“Where is Joey Albert now?”
This thought has probably crossed the minds of people whose lives have been touched by the singer, whether directly or indirectly: Those the singer have met personally, or those who have used one of her songs as a soundtrack to their lives. Heck, people may have even come across her due to her anime tangent (we’ll get to that in a bit).
The now 64-year-old OPM icon, real name Maria Josefina Albert-Pacis, has been living the best of both worlds—as a singer, and as a mother. While she may have stepped back from the spotlight during the height of her career in the 90s, she has remained a relevant figure in the music scene, in more ways than one.
In an exclusive interview with POP!, the singer candidly opened up about everything she went through throughout her remarkable career spanning over four decades.
Life after leaving the limelight
In 1995, Joey Albert made the bold decision to leave the Philippines and her showbiz life to move to Canada with her family.
“I was prepared to lose everything,” she admitted. After being diagnosed with cervical cancer, she expressed that she embraced a new life with her family, making a 180-degree turn from her showbiz roots.
During the first ten years of staying in Canada, she focused on raising her children before deciding to embark on a new career path. Joey pursued a course in early childhood education and eventually opened a Catholic daycare of her own. “That’s my day job,” she said, noting that it has always been one of her dreams.
Despite leaving her showbiz career behind, Joey found singing to be something that’s already engraved in her heart. She found avenues to sing and had the chance to perform in hotels every weekend. “I had a band here. We used to sing in a hotel here, every Friday and Saturday for ten years, singing 70s and 80s songs,” she shared.
Moreover, she also hosts “Joey’s Jams,” as she calls it, a series of song covers she shares online. Her greatest motivation for creating this content is simple: to make people smile. “When I respond to them and they feel special, I feel like I made a difference,” she expressed.
Even today, Joey makes it a point to share her soulful voice and touch hearts, not just in the Philippines but also abroad. Recently, she made history as the first Filipino artist to stage a solo concert aboard a commercial cruise.
“There must be a reason for God bringing me here because Filipinos who are here miss our music so much,” she said as she reflected on the connection she builds with her audience, especially Filipinos who work abroad. She also hopes that this milestone of hers will open doors for other OPM artists to perform on cruise ships.
Joey Albert’s humble beginnings that paved way to a four-decade-long career
Surprisingly, Joey Albert never intended to pursue a singing career. Her journey all began in 1981 when she joined the band ‘The New Minstrels.’ During that time, she was simply content with her passion for singing. “I entered much later than most of my contemporaries,” she recalled.
After some time, after the release of her iconic single “Tell Me,” she recognized her potential and dedicated herself to refining her craft. She enrolled in music schools and practiced by accepting rigorous performances. And as they say, the rest is history.
Forty-three years into her career, Joey reflects on a few milestones that remain unforgettable for her. “Larger than Life was one of the most wonderful concerts we ever staged,” she reminisced. Joey collaborated with music composer Louie Ocampo, film director Freddie Santos, and her sister to make the iconic concert happen.
“It was my second major concert and one of the first 100% OPM concerts,” she continued, recalling how she performed tributes to fellow artists like Gary Valenciano and Sharon Cuneta for the full-packed concert.
Another defining moment for her was when she won the Best Female Vocalist during the 1985 Cecil Awards, which solidified her status in the industry. She also fondly remembered the moment that marked the beginning of her professional singing career—winning the Dream Girl Filipina contest on The Party, a show that was hosted by Ariel Ureta back in 1982.
Fast forward to today, Joey Albert’s music continues to resonate across generations. Her iconic songs, including “Tell Me,” “Points Of View,” “I Remember The Boy,” “Iisa Pa Lamang,” and “Without You,” to name a few, remain staples of OPM playback: Still featured on the radio, in Philippine teleseryes [series] and movies, shared widely across social media platforms, and queued heavily on videoke sessions. This just proves that her music is timeless and ahead of its time.
“I’m surprised that they [new generation] still bother to listen to music from our generation,” she expressed with genuine awe. During the conversation, it was shared with Joey that her music–and that of the others from the 80s era–are in fact experiencing a resurgence due to new avenues for music discovery, such as streaming, and also due to new renditions made by newer artists, such as Jayda’s (Dingdong Avanzado and Jessa Zaragoza’s daughter who is now also carving a name in the local music industry) version of ‘Points Of View’ which she performed with her mom. The performance has been posted online and already has over 17 million views as of writing.
