Kapamilya singer Martin Nievera fulfilled a long-standing promise by making a surprise appearance as the opening act for TJ Monterde’s Sarili Nating Mundo Day 3 concert.

Surprising both the audience and TJ himself, Martin took the stage before the main performance at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Monday, February 3.

“Maybe you are wondering what I am doing here. Hindi dahil ako yung tatay ni KZ Tandingan. Hindi dahil doon,” Martin quipped.

The ASAP mainstay then shared a story about how he and TJ first met.

“There’s an artist, his name is Martin Nievera. He was launching many albums, noong uso pa yung mga CDs at yung host at yung front act performer was this new guy, some young boy by the name of TJ Monterde. He came out every single CD promo and started the show the way I’m doing right now,” he recalled.

READ: TJ Monterde wraps up ‘Sarili Nating Mundo’ shows with gratitude and milestones: ‘It took me almost 15 years to see this view’

Recognizing TJ’s potential early on, Martin made a promise to repay his hard work someday.

“So, I thought, maybe one day, I could return the favor if he ever became a big star,” Martin added.

Now, seeing TJ’s dreams become a reality, Martin couldn’t help but feel proud of the singer.

“Filling up this beautiful venue three times in  a row is not easy but nobody deserves the success more than my boy, TJ,” he expressed.

He went on, “His humility, his hard work, and his dreams and his love and faith in God and his dedication and love to each and every one of you has brought us all here tonight.”

Martin then performed his iconic songs “I’ll Be There” and “You Are My Song.”

During his concert, TJ expressed his deep gratitude to the Philippines’ Concert King.

“I was crying when I saw you. Yung humility mo ay inspiration sa aming lahat. You are the concert king pero pumayag ka to do that for me, you offer to do that to me. I love you. Thank you so much,” TJ emotionally said.

He continued to praise Martin, saying, “I look up to you so much. Thank you. Maraming salamat po.”

During a post-concert backstage interview, TJ revealed that he had no idea about Martin’s surprise performance and was overwhelmed with emotion.

“'Yung iyak ko grabe, 'yung admiration. The humility of this man, he’s the Concert King and siya nag-offer mag-front act. Grabe 'yung humility para gawin niya 'yun. So I really admire Sir Martin,” the “Palagi” hitmaker said.

TJ also shared that Martin approached him after the concert to congratulate him, which moved him to tears once again.

“Kaya 'yung iyak ko nun. Sabi ko, thank you for opening my doors. Sabi niya ‘no, no no, I have nothing to do with this. This was all yours.’ I’ll forever look up to Sir Martin,” TJ expressed.

TJ's agency, Cornerstone Entertainment also released a video of the singer tearing up as his wife, KZ Tandingan look after him.

"A full-circle moment for TJ! He used to open for him and sell his CDs at shows. To see how far he’s come since then is incredible. Big thanks to Martin for making this happen and giving TJ this opportunity—it means so much!" Cornerstone said in the caption.

Aside from playing a significant role in TJ’s musical journey, Martin also served as a bridge in TJ and his wife KZ’s love story.

In a previous interview on Magandang Buhay, TJ shared how important Martin was in his relationship with KZ.

“Ang role ni Sir Martin sa amin ay malaking malaki. He is one of the reasons why we met. Isa po siya sa rason bakit nagkakilala kami (ni KZ). Dati po magkasama kami sa dati niyang record label tapos lagi niyang kasama si KZ because of X Factor and lagi akong nagfront act  sa mga mall shows niya. Doon kami nagkakilala ni KZ,” TJ shared.