No hit song has come from Polish singer-songwriter Basia lately but her 80s and 90s tunes “A New Day For You,” “Time And Tide,” “Promises,” “Until You Come Back To Me” and “Cruising For Bruising” are reasons enough for her Filipino fans to be excited about her latest visit in Manila.

Before she holds her concert “Basia: Live in Manila” on Oct. 21, at the Araneta Coliseum, Manila Bulletin Entertainment Online and other members of the press were able to interview Basia at the Podium Mall where she revealed that neither time (nor tide) has eroded her fond memories of the country.

“Yes, I quite remember my last concert here. I remember thinking then that maybe we don’t have a following here, and that the Filipinos might not be familiar with our songs. Imagine our surprise when we learned that people here can actually sing back our song to us,” she said.

Asked to describe the type of music she does for the benefit of the younger set who may have just heard her music from older people, Basia said that it’s “music that has interesting melody and uplifting lyrics.”

“It’s not just jazz music…but everything around pop, soul music or of more radical genres. What’s common to all my songs is great melody because melody is important to me.

“And when I set out to become a singer, it was my aim to make people feel optimistic and give them hope. That was my plan, my intention. There have been times in my life, when I didn’t feel so hopeful myself and that’s why I decided to take time off so as not to spread the sadness.”

Among all her songs, which one is the definitive Basia music?

“I can’t just choose one! Different songs of mine were important to me at different points in my life. Every song of mine represents a part of my life. It’s like a diary…a cornucopia of my conscience.”

She recalled how she came about doing a version of Aretha Franklin’s “Until You Come Back To Me.”

“She was one of my heroes,” she said. “And the first time we did that song was in one of our shows. Some people liked it and they suggested that we do a recorded version.”

Basia added though that she probably won’t do a remake soon because she’d rather record her own stuff.

“It’s a challenge for us to write our own songs. Doing so gives us joy and sharing it with people…we could only hope that they’d like them, too.”

Many people do----including some of Basia’s unreleased songs. One of these, “From Now On” from her “Time And Tide” album, even had her friends call her up to ask if they were their (Basia and co-writer Danny White) inspiration behind it.

“They thought so because the story of that song happens to a lot of people,” she said.

White, who was with Basia during the interview, revealed that the singer is the captain of her own ship when they’re inside the studio.

“We talk about the arrangement for each track but when it comes to the vocals, she alone determines her notes and how to sing a song. I take a backseat when it comes to that,” he said.

Basia rejoined: “But always, when I lay down a vocal track, Danny and I discuss it a few days later. It’s good to have a sounding board; someone you can exchange ideas with.”

Some of Basia’s top-selling albums were “Time And Tide,” “London Warsaw New York,” “The Sweetest Illusion,” “Basia on Broadway” and “Clear Horizon: The Best of Basia.” Her latest album is “It’s That Girl Again.”

The country’s premier vocal group, The CompanY, will be Basia' s front act in her show Wednesday night. The show is presented by 105.1 Crossover, in cooperation with ABS-CBN.

Major sponsors are Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Mossimo Music, Discovery Suites and Nissan Patrol Super Safari with Quickn. Minor sponsors are Bank of Commerce and Fucoidan.

Media partners are Jam 88.3, Wave 89.1, Magic 89.9, U92, Monster Radio RX 93.1, 99.5 RT, Dream 106.7, NU 107, Focus Media and MTV Philippines.

"Basia: Live in Manila" is a production of XVR Events and Music Management International.

For ticket inquiries and reservations, call TicketNet 911-5555 or 105.1 Crossover at 411-1051 or 0917-838-1051