Now that Martin Nievera and Pops Fernandez are both grannies, people are excited to see them adore and take care of their first grandchild, Finn, who’s the son of their eldest, Robin. 

“Finn is so cute,” Lolly Pops remarked. “He is so mabait, adorable and always a happy baby. I would have never planned a trip to another State with Martin before Christmas if not for Finn. We have our own lives for a long time now.

“Somehow, that used to happen because of our two boys. We always planned something before because of our boys for the concept of being a family. Today, we’re equally excited because of our grandchild. We make an effort because of Finn.”

This early, Pops can tell the boy is musically inclined “Robin would bring the baby whenever Martin and I rehearsed in the States (during their recent visit in Chicago, where Robin lives with his family),” shared Pops. “Finn listens a lot until he falls asleep. The music and the sound don’t really bother him.

“Maybe that’s a sign Finn will also be into music,” shared Pops. “We try to make it a point to spend every minute with Finn. It was a fun trip because we got to meet Mian’s family also.”

When Finn marked his first birthday last December, Nievera and Fernandez visited Chicago and got to meet the “huge” family on their daughter-in-law.

Last September, Finn was shown to the public when Martin had a solo concert at the Araneta Coliseum. Robin – with wife Mian and baby Finn – flew in from Chicago to perform with Martin.

Martin and Pops team up anew for a pre-Valentine’s concert, “Always and Forever,” February 7 at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena.

The un-couple watches their health, especially before a major concert, careful not to be stalled by health issues.

Gary Valencino had his health scare last December when the first night of his Araneta Coliseum concert was cut short and he had to be rushed to the hospital.

Regine Velasquez also lost her voice due to a viral infection before a major concert at the Mall of Asia Arena during her 25th anniversary in 2012.

“I see a doctor, especially for my voice,” said Pops. “But even if we do all those things and take all the precautions, tao lang kami. We can never tell what’s going to happen. Hopefully, nothing bad will happen.” 

            Martin nonchalantly attributes their being comfortable with each other because they’ve seen each other without clothes. 

            “In other words, I know her insides, she knows my insides, so its okay to know on the outsides what her insides are,” Martin said. “There’s no competition between us.”

            Pops said it’s years and years of being together and working together. “Sanay na kami to do anything onstage, although we still get challenged,” she said. “Our natural banter is always part of our show.

            “Sometimes, it just happens. There was just a topic and we prolong talking about it. Sometimes, we just talk about anything and adlib. But we have boundaries. We know when to stop. I know when Martin might feel too uncomfortable already.

“I sometimes make him feel uncomfortable. That’s part of the fun. But I also know when it’s too much. There’s still that respect. As we mature, that’s important.”

Admittedly, Martin is proud that even if he and Pops have long been separated, his two boys, Robin and Ram, have grown up to be such good men.

“There were tensions when they were younger, especially during our separation,” the concert king recalled. “But they turned out to be great men because a great mom (Pops) raised them as both mother and father.

“Me as the dad was always absent. To this day, we have a bond that has kept us together, whether or not we have a concert.”

  Both artists acknowledged there has been a 360-degree turn professionally from the time they were still legally together, now that they a performing together again onstage. It was Maximedia that brought them together onstage in 2004.

“Our first show together after the separation, there was too much discomfort and awkwardness,” Pops recalled.

“The concert did so well that we had a show at Araneta Coliseum where they did a Sunday matinee show and the main show in the evening,” shared Martin. “After that Maximedia even brought us to the States. There was no social media yet at that time.

“That was when Pops and I became really good friends even off-stage. We realized we have something onstage enough to say that we are a team. It was our strong foundation as friends that made all these possible.”

Yes, they still have occasional arguments. “Not everything is always 100 percent smooth all the time,” Pops pointed out. “We still argue. That’s normal. But we have remained friends.

“Love has different dimensions and stages. Love is an over-used word. But for Martin and I, we have been through a lot. Somehow, we have remained where we are now, which is friends. We have evolved into a different type of love.”

Martin insisted, “Together, we have been un-together together.”

Martin and Pops recorded a theme for their concert, “The Promise,” which was earlier sang by Martin in his “Forever” album in 2004.

Musical director for “Always and Forever” is Homer Flores. Concert director is Rowell Santiago, while Paolo Valenciano is stage director.