The moment OPM icon Timmy Cruz walked into the room, there was an unmistakable warmth about her. Her silver-gray hair, elegantly styled into a chic bob, framed a face with barely-there makeup that enhanced, rather than masked, her natural beauty. But more than her appearance, it was her presence that immediately filled the room.
When the music started, Cruz came alive. She smiled effortlessly, danced with abandon as if no one was watching, and performed with the same infectious enthusiasm that first endeared her to audiences decades ago. Every movement reflected the message behind her latest single, “Ang Ganda ng Life.” That joy is a choice, gratitude is a practice, and true beauty comes from within.
Now under the management and care of seasoned talent manager Rams David through Artist Circle, Cruz is embracing a fresh chapter in her decades-long career. With Star Music releasing “Ang Ganda ng Life,” the veteran singer hopes to introduce her uplifting message to both longtime supporters and a younger generation of listeners.
Far from being just another release, the song is a reflection of Cruz herself, a combination of decades of life experiences, personal growth, and a conscious decision to embrace happiness regardless of life’s circumstances.
“Actually, as I was saying earlier, we can choose to be happy and we can choose to make our lives. We are the ones who make our lives,” Cruz shared during the media launch. “I really have learned to let go of the past and just stay in the present. I feel na if you stay in the present and enjoy the moment, life will always be good.”
The song, she explained, is deeply personal. “That’s basically my inspiration, my personal journey, my life,” she said. “I know that other people love me so much, but the best thing is I love myself first.”
For Cruz, self-love is not about vanity or putting oneself above others. Instead, it is the foundation upon which everything else is built. She believes that only by learning to appreciate oneself can a person genuinely attract peace, joy, and fulfillment.
“When you love yourself first then people will be automatically attracted to you. Love will be attracted to you. Peace will be attracted to you. Happiness, good fortune and most of all good health.” Those same values became the heartbeat of “Ang Ganda ng Life.”
“Sharing the songs, sharing the music, sharing the good vibes and the good feelings, the good wishes. That is basically the inspiration,” Cruz shared.
Rather than pretending that life is free from pain, Cruz acknowledges that everyone faces challenges. What she hopes the song reminds listeners is that they still have the power to choose how they move forward.
“Kahit na ano mangyari, I’m saying this with all conviction and all commitment na kahit na ano ang nagaganap sa ating buhay personally, sa ating pamilya, sa ating bansa, sa buong mundo, we have a choice na maging maganda ang life natin.”
She believes people often surrender too much of their happiness to circumstances beyond their control.
“We shouldn’t blame anyone. We should be responsible for our life, for our happiness,” she said. “I am the author of my life and every page of my life, no matter how small and simple the moment is, it is meaningful and valuable to me.”
Those convictions did not come without being tested. Cruz’s battle with breast cancer became one of the defining moments of her life, but she said her greatest takeaway wasn’t simply surviving the disease. It was discovering herself.
“I would say that it is one of the most beautiful moments of my life and I was grateful and truly blessed,” she said of becoming cancer-free. “But really the most beautiful moment of my life is getting to know myself. Rediscovering my inner beauty—that is the most beautiful part of my life. Everything else is just like icing on the cake.” That realization forever changed how she defines beauty.
“The world is so focused on outer beauty and of course so am I. So I focus on my outer beauty,” she admitted. “But most of all what’s really important to me is our inner beauty.”
Rather than measuring beauty by youth or physical appearance, Cruz now treasures qualities that grow stronger over time.
“When I say inner beauty, I’m talking about my inner peace, my inner happiness, my inner kindness and sweetness and my purity and my power. I’m talking about something that is priceless, something that will never grow old.”
With a smile, she repeated the title of her song almost as if it had become her personal mantra. “Kaya uulitin ko ulit — ang ganda ng life.”
That philosophy extends to the way she now experiences everyday life. Instead of waiting for extraordinary moments, Cruz has learned to appreciate the ordinary.
“I find beauty in everything in everyone,” she said. “Every little moment is beautiful.”
“I don’t need to go to a place to be feeling beautiful or to see beauty.”
“Here right now, here with all of you, I feel beauty.”
“So everything is beautiful to me.”
“If every moment is beautiful, then everything is beautiful.”
Of course, staying positive is easier said than done. Cruz admitted that maintaining such a mindset requires daily discipline and conscious effort.
“In the morning as I wake up I stay consciously positive talaga. I don’t think of negative stuff,” she shared. “When I hear or when I’m talking to someone early in the morning and they talk about negative stuff, I always say, ‘Can we set that aside muna?’”
Over the years, she has made it a personal mission to master her thoughts rather than let negativity master her.
“I’ve been experimenting on how I can manage my mind, how I can be the master of my mind,” she said. “Beauty is all around. Basta gusto ko na makita yung beauty, nandiyan na yan.”
Her outlook has also influenced how she approaches aging. While many public figures continue to conceal signs of growing older, Cruz proudly embraces her silver-gray hair.
“Bata pa lang ako talagang mahilig na ako sa natural,” she said.
After recovering from illness, she began questioning whether she still needed to conform to beauty standards that no longer aligned with who she had become.
“When I got sick I asked myself, ’Kailangan mo pa bang gawin ‘yon?’”
She understands that embracing natural aging requires confidence.
“It takes quite a personality. You have to have a lot of self-confidence,” she said. “There will come a time na magiging confident na kayo.”
Ironically, Cruz says she feels younger today than she ever did in the past. “Age is something that will happen to all of us,” she reflected. “But I’m feeling younger now than I ever was because being young is in my heart. It’s also in my mind.”
“So no matter how old I may look, I’m feeling so young. Susunod yung outer. Pag yung inner mo young, susunod yung outer.”
Much of that confidence, she said, came from learning to “travel inward.”
Instead of constantly seeking fulfillment externally, Cruz spends time every day reflecting on four questions: Who am I? Who do I belong to? Why am I here? What is my purpose in life?
Those questions eventually led her to answers that now guide every aspect of her life.
“I am not my name. I am not my profession. I am not my education. I am not my wealth. I am not my birthday… I am a soul.”
“I belong to God, my Creator.”
“I’m here because I’m going to play my part. I have a script that God gave me and you all have scripts that God gave you. I will be the best version of myself.”
Following her recovery, Cruz said her purpose became even more defined.
“I heard a beautiful voice telling me that I should continue doing good, continue being kind, being sweet and being loving,” she recalled. “That became my purpose. Living a life that is full of purpose makes me so happy.”
That purpose is exactly what she hopes listeners will find in “Ang Ganda ng Life.” More than a feel-good song, she wants it to become a source of comfort for people quietly carrying their own burdens.
“Pakinggan po ninyo ang ‘Ang Ganda ng Life’ because it will bring you hope. It will bring you freedom. It will give you happiness,” she said.
She knows that no two journeys are the same, which is why she refuses to assume she understands another person’s struggles.
“Alam ko na maraming nahihirapan. Alam ko na maraming pinapasan ng maraming tao. I can’t say that I’ve been there. Hindi ko alam kung anong pinagdadaanan ninyo. But I empathize with you through this song.”
As she embarks on this new chapter under Artist Circle and the guidance of Rams David, Cruz is sharing the perspective she has spent a lifetime cultivating — one rooted in gratitude, self-love, faith, and the belief that beauty can always be found, no matter what life brings.
“There is hope,” she said. “God is in charge. God loves you so much. Everything will be all right.”
