JEMA Galanza took her act to a rather unfamiliar stage, making good use of her time away from the volleyball court as she nurses a foot injury.
The former PVL MVP dazzled in her first-ever onstage performance as part of a music instruction school’s recital concert last Sunday at the Aliw Theater in Quezon City.
There, Galanza performed in a series of both solo and group numbers alongside prominent local celebrities and musical figures such as Jose Mari Chan, Michelle Dee, Chloe San Jose, Rhian Ramos, Vivoree, and Ina Raymundo, among others.
Never had the Creamline star imagined she’d be shining in a world far from sports - and this time, it was her vocals that did the hard-hitting by performing classics like Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’ and Tina Turner’s ‘Proud Mary.’
But how did she get there?
What began as a friendly recommendation from fellow volleyball personality Mela Tunay to join the RMA Studio Academy earlier this year eventually became her stepping stone to the big stage.
“Ito yung time na parang nag-try ako ng ibang bagay para ma-reset lang din ‘yung mind ko, na para hindi puro volleyball,” Galanza said.
From there, she took voice lessons to improve her singing, completing four full sessions at the studio.
Another underlying motivation was to keep up with her partner, Ella de Jesus, whose family is apparently stacked with powerhouse vocalists.
And her own post-concert assessment: “Medyo nagkakaroon naman ng confidence ngayon.”
Around the end of the 2024–25 All-Filipino Conference last April, Galanza received an invitation from her studio coach to audition for their recital concert.
She was initially reluctant due to possible scheduling conflicts with the PVL’s year-ending conference.
But then came the undisclosed foot injury around the same time, an unfortunate setback that unexpectedly cleared her schedule for the rest of the year, as she began a lengthy recovery.
The silver lining in what is typically an athlete’s worst nightmare was that she got the chance to play an entirely new ball game — only this time, with a microphone in hand and a few dance moves in between.
WATCH:
Galanza passed her audition midyear and proceeded to rehearsals for what would become her first musical concert.
Jema just does it
Indeed, time away from volleyball gave Galanza the chance to reset her mind.
But beyond leisure, she seized the opportunity to reinvent herself and rediscover a pure joy she hadn’t felt in quite some time.
“Lately kasi sa volleyball, medyo struggle talaga ‘yung ups and downs. Hindi mo malalaman kung talagang nandun ka sa peak mo or nag-e-enjoy ka pa ba talaga kasi, alam mo yun, may mga talo, may pagkapanalo,” Galanza admitted.
“Sabi ko, dito ko sa concert, na-feel ‘yung happiness ko ulit, yung excitement ko na gusto ko ring ma-feel ulit sa volleyball.
“Sobrang nag-enjoy ako kasi parang nagkaroon na ako ng bagong mundo ulit, na parang nakilala nila kung ano ‘yung totoong ako.”
And while she’s keeping her doors open to returning to the concert stage, Galanza also isn’t closing the possibility of exploring other avenues in the performing arts sooner rather than later.
“Hindi ko po sure kasi [tina-try ko muna] kung ano lang’yung mga ma-discover ko sa self ko, pero ngayon ito yung parang unang try ko ng ibang bagay,” she said.
“Malalaman po natin. Ngayon nag-e-enjoy naman po […] Depende din po kung alang klaseng role din, so kung ‘di naman masyadong mabigat po or masaya lang ‘yung role, so why not naman po.”
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