AUDIO JUNKIE: Down the solo route they go
Published Jul 16, 2018 10:20 am
We have a new breed of men who, as music artists, are owning the solo route. They may have started out with a partner, a group or a band but as they take career into their own hands, they prove that going solo is the way to go sometimes.
(FROM TOP): John Roa, Mark Carpio, Jeric Medina and Unique Salonga
First is the indefatigable Mark Carpio who used to slug it out with an alt-rock band before changing goal to become the best balladeer of his generation. He’s only been at this solo game a few years, but his album is already certified gold and he’s struck a hit with “Hiling.”
His secret? A professional approach to pop.
“I approach my music like a pro,” he once said in an interview with Bulletin Entertainment. “As a pop artist, I have my strengths, and like with any business, that’s what I focus on.”
He means songwriting which gives him the edge over other acts in his genre. While other balladeers are mere interpreters, Carpio writes his own materials.
Carpio’s appeal lies in him being a no-nonsense balladeer. His new single “Ako Na Lang Sana” is prime example of this. While the title is requisite a-wanting, the song rises above the usual sop and sappiness. His melodies are memorable and his arrangements are usually a lush affair. This song in particular has a wicked middle-eight that kicks it up a notch. Being a balladeer is not just about being pa-pogi, it’s also about skills, man.
Similar skills couldn’t be more evident in 18-year-old John Roa. He already had a comfortable seat in the Ex-Battalion train but gave it up in order to pursue his dreams of going solo. And rightly so, because as of the moment, he’s at the forefront of a new generation of Pinoy Pop artists who has youth and talent going for them.
His new single “Taguan,” a mid-tempo ballad, features everything that’s good about Roa at the moment: The hugot sentiments that speaks to his generation, and, of course, the songcrafting skills this kid has in abundance.
Another guy whom we think has got the chops is Jeric Medina. A balladeer in his own right, he differentiates himself by lending his songs with an R&B bent. Of course he writes his songs and he’s also a solid rhythm guitarist. He’s also topped PhilPop as an interpreter in a trio, but he still has to have that one song to define him.
The newly released single “Ngiti” might do it for him. This jangly, mid-tempo tune is quite straightforward in its sentiments: “Ako’y nahulog, nabulag na dulot ng / nanghihina sa t’wing nakikita / Tumitigil ang oras / nang dahil sa iyong ngiti.”
But we like how Jeric, the former “X Factor” singer, used his falsettos to great effect. Hey, we once compared him to his mentor Martin Nievera, and we usually reserve those lofty comparisons to those who deserve it.
Then there’s Unique Salonga. When you’re the frontman of the band-of-the-moment (IV Of Spades) and decide to quit it, it’s either you believe you can do it on your own or just don’t care. We’re thinking the latter, because this young man is making things happen. He writes his own tunes and he’s got an artistic streak in him that comes out in the songs he does.
His solo debut single “Midnight Sky” features wistful observations on love, as well as his influences that lean on elements from the classic side of rock. And the track’s guitar-vocal combo arrangement seems like a statement he doesn’t need a band at the moment.
(FROM TOP): John Roa, Mark Carpio, Jeric Medina and Unique Salonga
First is the indefatigable Mark Carpio who used to slug it out with an alt-rock band before changing goal to become the best balladeer of his generation. He’s only been at this solo game a few years, but his album is already certified gold and he’s struck a hit with “Hiling.”
His secret? A professional approach to pop.
“I approach my music like a pro,” he once said in an interview with Bulletin Entertainment. “As a pop artist, I have my strengths, and like with any business, that’s what I focus on.”
He means songwriting which gives him the edge over other acts in his genre. While other balladeers are mere interpreters, Carpio writes his own materials.
Carpio’s appeal lies in him being a no-nonsense balladeer. His new single “Ako Na Lang Sana” is prime example of this. While the title is requisite a-wanting, the song rises above the usual sop and sappiness. His melodies are memorable and his arrangements are usually a lush affair. This song in particular has a wicked middle-eight that kicks it up a notch. Being a balladeer is not just about being pa-pogi, it’s also about skills, man.
Similar skills couldn’t be more evident in 18-year-old John Roa. He already had a comfortable seat in the Ex-Battalion train but gave it up in order to pursue his dreams of going solo. And rightly so, because as of the moment, he’s at the forefront of a new generation of Pinoy Pop artists who has youth and talent going for them.
His new single “Taguan,” a mid-tempo ballad, features everything that’s good about Roa at the moment: The hugot sentiments that speaks to his generation, and, of course, the songcrafting skills this kid has in abundance.
Another guy whom we think has got the chops is Jeric Medina. A balladeer in his own right, he differentiates himself by lending his songs with an R&B bent. Of course he writes his songs and he’s also a solid rhythm guitarist. He’s also topped PhilPop as an interpreter in a trio, but he still has to have that one song to define him.
The newly released single “Ngiti” might do it for him. This jangly, mid-tempo tune is quite straightforward in its sentiments: “Ako’y nahulog, nabulag na dulot ng / nanghihina sa t’wing nakikita / Tumitigil ang oras / nang dahil sa iyong ngiti.”
But we like how Jeric, the former “X Factor” singer, used his falsettos to great effect. Hey, we once compared him to his mentor Martin Nievera, and we usually reserve those lofty comparisons to those who deserve it.
Then there’s Unique Salonga. When you’re the frontman of the band-of-the-moment (IV Of Spades) and decide to quit it, it’s either you believe you can do it on your own or just don’t care. We’re thinking the latter, because this young man is making things happen. He writes his own tunes and he’s got an artistic streak in him that comes out in the songs he does.
His solo debut single “Midnight Sky” features wistful observations on love, as well as his influences that lean on elements from the classic side of rock. And the track’s guitar-vocal combo arrangement seems like a statement he doesn’t need a band at the moment.