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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Celebrities devider Side A solidifies legacy with 'Clueless' bagging Awit's Best Ballad

Side A solidifies legacy with 'Clueless' bagging Awit's Best Ballad

Published Jan 22, 2024 12:39 am

At A Glance

  • Written by the band's current bassist Ned Esguerra, the song was actually released in November of 2022 under Icons Music, a division of record label Widescope Entertainment.
sidea.jpeg
SIDE A's current lineup - Keyboardist Naldy Gonzalez, drummer Ernie Severino, bassist Ned Esguerra, lead guitarist Leevon Cailao, and lead singer Yubs Esperat.

Iconic band Side A remains a relevant force in the Philippine music scene, with its latest Awit Awards triumph serving as proof.

The band won the Best Ballad Recording at the last Awit Awards for their digital single "Clueless." 

Written by the band's current bassist Ned Esguerra, the song was actually released in November of 2022 under Icons Music, a division of record label Widescope Entertainment.

Side A had also been named finalist for Best Performance by a Group Recording Artist.

The seasoned band’s run at the Awit Awards is legendary. In 1994, their song "So Many Questions" bagged the trophies for Best Ballad Recording and Best Performance by a Group. The following year, they won Best Performance by a Group for "By Your Side" and Best Jazz Performance with Vocals for "True Love Can Always Wait."   

Side A peaked with the release of "Forevermore," culled from the EP of the same name now hailed as the first Filipino-recorded EP that sold more than 90,000 copies. "Forevermore" as a single won the 1996 Awit Award for Best Performance by a Group, a feat enabling Side A to win the plum for the third straight year.

Deservingly, "Forevermore" won Song of the Year honors. 

With Esguerra now also serving as the group's chief songwriter, the band continues to shine under the guidance of founding member Naldy Gonzalez and longtime drummer Ernie Severino. Lead guitarist Leevon Cailao and lead singer Yubs Esperat complete the lineup. 

For Widescope, it's actually two in a row as "Manatili," a song it released, penned and sung by singer-songwriter Ebe Dancel, won in the previous year's race for Awit's Best Ballad category. Dancel also works as the label’s A&R manager.

Another Widescope A-list act, Sitti, earned the same nod for Best World Music. 

With Dancel on board assisting president Vic De Vera, and entertainment director Neal Gregorio, and Side A bannering its pool of seasoned stars under Icons Music, Widescope engineered a quick ascent to music industry recognition and artist community respectability. The label’s consecutive Best Ballad victories in Awit Awards prove that its birth at the height of the Covid pandemic somehow helped the Philippine music scene bounce back from recent challenges.

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