After almost four decades of not seeing each other although they were in the same local Tin Pan Alley most of their time in the recent past, singer and music teacher Michelle Nikki Junia and former member of the quartet Smokey Mountain Tony Lambino finally met each other again in a special occasion recently.
"Finally reunited with my fellow 14K member-Tony Lambino!!! It's been decades! Wonderful to see you again. Good times!" wrote Michelle Nikki in her Facebook wall with joyful emojis and musical notes.
Junia, now President of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and Tony, now a technocrat and an economist, were together in now National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab's 14K formed in the mid-80s.
Michelle Nikki who was just barely in her teens was a very active and dynamic protege of Ryan.
Aside from Junia and Lambino, the other members of 14K were Jeffrey Hidalgo, now a film director; Roeder Camanag, now an award-winning stage, TV and movie actor, theater director and producer; Rhada, a very popular singer and granddaughter of the late award-winning actress Lolita Rodriguez; and the late Tenten Munoz, among others.
When Tony and Jeffrey left 14K, Cayabyab teamed them up with Geneva Cruz and James Coronel to form Smokey Mountain.
After 14K, Michelle Nikki pursued her Bachelor of Music major in Voice at the UST Conservatory of Music where she graduated with honors.
Meanwhile, after Smokey Mountain, Lambino finished his AB Communication from the Ateneo de Manila University. He went on to become a communication specialist for both the government and private sector.
He is currently a Governance Specialist at World Bank.
Photo Caption: CCP President Michelle Nikki Junia and Toby Lambino
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