Is OPM Really Dying?
With Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and K-Pop stars topping the charts in radio stations, TV and other music media paraphernalia, one would think if OPM or Original Pinoy Music would be dead. The highlight of modern Filipino music culture is slowly deteriorating. Our music scene is dying due to our lack of creative imagination—the cancer of the Philippines.
It is not only through music where this is apparent, but also with TV shows and movies. Molding ourselves to the Westerners is an unconscious habit of Filipinos. What they don’t understand though is that imitating foreign bands will always fail miserably due to our lack of understanding of their culture and the oblivious differences we have from their cultural mindset.
Whatever happened to Freddie Aguilar’s “Anak”? Or Eraserhead’s “Huling El Bimbo”? Many modern OPM arists are fighting against these foreign bands in winning the hearts of their countrymen. Unfortunately for them, they are losing this battle. They are doing their very best in redeeming the lost grace of Filipinos. Striving hard to be the next Eraserheads or Apo Hiking Society. Despite their peripheral success these modern bands remain intact with their originality and passion.
Although there are many Filipino artists who still remain chart toppers in radio stations or in music channels. But if you notice closely, these artists got their stardom due to their constant reviving of foreign songs. It is a sad fact that through the revival of famous Western music can the Filipinos redeem themselves. Without new production of fresh blood in the music industry, that system will never survive—not for long. Thus the beginning of OPM’s death.
Don’t get me wrong though. Some of these foreign artists are worth the fame they are receiving. What we don’t realize is how very little we give importance to our own local music culture.
There are still a handful of OPM bands trying to make a difference. Trying to get a breakthrough in the Filipino music scene. All we can do now is to support our talented brothers and sisters.
I know there are a lot of self-proclaimed Beatles fans out there. Posers, if I may use a less sophisticated term. Though I will change that by feeding you Beatles facts everyday. As a friend of mine used to say, “a daily dose of The Beatles will help cleanse the musical soul.”
One of the last songs John Lennon recorded before his death. Ironically enough, it was entitled “Grow Old With Me.” This was inspired by a Robert Browning poem. He first sang this song to Yoko Ono over the phone.
If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music. - Jimi Hendrix
Unmatched with this generation’s current music scene, The Bloomfields—composed of Rocky Collado, Lakan Hila, Dino Pascual and Louie Poco—is without any question one of the most sensational bands this country has ever seen. Their music has been inspired by many of the most influential rock groups of all time—including The Beatles. These influences helped inspire them to transform the music industry from the pristine entertainment into a tsunami of artistically self conscious rock and roll.
They are the ground-breaking pioneers in defining not only their own music era, but several others into one. They have revolutionized the superficial into the profound with their ability to cross all boundaries and limitations in the music pop culture. This band has surely reached their crowning glory by being able to personify music with their eyes closed. Without a doubt they are unrivaled in this country’s musical psyche.
They are unnerving and ambitious. Psychedelic and anagitated. They are everything else that spans the social conscience. But what makes this band exceptional is their personal connection to their fans.
Often we hear the phrase “We owe it to the fans” from artists and bands alike—but they finally phenomenalized this by breaking that pretentious social taboo. Never has there been a band worth mentioning where kinships are formed with their energetic audience. The term ‘professional’ is not a tangible meaning for them, rather they turn it into such an abstract definition which makes them more open and more reachable for other people. They make it a point to constantly form close ties with their audience. This, in itself, inherently helps their strong perfomances through the exudence of their fans’ adoration.
It is a gratifying act of theirs for these people are the ones who feed their success. These people are faithful, encouraging, admiring, and supportive of the band. These people, the Bloomies, are what make their worth extraordinary. It is with the Bloomies that you could see how indefinite their demographic is. You have a group of teenagers, young professionals, teachers, families, 7-year fans and whatnot. Usually fans put bands on a pedestal but this partucular band changes that by having closer relations to them. They do not acquire fans, but rather they gain more friends.
Their impact on the music scene and on the people is simply incalculable. They have proved themselves worth the embrace of these loyal fans through their music’s melodic structures, vocal harmonies, showmanship and their down-to-earth personalities. They are a truly synergetic group composed of four brilliantly euphonic and fervent voices.
