Setting a larger stage for Pinoy music
Saying that Filipinos are talented music artists is pretty much an understatement. Music is deeply part of our culture, from the indigenous chanting to our undeniable (and maybe sometimes unbearable?) love for karaoke and birit songs. Through the years local singers and musicians have produced new sounds, ultimately creating a new phase for popular music with singles and albums being played beyond the Philippine borders.
Filipino music artists making waves on the international stage is not really new for us. But with the rise of new singers with Filipino roots such as H.E.R., Saweetie, and Olivia Rodrigo, maybe there is more space for local artists to be known abroad and, more importantly, the global market is interested to listen to their music.
Keen on making that dream a reality is Warner Music Philippines (WMP) with its latest project called Global Pinoy Music (GLOPM). A collaborative movement to promote Filipino music abroad, GLOPM aims to showcase Pinoy musicians through borderless platforms while creating space for them to team up with other artists around the world.
"One of the visions we have at Warner is to have a way for our artist to shine on the world stage. It has always been our guiding principle for the artists we sign," WMP A&R Manager Kelley Mangahas tells Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. "So why don't we try to really do it and try to give a roadmap for all of these artists to get there... I think it is about time to really make a push for our artists to really find their own voice, just like how Koreans found their own, on the world stage."
Knowledge transfer is among the goals of the initiative. To achieve that, WMP paired domestic talents with Filipino producers and/or Fil-Global artists. GLOPM is also on the mission to bring original and diverse Filipino music as it offers songs that reflect the culture of every Filipino. Though this wasn't the first attempt of the local music scene to bring OPM on world stage, the initiative takes pride in focusing on Philippine-based artists and honing the kind of music they produce.
"We wanted to choose and pair them with producers and artists who would elevate the type of music they are creating," Kelley explains. "This is invaluable for all of them. They learn lessons from all these people and how it is done globally. And because they are Filipinos, they are not so foreign... there is a comfortability, there is a shared experience that you're pushing for something. That's what we want to achieve with GLOPM."
Currently, GLOPM has launched its first set of collaborations. First is “Anticipation” by indie-pop duo Leanne & Naara who teamed up with internationally acclaimed producer August Rigo, known for working alongside the likes of Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Sean Kingston, and BTS, among many others. Local band reon worked with Grammy-nominated record producer Xerxes Bakker for “Back To The Times.” Bakker is known for collaborating with Maroon 5, Snoop Dogg, Imagine Dragons, Cee-Lo Green, Ella Eyre, Tungevaag, and Quintino.
In the pipeline is GLOPM's major campaign that will introduce the newest WMP artists who partnered with a prominent Australian producer in their debut single together. Adding to that is an artist-to-artist collaboration for singer Keiko Necesario. Lastly, “Good Old Days” single by Quest, recorded with award-winning production duo Kuya Productions, who gained massive mainstream popularity with collaborations with Christina Aguilera, Jesse McCartney, Big Time Rush, and Jordin Sparks, to name a few.
“We feel positive and hopeful with GLOPM, and the months to come are very exciting," Kelley muses. "We are looking forward to sharing the work of our amazing artists as well as the producers they collaborated with.”
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