Meet the boys in the (Mega) Band. Here we are rehearsing with Miss Megastar and her Mega Band. She could have been a college kid on a night out with friends, not a Megastar jamming with some of the Best Musicians in the country. Sharon - in blue jacket and denims, her neatly pony-tailed hair kept in place by a black headband - keeps time by tapping her loafers. In one corner: vocal coach and Kumare Olive Isidro helps Sharon along by counting the bars with her fingers. Like a diligent student, Sharon is jotting down little notes on her lyric sheet. Cues. Corrections. She is singing "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," as if you know who is in front of her, instead of five (crazy) guys, she lovingly calls "my favorite criminals." BOBBY TAYLO, Bass (a.k.a. Sastre Taylor) "I was a childhood friend of Chet and Sharon. I used to visit them in their house, sa San Lorenzo pa sila nakatira no'n." "Chet used to push Sharon and me down the fountain. Sugat sugat tuloy kami. Chet was a year younger than I. I must have been eight years older then; Sharon, four, when we first met." "Noon pa lang, mahilig ng kumanta. She used to sing "Misty" for us. Habang kumakanta siya, inaalaska siya ni Chet. Kaya nag-aaway sila. Naghahabulan. Gano'n kami kakulit." "Now that we're older, we're a little more serious about life, I guess. " "Sharon is all grown up now. She takes care of business herself. Before, someone else used to take care of business for her. Ngayon, hands-on na siya. Perhaps, since we're older, alam na namin kung paano makukuha ang gusto namin." "She's a take-one artist. Especially if she likes the song. A trouper. I would rate her as one of the best. Problema lang mahilig magkwento. Namamaos siya sa kaka-kuwento, hindi sa pag-kanta." "Let's try 'You're the Biggest Part of Me,'" Ma'am Mega suggests cheerfully. The mere mention of the song's title to a deluge of memories, specifically to Australia that showcase perfomer backup Agot Isiro and Mr. M.D.'s "Careless Whisper." Everyone cracks up when the anecdote was passed around the studio, so much like, uhm, a whiff of fresh air. Just as swiftly, Ma'am Mega recovers from that minute of madness. "C'mon let's start singing. Direk Rowell is here. Nangangarag na naman ako. Afraid ako diyan...." Sharon says as she flips through her lyric sheet in the search of the Sergio Mendez pop-jazz hit. CEZAR AGUAS, Lead Guitar (a.k.a. Cezar is Criminal) "Sharon gave me the pet name Criminal after seeing a picture of my three sons. Mukha raw mga criminal na makukulit. Pero guwapo. Siyempre mana sa tatay." "I've worked with her for the past eight years, since her first Tour in 1988. That was her first time in mainland U.S. so the Pinoys were excited to see her in person. " "In New York, naka-two shows kami. Sa Maison. Kasabay pa namin si Elton John. Wala, nahati lang naman ang audience. Naks. Most went to Sharon. The rest kay Elton John." "Ang dami naming adventures together. Mga kagaguhan ng mga producers. Once nawalan ako ng passport. To make matters worse, pagod na pagod na kami, 'tapos 'yong isang promoter ba naman, nag-hain lang ng kutsinta." "Nagsumbong ako kay Sharon: Megastar ka pakakainin ka ng kutsinta!" Nagalit si Sharon. The producer ended up treating the whole band to a steakhouse dinner." "She's the best, in terms of musicality. May dugong musiko. Lugi ang mga studio sa kanya kasi ang bilis mag-take. Magaling talaga. Bilib ako diyan." Miss Mega is singing "Now That You're Gone," a semi-autobiographical song she composed in 1990, with enough passion and pathos to heat up the cups of coffee in her hands. Bobby is fooling around - threatening to pull the plugs off the keyboard, on M.D.'s piano solo. Sharon, now singing "On My Own," catches her bass player's antics, smiles but waves her hand, making