Martin Nievera looks back at “ASAP”’s history and ahead to its future.
He's been hailed as the Concert King, a title well-earned through decades of sold-out shows and timeless hits. But even a king knows that part of his reign is to lead. As his beloved variety program "ASAP" celebrates 30 years of existence, Martin is embracing that role more than ever. He sees himself as a mentor passing the mantle to the next generation of artists who will carry the show’s legacy forward.
The "ASAP" legacy means the world to Martin because he was there when it all began. He helped build it from the ground up. Martin vividly recalls its humble beginnings when it was launched on February 5, 1995. They didn’t even have their own studio then, so they had to rent out Delta Theater every week. Backstage was cramped, dressing rooms were tight, no teleprompters, no grand production setups.
“Wala kaming mga high-tech na equipment. Wala kaming masyadong malaking cast. We were only four hosts. We really struggled,” he reminisced, giving full credit to his original co-hosts—OPM icons Pops Fernandez and Ariel Rivera, and Puerto Rican beauty queen Dayanara Torres—who also stood by “ASAP”’s small but promising start. He acknowledged the vision of its pioneer director, Johnny "Mr. M" Manahan, as well.
That’s why during the show’s 30th anniversary homecoming episode on March 2, Martin (and Pops, who was a special guest that day) couldn’t hold back their emotions when Mr. M’s heartfelt message was played during the opening segment.
“We all know kung ano ’yung mga struggles namin noon. So for Johnny to have made everything go back to me was very humble of him. Because we all know the brainchild of Johnny was always ‘ASAP,’” Martin shared, also paying tribute to other key figures who became pillars of the show, including the late ABS-CBN Executive Deo Endrinal.
Martin is practically one of the show's 'parents.' In fact, he’s the parent who gave "ASAP" its iconic name. As the story goes, one day in 1995, he was rushing through preparations for a taping of his musical talk show "Martin After Dark" when he was told he'd be part of a new show to replace APO Hiking Society’s "‘Sang Linggo nAPO Sila," which was airing its final episode. The creatives asked for his input for a working title, and since he was in a hurry, he assumed they needed one ASAP—as soon as possible.
“I said, why don’t you just call it ‘ASAP’? Because we were into acronyms back then,” he recalled. And just like that, the show was baptized.
The next challenge, however, was deciding what 'ASAP' should stand for. Pops once jokingly suggested 'As Sexy As Pops'—but as Martin laughs today, “It didn’t work.” In the early episodes, viewers were even invited to send in their suggestions. Back then, audience interaction wasn’t immediate; they relied only on phone-in responses and handwritten letters. But even with the slow feedback loop, viewers eagerly participated. Eventually, Martin settled on "All-Star Sunday Afternoon Party." And the rest, as they say, is history.
"ASAP" has such a colorful history. Its inception in 1995 coincided with ABS-CBN’s own 'rebirth' after being granted a 25-year franchise to operate. Since the network was still in its early stages of rebuilding, there weren’t many programs on air, nor was there a full roster of people working both in front of and behind the camera. "ASAP" was one of the few shows the network had at the time, thus Martin, along with the other pioneers, truly nurtured it.
Apart from giving "ASAP" its name—something he’s grateful the creatives have kept for three decades—Martin also wrote the show’s very first theme song (before “Better Than Ever”). “Because there was no one else [to write it],” he would joke, humbly downplaying his contribution.
"That's why we were crying that Sunday [on ‘ASAP’'s Homecoming episode] because we had to do everything together and learn with each other, from each other. It was all a hit or miss. If it didn't work out, it didn't work out," he shared. Looking at today’s more advanced production, he quipped, "And now all of you, kids, are enjoying the fruits of our hard labor because it's so easy now... with digital."
But truth be told, if anything, the so-called ‘jurassic’ production days became “ASAP”'s backbone. The show was built by people who had to work without shortcuts, just pure passion, and that’s what made it strong.
"We've learned how to get out of struggles. And I think the biggest lesson here for everyone to learn is that there's really nothing impossible. We can really turn nothing into something. We can really turn impossible into possible," Martin imparted. "We know how to work under these circumstances, under these kinds of pressure, that's because of the kind of struggles we had back in the day."
But Martin isn’t undermining today’s new breed of stars. In fact, he’s rooting for the young blood, knowing that the future of the show he poured his heart and soul into now rests in their hands.
For him, the true purpose—and blessing—of building "ASAP" has always been to give Filipinos a stage to showcase their talent. And he’s happy to see that, over the years, countless Filipino performers have had the chance to step onto the very same stage that once belonged only to him, Pops, Ariel, and Dayanara.
After 30 years, Martin has come to embrace the reality that even the Concert King needs to slow down. Back in the day, the senior cast members would get to sing an entire song in every production. Now, they only get a few lines, as the stage has become home to so many new artists. And for him, that’s perfectly okay.
"For some people it wouldn't be okay to be in my position to be 'that guy' and now I'm 'one of the guys.' It's really an ego-buster if you think about it," he admitted. Some people have even asked him why he still chooses to stay on "ASAP" when the spotlight is no longer solely his. But for Martin, "ASAP" is forever.
"I'm no longer that guy on ‘ASAP.’ No matter what anybody wants to say, I know that. Most people in my shoe [would say] the Concert King needs to be somewhere where you are king. Absolutely not. If you are king, then you're able to lead your people to a better future, as opposed to making a better future for yourself."
These days, his greatest fulfillment comes not from the solos he sings but from knowing he’s helping new Filipino talents soar higher, using "ASAP" as their stepping stone. "My next mission in life is to make the industry better however and whenever I can."
"If there's anything that we, singers from the '80s and so on, that we can do today, it's that, it's our turn to help groom the future. And if I had some responsibility in that, if I had a hand in that, then my job is done," he reflected. "When I look back, I can say that, 'I saw that person grow. I saw this person turn from amazing to super amazing. I was able to help this young artist become what he or she is today.' I take great pride in that."
And if he were to pass his crown to a specific artist, Martin believes TJ Monterde would be a worthy successor, proof is TJ’s recent sold-out three-day concert and the phenomenal success of his song “Palagi,” which he achieved through pure dedication and hard work.
When asked if he still has dream performances on "ASAP"—something he hasn’t done yet—Martin shared that he’s always wanted to collaborate with international artists like his good friend Michael Bublé, as well as icons like Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand.
In his younger years, Martin dreamed of making it big on the global stage—the kind of recognition Lea Salonga enjoys today, where even international artists call her by her first name and she’s always the top choice for major productions, making the country proud.
But with time, he has humbly accepted that perhaps God had other plans for him. And if anything, he finds joy in seeing other Filipino artists fulfill that dream—like Sofronio Vasquez, who had the opportunity to be mentored by Bublé on "The Voice USA." Make no mistake, it was never just about fame or fortune for Martin. More than anything, he simply wanted to raise the Philippine flag high in the global entertainment scene.
And if Martin’s dream of making a global mark can only be fulfilled through the next generation of artists, especially if it’s through “ASAP,” then he’s more than willing to do whatever it takes to support them, to become their mentor and even their wing.