Cozying up to music – and marital bliss
Published on: Sunday, September 28, 2014
IT all makes sense now. Jaclyn Victor's past heartaches and failures in relationships make sense now.It was all to give way to the opportunity to be with Shawn Rivera, her husband who she met last year in Kuala Lumpur. All of the negative experiences were actually blessings in disguise meant to connect her to the love of her life. ADVERTISEMENT Long distance relationships may not work for some couples but these two love birds had no choice as they lived far away from each other."I warmed up to him after getting to know him more through video chats and messages online," said Jac during an interview prior to her performance at the Macallan's Evening Like No Other in Kota Kinabalu on Aug 15. "With Shawn, I never run out of things to say. We always have something to say to each other online and in person. After some time, we allowed ourselves to be vulnerable with each other." ADVERTISEMENT Jac's husband, an American of Puerto Rican descent, is a Grammy-nominated vocalist with the group Az Yet - an R&B vocal harmony group whose popularity peaked in the mid-90s. He is also a songwriter and a producer.She walked down the isle and exchanged vows with him in a closed-door ceremony at a church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 19.
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They first met in January last year when he was in Kuala Lumpur with other members of Az Yet to record the song 'Magical Moments' - a soundtrack for the movie- 'Ribbit' produced by KRU Studios. "When I first walked into the studio to meet members of Az Yet to record the song, Shawn kissed my hand. I've gone through so many ups and downs in life and heartbreaks that when he came along and said all the sweet serenading lines, I didn't buy into it. I was suspicious and definitely was not convinced.""But, he never gave up. In fact, he kept in touch with me. We kept in touch online and met in person five times before our wedding."During the interview, Jac revealed that she came to a point in her life where she thought that marriage was not her calling. "Actually, I did not think marriage was for me. I am already 36 years old. Like other women, I too wanted to get married. I was in that phase when I was 17 years old and then it came to mind again when I was in my early 20's, but as time passed by… as I reached my 30's, I thought I would never get married. I had really given up hope on that possibility."I thought that perhaps my destiny would revolve around children. This is because whenever I did charity work or sang at charity events, I noticed children and teenagers would actually listen to me when I talk."But the door to marital bliss eventually opened."it was only love at first sight for him," said Jac with a smile on her face as she recalled the moment she met Shawn."Men are usually hard to pin down. They're afraid of commitment. But, surprisingly, this one, at one point was talking about having a family and getting married without me even having to nudge or encourage him in that direction. "Even when we just met, when he saw me wearing a white dress, he asked me whether that was the dress that I would be wearing to our wedding," shared Jac."There were conversations about marriage and commitment being just a man made contract, and that we are not meant for just one person in life…that we are meant to be with a lot of people, just like some animals who have a lot of mates, as it's nature's call. "That was his mindset, but he soon changed his mind about this as we got into a more serious phase. "Shawn and I are both so talkative. We talk about so many things from mundane to serious topics. We get into meaningful conversations, expressing our opinions, our past experiences, our ups and downs, etc."However, the hours of conversations were not the only aspect that connected them to each other."He's lovey dovey, kissy kissy, huggy huggy ... he's never embarrassed to show some public displays of affection. And he always makes me laugh."Other qualities that stole Jac's heart was the fact that he is family oriented, genuinely warm, caring, honest, expressive, spiritual, intuitive and intelligent.Her love story with Shawn was kept under wraps and the wedding was a discreet affair as requested by her mother. Jac finally introduced her husband at a press conference, after a function at Istana Budaya, in Kuala Lumpur, early August.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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"My life now is so surreal. I never imagined that it would turn out this way. It all started when my brother registered my name to join the first Malaysian Idol," said Jac in a reflective mood."Never let go of your dreams. You never know where one act or situation will take you."