None of this would have happened without your essays, Jae-ha! Although... I was barely scratching the surface on the PH pop thing. Maybe if I had more time! And energy!
One of my best nights out this year was an evening spent hanging out at a grilled pig intestines stand off the tourist drag in Boracay, drinking beer with a lovely group of bartenders and listening to them battle rap in Tagalog. The language is so well suited, the words all have rhythm... Not a clue what they were saying but it sounded impressive as hell.
A Fliptop battle? Oh man, rap is my blind spot, but watching those videos on YouTube is always fascinating. And yes, our best hip-hop acts tend to merge that swagger with the storytelling more akin to our ballads—Gloc-9 comes to mind, "Sirena" in particular.
Also, I now regret that there is no isaw guy within walking distance of my flat...
Very interesting! ! We're seeing something similar with Italian pop music too. In recent years music, especially young artists, have borrowed a americanised way of singing and approaching music. If you just listened to the music and melody of singing (ignoring the language) it could easily be from anywhere in the western world. I agree that pop is constantly mutating and adapting, so it's not necessarily good OR bad
Got "Sinceramente" (because I have to go for the Sanremo entry). Good heavens, this sounds huge. But also, funnily, I immediately imagined this as a K-pop track. Specifically Hwasa, because she has a booming voice, too.
Great piece! Also, I learned so much about the pop world in the Philippines from your article. Thank you for writing this!
None of this would have happened without your essays, Jae-ha! Although... I was barely scratching the surface on the PH pop thing. Maybe if I had more time! And energy!
Part 2 in the future! There's no hurry!
In any case, I’m planning more journalist-y, critic-y stuff in the coming year... fingers crossed for that one!
One of my best nights out this year was an evening spent hanging out at a grilled pig intestines stand off the tourist drag in Boracay, drinking beer with a lovely group of bartenders and listening to them battle rap in Tagalog. The language is so well suited, the words all have rhythm... Not a clue what they were saying but it sounded impressive as hell.
A Fliptop battle? Oh man, rap is my blind spot, but watching those videos on YouTube is always fascinating. And yes, our best hip-hop acts tend to merge that swagger with the storytelling more akin to our ballads—Gloc-9 comes to mind, "Sirena" in particular.
Also, I now regret that there is no isaw guy within walking distance of my flat...
Very interesting! ! We're seeing something similar with Italian pop music too. In recent years music, especially young artists, have borrowed a americanised way of singing and approaching music. If you just listened to the music and melody of singing (ignoring the language) it could easily be from anywhere in the western world. I agree that pop is constantly mutating and adapting, so it's not necessarily good OR bad
Well, to be fair, before Max Martin, there was (and is) Giorgio Moroder. So arguably an Italian also shaped the rest of Western pop!
Beyond him, all I really know is Måneskin and whatever filters through from Eurovision. And I get that same feeling from French pop, too.
Please look into Annalisa (she has ALMOSSSTTTT made it last year) but yeah, Eurovision is an eye-opener. Love it.
Got "Sinceramente" (because I have to go for the Sanremo entry). Good heavens, this sounds huge. But also, funnily, I immediately imagined this as a K-pop track. Specifically Hwasa, because she has a booming voice, too.
Ooooh I see it! yeah! I like how annalisa's stylist just decided to go with shoulderpads and legs for days. 10/10!