MANILA, Philippines – Ask any Filipino listener or artist what they think of the current state of the local music scene, and the word “thriving” is sure to come up. 

It was what P-pop girl group BINI’s leader Jhoanna Robles used to describe OPM on the sidelines of an event. 

“When the year started, it seemed like everything was about OPM — there were concerts that didn’t just sell out for one day. All of the artists who would perform in the big arenas in the Philippines would manage to sell out two days’ worth of shows,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino. 

Jhoanna and her group are a testament to this, having sold out their “BINIverse” concert at the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena in Bulacan in February. 

The “Kings of P-pop” SB19 had achieved this, too, selling out both nights of their “Simula at Wakas” world tour kickoff in the same massive venue on May 31 and June 1. Notably, all tickets for the first night had been exhausted in less than seven hours. 

Cup of Joe are no strangers to this streak either, with the Baguio-based band selling out both nights of their “Silakbo” concert at the Araneta Coliseum in mid-February, and all three nights of their “Stardust” show in October. 

But even gigs held in smaller spaces like cramped bars and cafés see audience turnouts like no other. Venues would reach full capacity for performances on a random weekday, and tickets for shows put together by local productions would sell out within hours — sometimes even minutes. 

The Filipino music scene truly is flourishing, but what are the factors that come into play for artists to keep their craft alive? 

Local talent left and right

“I think the Philippines is a dynamic, growing market. And it’s one of the markets in the Southeast Asian region that has an extremely exciting group of local talent,” Johnson Arul of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) said during the launch of the Official Philippines Chart. 

Artists of this generation are able to carve their own paths across a myriad of genres and styles. There’s modern harana and kundiman, classic rock fused with funk, alternative folk, hip-hop that draws you in bar after bar, groovy synths intertwined with powerful vocals — the list goes on and on. There’s always going to be an audience for each of these different genres and more. 

“Love songs will always be there. Hindi siya nawawala (They will never go away). Even our talented P-pop artists, after their dance songs, mayroon sila sometimes na mga ballad (sometimes they have ballads),” said singer Christian Bautista in an interview with Rappler. 

Arul added that from a global perspective, the Filipino music industry has one of the fastest-growing markets thanks to its ever-growing pool of prolific artists. And it looks like this isn’t going to be stopping anytime soon, as more and more local acts vie for global domination. 

Just ask soloist ena mori, who has taken her music to overseas showcases and festivals in London, Hong Kong, Sydney, and Texas, to name a few. For the Japanese-Filipina artist, the challenge of going global lies in staying true to her own sonic identity. 

“There are some challenges logistically and I advocate for that to be a lot easier for many of us to do. Because we do have the music, I really believe that. But for me, the real challenging thing is sticking to what I believe is good. You doubt what would be more bagay (fitting) for this crowd and you try to do something different but it doesn’t work because it’s not you. Ultimately, what you do best is you, authentically,” she told Rappler during her Live Jam guesting. 

“Music is music. No matter what language you speak, it’s always gonna speak to the heart directly. So [it’s all about] just sticking to what you think is best,” she added. 

And if there’s one thing about Filipino artists, it’s that they aren’t afraid to bare their souls in the songs they create. Perhaps it’s this unapologetic show of vulnerability that has contributed to putting Filipino music on the map. 

“’Yung mga successful artists, ‘yung mga ginagawa nila, they try to solve a problem, or they try to tell a story based sa mga pinagdaanan nila,” SB19’s Josh said in an interview with Rappler. 

(What successful artists do is they try to solve a problem or try to tell a story based on their past experiences.)

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But it’s not just about making a viral hit. SB19 is by far one of the most well-known Filipino music acts out there — earning a loyal fanbase of A’TIN across the globe. Their songs are the kind that gets people not just to sing along, but to dance to their heart’s content, too, yet this is just a fraction of why they’re so successful in the first place.

A large part of it has to do with their awareness of their core and purpose as artists. 

