;s my calling. Yung mga on the spot na. Si Jill, yung isang writer namin, pumasok sa dressing room ko in 1995. Sabi niya, Martin, we need a working title,” he shared.</p><p>The singer went on to tell the story: “May nakaming iniisip ng noontime show on a Sunday. Mawawala yung show ng APO, <em>Sang Linggo nAPO Sila</em>. We need a working title. I said, when do you need it? We need it right now. We need it now. I said, do you need it ASAP? ASAP na ASAP? Sabi niya, yes, we need it right now.”</p><p>That’s when the beloved singer came up with an idea.</p><p>“Sabi ko, they call it ASAP. What does ASAP mean? Ang tanong sa akin, sabi ko, All-Star Sunday Afternoon Party. And they put it on the whiteboard as a working title and everyone loved it.”</p><p>He also reminisced about how using acronyms in TV shows was a trend back then: &quot;Usong-uso dati yung acronyms eh. Meron akong TV show dati na <em>Martin After Dark, MAD</em>. Tapos Late At Night, L may at sign and N, Night. So, usong-uso dati yung in the &#x27;90s ang acronym.&quot;</p>

<p>Martin Nievera opens up about what makes the weekend variety show extra special to him and how he coined the title for the ABS-CBN flagship show.</p>

Martin Nievera opens up about what makes the weekend variety show extra special to him and how he coined the title for the ABS-CBN flagship show.

EXCLUSIVE: Martin Nievera on what makes ASAP extra special to him: ‘Birthday ko, birthday din ng ASAP’ | ABS-CBN

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EXCLUSIVE: Martin Nievera on what makes ASAP extra special to him: ‘Birthday ko, birthday din ng ASAP’

EXCLUSIVE: Martin Nievera on what makes ASAP extra special to him: ‘Birthday ko, birthday din ng ASAP’

Jemuel Tandoc,

Push Team

Published Mar 14, 2025 03:54 PM PHT

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Martin Nievera

ASAP

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