Filipino artists 1:43, Myrus and Princess headline Independence Day concert in Singapore

BREAKING NEWS: From Myrus' and 1:43's manager Chris Cahilig twitter account: SAD NEWS, we hav decided to cancel our Singapore concert due to its timing with d Pacquiao fight. We'll keep u posted on our int'l gigs.

I’ve always enjoyed it whenever cultural institutions and embassies bring over foreign artists to perform here in the Philippines. But what makes me more excited is when it’s the other way around: Filipino artists going overseas and giving audiences abroad a taste of what Filipino culture is all about. And the Singapore audience will get exactly that as boy band 1:43, singer/songwriter Myrus and acoustic artist Princess Velasco headline the Philippines: One World Concert 2012 happening on June 10, 2012 at The Coliseum located at the Hard Rock Hotel in Resorts World, Singapore.

While the show will be catered towards the Filipino community there, Singaporeans are also  expected to watch. Director and concert organizer, Singaporean Jaden Zanders of Jaz-E Entertainment even said that they’ve heard that some Indonesian and Malaysian fans will be flying over to see the performances of these Filipino artists as well. And these audiences from all over South East Asia will be treated to hits by 1:43, Myrus and Princess as well as their covers of popular Filipino music (also known as OPM).

1:43

Boy band 1:43, composed of Anjo Resurreccion, Kim Nicolas, Gold Aquino and Yuki Sakamoto, is currently enjoying the success of their latest single Sa Isang Sulyap Mo (loose trans. In One Glance) which is part of the Mang Inasal Mang Aawit Music Advocacy Campaign. Already a hit in YouTube, the song has further reached a much a wider audience this summer season when the song got included in the soundtrack of Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) Teen Edition 4 shown on ABS-CBN.

Myrus

Making his mark in the industry as a singer/songwriter (Sa Isang Sulyap Mo is his composition as well), Myrus has recently released his sophomore album Wanted released by Viva Records that boasts an all original content lead by the single Pusong Lito (trans. Confused Heart). A radio hit in Greater Manila and in various cities around the country, the song is further boosted by airplay in Mang Inasal outlets as part of the Mang Inasal Mang Aawit Music Advocacy Campaign as well. Myrus, along with 1:43 also had a successful concert at the Metro Bar recently.

Princess Velasco

Princess Velasco on the other hand is no stranger to viewers of the Sunday noontime variety show ASAP. A regular performer at the Sessionistas portion of the show, she has also released albums under Vicor Records with her debut album Addicted to Acoustic achieving platinum status.

I do have high hopes for these three emerging artists that contribute much to the diversity and excitement in the local music industry. And having the opportunity to spread Filipino music in other territories is something that I always support. Like what I’ve said before, I’ve always enjoyed my experiences whenever foreign embassies celebrate their national/independence days here highlighted by performances by musicians that they brought over here. But as a Filipino, it gives me great pride when it’s Filipino musicians who will be performing abroad as part of the Philippine Independence Day celebrations. All I can say to that is Mabuhay ang musikang Pilipino! trans. Long live, Filipino music!

Mang Aawit Music Advocacy Program launched by Mang Inasal

Mang Inasal recently had a Media and Bloggers Night held at the T.E.A.T.R.I.N.O. in Promenade, Greenhills to launch their new campaign, I <3 Mang Inasal. This campaign showed the journey of Mang Inasal from its humble roots until it became one of the major players in the fast food industry in here and it also hinted on what lies ahead in the future for them.

1:43

For the present, this campaign aims to reward their loyal diners via their Grand Gadget Giveaway by raffling off ASUS Eee Pad Transformers and special I Love Mang Inasal USB Ballers this month of August. One only needs to purchase P250 worth of products to have a chance of winning in this raffle promo.

Stephanie Dan

But the main highlight of this event for me was definitely the launch of the Mang Inasal Mang Aawit Music Advocacy Program. This advocacy as explained by Project Director Chris Cahilig, intends to promote, preserve and enrich the Philippine music scene by supporting local recording artists and their works. For this, eight local recording artists from different genres were chosen to be part of the program.

Aries Sales

Onse

And seven among these eight artists were present that evening and performed which turned the event to a concert of sorts. The first to perform was boy group 1:43 whose looks may be reminiscent of East Asian boy groups but their material is definitely OPM as they performed tracks from their Time for Love album. Next to perform was Stephanie Dan who also gave the audience a sample of her music taken from her Love to Love Acoustic album. Singer-songwriter from Davao Aries Sales followed with his set and showcased his songwriting capabilities when he sang his original composition Miss Masungit.

Sheng Belmonte

Myrus

Then the concert turned into a scene from a comedy bar as Onse took to the stage and inserted some stand up comedy routine alongside singing his novelty song AEIOU. After the laughter, things heated up as Sheng Belmonte sizzled the stage with some sexy moves while performing Gigil taken from her debut album. Sustaining the energy level was Myrus who sang tracks from his debut album Love Cycle while reminding the audience of his upcoming sophomore effort. Last but definitely not the least, pop band Kiss Jane capped the evening by performing their hit songs like Lagi. Unfortunately, R&B and soul artist Arnee Hidalgo wasn't able to attend the event but she's slated to release a comeback album soon.

Kiss Jane

The recording industry worldwide nowadays is just a shade of what it was compared to a decade ago. And the Philippine recording industry is hit even harder by the competition from foreign artists and the proliferation of illegal music downloads. It is very noble of Mang Inasal to spearhead this program by supporting these eight local artists by giving them grants and wider exposure through their outlets which will play their music and their videos. Without a doubt, I would find my dining experience there more enjoyable since it's not only just the tasty food, but also the music as well, that will feed me and nourish me.