“Ultimately when we do things that aren’t just for us, we don’t think of it as just SB19. For us, we view it as, ‘How can we use the platform we have to change or share something for inner peace, for other people, for our fans, and for the people going through something?’ I guess we just want to always inspire others and we want our music to brighten people’s day. I think that’s our main goal as a group,” Josh said in a mix of English and Filipino in the same interview. 

Pursuing music, then and now

But there really is no fixed formula to “making it big” in the industry. Not all artists have the same timelines or journeys. Some amass a large base of listeners from the get-go, while others suddenly boom after years of struggling to find their footing. 

The key difference between starting out as an artist in the past versus now, however, is the presence of all these platforms for budding singers to share their work. 

“During my time, there weren’t that many songwriters before. I started doing covers on Twitter, that’s why I think with the internet, there are so many social media apps where you can post and promote. In the OPM scene now, people are also more open to sharing their songs. Not like before when everyone was shy. Now, I think everyone’s able to really share what they have in the vault or what talent they have when it comes to songwriting. I love to see the OPM scene bloom,” singer-songwriter mrld told Rappler in an interview before her Coke Studio performance. 

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“Mas malago na ngayon ‘yung mga gusto maging artist. Nakikita natin na ang daming umuusbong and ‘yung community ngayon sa industry, ‘yung mga artists mismo magkakilala. And ang sarap din mang-encourage ng mga aspiring artists na gawin mo lang ‘yung gusto mo and sundan mo kung ano ‘yung sinisigaw ng puso mo basta para sa musika,” Mo of P-pop group ALAMAT added. 

(There are more people who aspire to become artists now. We see that so many artists grow, and even the community now in the industry, everyone knows each other. It’s nice to encourage aspiring artists to keep pursuing their dreams and chasing after what their hearts desire, as long as it’s for music.) 

New artists are also given unique opportunities to make a name for themselves through shows like Coke Studio — which aims to foster collaboration between two music acts from different genres — and programs like Spotify’s RADAR, where rising artists are given the spotlight. 

Longevity, though, is one of the aspects today’s musicians would also concern themselves with. For Bautista, it’s all about planning ahead, knowing when to make the right moves, and most importantly, having a solid team that’s willing to support you. This is where artist resources come in handy. In just a few clicks, artists are able to see their insights across the social media platforms where they’re active, and they’ll see right away what works for them. 

“There’s an app called Spotify for Artists. That’s where you’ll see things like ‘Your fans are in Quezon City.’ Then great, let’s do shows in Quezon City. So you can target your listeners now,” shared Bautista. 

“Of course, it’s always easier if you release a song and then everyone just falls in love with it. But when it’s not, that’s when you should have a team behind you that’s willing to support you, be with you, talk about different strategies,” he added. 

The technicalities that come with being an artist in this generation are far different than how things were in Bautista’s beginnings in the early 2000s. He recalled that back then, he and other artists would often have to wait for relatively long periods of time before the data of their CD sales arrived. 

“Ngayon, in a few seconds, alam mo na kung saan. Agad-agad pwede na tayo mag-adjust dito (Now, in a few seconds, you know where the data is. You can adjust accordingly right away),” Bautista explained. 

But the balladeer emphasized that the data artists get has to be harnessed and strategized with the right team. At Nyma — the artist management company he founded with his wife — Bautista and his team are able to help himself and other artists make sense of their metrics, and help them identify what next steps they should take. 

Bautista, though, stressed the importance of finding a balance between the adrenaline to succeed and the looming fatigue that comes with doing anything you’re passionate about. 

“Competition is great because it gives you a lot of adrenaline to push forward. When you don’t have competition, you’ll relax. You might get lazy. So, competition is great. But also, fatigue is real, so you really have to rest. Hindi rin naman pwede ‘yung every month lagi kang may labas kasi baka rin magsawa ‘yung tao (You can’t also be releasing new songs every month because people might lose interest),” he said. 

It really takes a village, and music fans are all a part of that process, too. 

As listeners, it’s important that we keep supporting local talent. Go to gigs, watch their shows, stream their music online, and if you’re willing, let them know what you like about their craft — because all these go a long way at pushing Filipino music to the forefront. – Rappler.com