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James Ingram, the soul balladeer who popularized hit songs like “Just Once” and “I Don’t Have The Heart” among others, is back in the country for a two-night show. James revealed in a recent press conference that it feels amazing for him to come back to the Philippines because it’s different from what he experiences in other places.

“Every time I come here… you all have welcomed me and made me feel like I’m a Filipino. I’m serious. I get that treatment and I love it because I don’t get that from other people, like from around the world. I have never been confident like this in coming to the Philippines,” he shared at the press conference for his upcoming concerts, scheduled on February 17 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum and February 18 at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu. The respected music icon will have Lea Salonga as his special guest for the said shows.

James also shared his thoughts about the death of singer Whitney Houston, who was found dead on February 11 (12 in the Philippines) in a hotel suite in Beverly Hills, California. “It’s so hard getting on the plane (on his way to the Philippines) and all we can do is pray for her dear soul. It’s heartbreaking,” he stated. “If you don’t have a spiritual background to keep you from going too far, you can end up anywhere.”

He shared that he had had the pleasure of working with Whitney many years ago at a concert. They didn’t have a duet but they sang on the same stage during the said occasion. “We’ve done some shows together. She was beautiful and [a] very talented singer. We sang in the same show,” said James.

There have been suspicions that Whitney’s death was caused by illegal drugs which investigators have yet to confirm. This supposedly led music icon Tony Bennett to call for the legalization of drugs following Whitney’s death. When asked for his opinion on the matter, James suggested that prohibited drugs are not beneficial unless there is prescription from a medical practitioner.  He expressed that it should be used for medicinal purposes and not to be abused that might cause harm to one’s health.