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MANILA -- OPM veteran Joey Albert admitted that leaving the entertainment industry over two decades ago was the second most painful thing that happened to her.

In an interview on ANC's "Headstart" on Friday, Albert talked about her life in Canada and opened up about the pain she felt when she left showbiz in 1995.

"I never talk enough about how painful it was. But I have admitted this in concert, only when it's live and intimate, that it was really... Maybe the second most painful time in my life, second after losing my mom," she said.

"It was very painful," she admitted. "It literally felt like you are standing on stage with so much people applauding you, then suddenly nag-brownout. Parang ganun. Ang dilim, di ko makita. It was very difficult, it was very painful."

Albert went on to reveal that she "cried for about three years."

"I never wanted to let people know in Manila... It was embarrassing to admit that people might say, 'Oh tingnan mo, umalis-alis ka kasi.' And I didn't want to face that then because I wasn't ready. I was dealing with enough," she said.

"Remember that when I left in 1995, I just had my first cancer. It was a bit too much for me, so I just pretended na lang that everything was okay, but it wasn't," she added.

And while it was a painful experience, Albert believes that it was "God's purpose" for her to leave the entertainment industry.

"Everything that happened to us is God's purpose, even the hard ones, even the hard times. Because can you imagine after I left, I had cancer two more times. And I could be in no better place than here (Canada) having to face cancer," she said.

Albert is known for her hits like "I Remember the Boy," "Yakapin Mo Ako," and "Tell Me." After all these years, her songs remain relevant.

Saying she only received compensation from the lyrics that she wrote, Albert believes it's about time for the Philippines to also include performance royalties.

"I think that they are already working on it. Hindi naman nagpapaiwan ang Pilipinas," she said. "I think that now is the time to work on it because, you know, now especially after the pandemic, there are more people with all these new mediums and platforms for music. There are so many young people writing songs. So now is the time get all these royalties and copyright laws right."

"We've had it wrong for so long. So now is the time. There's a lot of fresh blood, new artists braving the new platforms. And I think that the industry owes it to them, to give them a good future," she said.

Albert appeared on "Headstart" to promote her first virtual major concert to celebrate her 40 years in the music industry.

The digital concert, titled "Life Begins @ 40: 40 years of Joey Albert's Music," will be directed by Paolo Valenciano and the singer's daughter, Trixie Albert Pacis.

The event is slated to go live on KTX.ph on July 11 at 8 p.m. (Manila time) while its global streaming will be on July 12 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• OPM legend Joey Albert to hold solo digital concert
• Joey Albert: 'Pandemic pushed me harder to sing'

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