Ogie Alcasid's music sparks surge in streaming
Published Sep 21, 2025 01:53 pm
Ogie Alcasid (Facebook)
OPM icon Ogie Alcasid faced a challenging journey in expanding his listener base on Spotify, starting with a modest count of around 500,000 average monthly listeners.
Yet, through perseverance and passion, he has witnessed a remarkable resurgence in his popularity, with his numbers soaring to an impressive 3.2 million.
In a heartfelt reflection, Ogie expressed his deep appreciation for Viva artist Rob Deniel, who delivered a stunning rendition of his beloved 1989 ballad "Nandito Ako" at a Wish 107.5 event two months ago, leaving audiences in awe with his emotive performance.
Ogie, 58, believed the surge in music listeners came when they either listened to his version or Rob's rendition, whose cover has been viewed more than 37 million times on Spotify as of Sept. 21.
"They have no choice. It's either they listen to Rob's cover or my version. And thankfully, they liked my version, too. Kasi kung hindi nila gusto yun hindi na umakyat yung number sa Spotify. (Because if they don't like it, the number of streams on Spotify won't increase.) Now I get to listen to my young voice: my 21-year-old voice. I sing with more air now," Ogie said.
The OPM president stated that netizens described Rob's rendition as yearning, while his own interpretation reflects assurance. "I am educated to interpret the song for them."
The 58-year-old singer said the song is being given a fresh arrangement by Bobby Velasco, his new musical director. "I told him I want something orchestral with strings. It sounds so good. It's going to be my next release."
"I am re-recording it. I arrange it the way I want it. Pagdating ko from London, pinakinggan ko yung arrangement. It sounds so good," said Ogie during a media conference in Quezon City recently. "I have already visions of it being sung in my next concert."
Recalling his first encounter with "Nandito Ako," Ogie said he had no idea it would become a big hit.
"I didn't know. That time I was recording two songs. Bata pa ako noon at kaya ko pa magrecord ng dalawang songs in one day. I was recording 'Nandito Ako' and 'Sa Kanya.' (I was young then, and I could still record two songs in one day. I was recording 'Nandito Ako' and 'Sa Kanya.')
"I remember iniwan ni Aaron (Paul Del Rosario) yung demo ng 'Nandito Ako' sa isang cassette. Iniwan niya sa mixer. (I remember Aaron (Paul Del Rosario) left the demo of 'Nandito Ako' on a cassette. He left it in the mixer)," the husband of Regine Velasquez said.
Ogie told an interesting story about how the song 'Nandito Ako' was created. He shared the inspiring journey behind its lyrics and melody with excitement.
"Yung love team ni Janno (Gibbs) at Manilyn (Reynes) naputol. (The love team of Janno (Gibbs) and Manilyn (Reynes) was broken up.) Janno got married. Then Manilyn was linked to Keempee (De Leon).
"Dahil pareho kaming Octo Arts talent ni Manilyn, bini-build up nila kami. Tapos may movie rin na ginagawa yung 'Feel Na Feel' na kasali ako. (Because Manilyn and I are both Octo Arts talents, they are building us up. Then there is also a movie being made called 'Feel Na Feel' that I am involved in.)
'Then sabi ni Aaron, sa nangyayari na yun, parang third party raw ako. So sabi niya, 'Gawan ko kaya ng kanta yun.' I remember him saying that. So ginawa raw n'ya yun as a song ni Ogie kay Manilyn. Totoo ito. So I recorded it. (With that happening, I was like a third party. So he said, 'Can I make that a song?' I remember him saying that. So he made it as a song by Ogie and Manilyn. It's true)," he said.
Ogie said that when he released the album, many people were saying how good the song "Nandito Ako" was. "So that was the first time I told myself that the song would become a hit."
"Nandito Ako" also became the No. 1 song in the year-end countdown, Ogie said.
"I don't remember if it's 1990 or 1991 around those years. But the radio show will announce the No. 1 song on New Year's Eve. Sabi ko babantayan ko ito kasi kasama yung song ko.
"No. 2 song was 'The Promise' by When In Rome. Sabi ko, 'Naku! Ako na lang ang naiiwan. Ako kaya ang No. 1 song? Then nag brown out. Sabi ko, 'Ano ang song of the year?' (I said, 'Oh! I'm the only one left. Am I the No. 1 song? Then there was a brownout. I said, 'What's the song of the year?)'
"Ang ginawa ko, after mawala na yung mga putukan, pumunta ako sa radio station sa Ortigas. Wala palang tao kasi recorded yung airing nila. Then may taong natutulog doon. Security guard yata yun. (What I did was, after the fireworks stopped, I went to the radio station in Ortigas. There was no one there because their airing was recorded. But someone was sleeping there. I think it was a security guard.)
"Sabi ko, 'Kuya sino ang No. 1 song?' Sabi niya, 'Hindi ko alam sir. Abangan mo na lang bukas, ire-replay.' Finally, they aired it the next day, and the show announced it. Tuwang tuwang ako noon na naudlot. (I said, 'Brother, what is the No. 1 song?' He said, 'I don't know, sir. Just tune in tomorrow, it will be replayed.' Finally, they aired it the next day, and the show announced it. I was so happy)," Ogie recalled.
Aside from Rob, other artists who covered "Nandito Ako" were Thalia, Lea Salonga, David Archuleta, Zephanie, and Monica Bianca.
When asked who among these artists has the best covers of "Nandito Ako," Ogie said, "Wala. (No one.) They are great singers, but there's something magical about hearing my young voice. I didn't have a great voice, but there’s something special about listening to my young voice."
Other Ogie songs with millions of streams on Spotify include "Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang," "Hanggang Ngayon," "Ikaw Sana," "Kung Mawawala Ka," "Mahal Kita Walang Iba," "Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala," and "Sa Kanya."
On his Spotify playlist, Ogie mentioned that he enjoys listening to Christian music.