the universal sign for stop. Light-hearted is the mood in the studio, but when it comes to work, she means business, as Bobby himself would say. Miss Mega continues scaling the dizzying heights of Eponine's song. With laser-like intensity, she focuses on the task at hand, as if the power of her voice (and concentration) could melt an iceberg, or light up a far-flung barrio in Palawan. ROY MERCADO, Drummer (a.k.a. The Invisible Drummer) "More than eight years na kaming magkakasama. Nauna lang ako nang konti sa iba. Bago si Mel, si Homer Flores muna ang musical director ng TSCS noon for a year. Nasa channel 13 pa ang iyong show." "Magaling siya. Mabilis siyang mag-recording. Hindi nakaka-inip." "She's A-One. Hindi 'ata nasisintunado 'yan pag recording. Bata pa siya, magaling nang mag-dub." Mr. Roy is packing his tools - the drumsticks, the drums, the miniature electric fan (it could get pretty toasty in the drummer's little corner). He is generally shy, a man of few words. But you can feel that he loves his Star - unabashedly, unquestioningly. "Totoong tao si Sharon. Mabait. Hindi siya tulad ng iba, isnabera. Si Sharon hindi lang sa stage, o sa harap ng camera mabait. Kahit kami-kami lang okay siya, hindi siya mayabang. Mapag-biro." "Saka mahilig sa Japanese food. Noon, lagi siyang nagboblow-out sa Saisaki sa may Pasay Road. Kasama pa niya iyong anak niya." "Other stars alam mong they don't care or know anything about music. Okay lang, that's part of the job. At least with Shawie, kung musiko ka, mararamdaman mo that she feels the same way about music as you do." It has been a long day (and night) for Sharon. She desperately needs a good laugh. Ma'am Mega's requesting from JQ his patented impersonation of a bazaar trader selling a picture of the "Last Supper." "Please. Namimiss ko na iyon...." Joey Q. obliges. Miss Shawie is ecstatic. "Take it away JQ!" JOEY QUIRINO, First Keyboard (a.k.a. Best Friend Joey) "I've been working in TSCS for four years now. I used to be the APO's pianist for all their concerts. Medyo matagal na ako with them. Biglang sumabay ang TSCS. So I decided na kay Shawie na lang ako." "Our first concert together was the SuperFerry Tour." "Ang daming tao sa Iloilo no'n even though it was raining cats and dogs. Hindi naman kami nabasa dahil may mga trapal. Kaso nga lang hindi mo namamalayan na naiipon ang tubig, pag may nakakabangga no'n. Pak! Basa ka! Si Bobby, talon nang talon. He got electrocuted. E, ako ang katabi niya, so iwas ako nang iwas." "She's a no-nonsense pro. Kung pinapaikot mo siya, papaikutin ka rin niya. If you're straight with her, straight din siya. Saka I noticed: If you don't know what you're doing, patay ka." "Huwag ka na lang mambola. Aminin mo na lang na hindi mo alam. Mas okay pa iyon. She appreciates honesty." "Other stars alam mong they don't care or know anything about music. Okay lang, that's part of the job. At least with Shawie.... kung musiko ka, mararamdaman mo that she feels the same way about musicians as you do." "She knows a lot of music. So as a musician, ginaganahan ka. Dapat ipakita mo ang best mo." "Surprisingly, although she's a Megastar, siya pa ang magaang dalhin. Hindi kagaya ng iba, mabigat, maraming arte." "She's very mischievous." "Although she epitomizes the complete woman, she is actually a child at heart. Mapaglaro. If she feels secure in the working environment, she allows the kid in her to come out." "I'm a musician. I love music so much..... and I can tell that she has the depth to love music as much as us musicians. That's one of her outstanding traits as an artist." Ma'm Mega looks at her watch, (Rolex, of course) and declares, matter-of-factly: "Last song na ang 'On My Own' 'tapos uwian na." The time: Close to midnight. She could have been singing "In The Wee Small Hours...."