Joey does recognize that the song “Tell Me” is mostly being credited now to Side A after the band’s 1995 cover, though many other artists have also done their own renditions, including American Idol alumnus David Archuleta. “I hope when Filipinos sing or listen to the song, they don’t forget that I did it originally.”
These writers, while generally knowledgeable in her music, actually fell down the Joey Albert rabbit hole. Earlier in the story, it was mentioned that Joey’s music somehow crosses paths with anime–as the writers would soon discover, hardcore anime fans would often mention ‘Bubblegum Crash’ when they hear of Joey’s high energy 1985 hit single ‘Larger Than Life.’ Bubblegum Crash, a popular 1991 anime series and sequel to the equally popular 1987 series Bubblegum Crisis, has a history of suspicious similarities in their theme songs with that of current pop songs at the time, and fans of the series have largely labeled the entire melody of “Hateshitenai Tabi”, the opening theme from the series, as plagiarism of ‘Larger Than Life.’
Listen to compare:
It is unclear whether this issue has been sorted out between the two parties.
As she reflected on her discography, she revealed that her favorite song is “Million Miles Away.” “There’s something about that song. It’s such an adoring song,” she shared. However, she noted that there are also songs that she now finds difficult to perform. For her, “It’s Over Now” is the most challenging due to its shifts in melody. Joey also finds that “Points Of View,” which she recorded and still continues to perform with her good friend Pops Fernandez, could be described as “rare” in the sense that there aren’t many OPM songs that perfectly encapsulate the essence of female friendships.
Joey’s career isn’t entirely one that revolves only in music; Joey has also starred in TV shows and films in the 80s, had brand endorsements, and, as she recalled, was even “personally requested” by Richard Gomez to do the original soundtrack for his movie with Dawn Zulueta, “Iisa Pa Lamang.” During the interview, Joey Albert referred to Richard Gomez as her “ex-boyfriend,” later on cracking at the sight of the interviewers gawking at the possibility that they might have missed this information this entire time. “I used to always [joke about] that for the last 20 years,” she beamed.
Battle with cancer
Joey Albert has not only captured people’s hearts because of her remarkable career, but also through her inspiring life journey.
After surviving cervical cancer in 1995, the first of her three diagnoses, she realized that she should focus on things that truly matter, especially her family.
“You don’t have time [when you’re] in showbiz, you’re never home. I figured it might be time to take care of my children. If my cancer comes back, I would have at least some years taking care of them,” she said.
Joey went into remission until 2003 when she was diagnosed with colon cancer. Following a successful surgery and chemotherapy sessions, she went into 12-year remission. In 2015, she made headlines again when she revealed that her cancer had reoccurred.
Fast forward to today, Joey is celebrating nearly 10 years in remission.
After surviving three cancers, she clearly knows what she wants to do with her life and the kind of legacy she wishes to leave behind.
An enduring legacy
If you think about it, Joey Albert never really left the limelight. She still continues to tour, perform, and even produce shows.
But 43 years in the music industry, Joey feels that there’s really nothing left for her to prove. All she wants now as a singer is to continue touching the lives of people, especially Filipinos, in whatever ways she can. “I like trying different things. Joey’s Jams is different for me, doing a concert on [a] cruise. I just try to kinda reinvent and stretch my reach to different venues. Wherever you can sing for Filipinos,” she said.
Joey aims to leave a meaningful mark, ensuring everyone has a “Joey Albert” story to tell. “For me, it’s really just, number one giving back, number two, just wanting to stay remembered. I will die one day and you have to think about how you want to leave this world. That’s an important thought, especially at my age,” she stated.
“I’ll make sure everybody has a Joey Albert story to tell,” she added.
While Joey feels accomplished in her career, she revealed that she still has one last dream: to do live concerts in the Philippines for the masses. “That’s my last dream,” she stated.
Her resilience and unwavering love for what truly matters—especially for her fellow Filipinos—are probably among the reasons why Joey Albert continues to feel blessed and fulfilled. And indeed, the icon can’t find a better word to describe her career than “blessed.” For her, every experience and achievement in her life and career has shaped her into the person she is today. She also continues to prove that it’s never too late to explore new avenues things and express one’s passion in diverse ways.
As she embraces her passion and purpose, she remains an enduring inspiration in the industry much like the melodies she has shared with the world.
As of the moment, Joey Albert is focused on preparing for her next cruise concert in May 2025.
So, to answer the opening question, “Where is Joey Albert now?” She’s here, and given her exceptionally colorful story that still continues to this day, she’s definitely still larger than life.
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