here’s a belated reaction to the “OPM is dead” brouhaha: i’m uncomfortable with the term, yes. i’m uncomfortable with being labeled as a filipino musician, yes. however, i am NOT uncomfortable with being both a filipino AND a musician.
like i’ve said more than once over the past few weeks, the gist of this is that i don’t want my ethnicity to be the main descriptor of my music. i don’t want prospective fans to be fans just because of where i grew up. i want to earn their support, not coast on “luckily” being born into it.
look at that amazing cityscape; it inspires me every single day. this is my home; and of course i am a filipino musician. it’s just that i am more than who my parents are and where i’m from.
there are people who think differently, and i respect their opinions. this is just the way i feel about the whole issue; it’s a personal take that doesn’t even address what’s at the heart of the debate (if “OPM” is dead or not), since i obviously don’t identify with the term “OPM.” hopefully people respect that, in turn.
#203 MAALAALA MO KAYA (COVER). this is a practice track that my bandmate J and i (he played the guitar) recorded using a phone. some time ago, the two vocalists of the cellar doors (I and i) sang at a book launch held at the filipinas heritage library — this practice track was part of our prepping for that.
