CEBU, Philippines - In a world where everyone seems to easily give in to trends, this artist dares to be different. While everyone loves Pop, RnB and Hip-Hop, Bo Cerrudo goes for the complete opposite—the classic ballads.
“[Classic ballads] bring so much spirit in me,” says the premiere classical balladeer in an interview with The Freeman during his visit here in Cebu last May, which included a performance at The Northwing and a mini-presscon at SM Cebu’s Old Spaghetti House.
“This is also where my niche is as a singer,” he adds.
By being a classical balladeer, Bo believes he doesn’t need to belt out notes to show his capability as a singer. It’s in how the message of the song is conveyed.
In his album, Only Love Remains, there are 12 tracks—crossover songs with neo-classical pop melodies.
“The songs talked about everything people need to know about love. After all that has been said and done, heartaches and all, still and all love remains,” he explains.
The carrier single of the album is “My Bitter Black Coffee,” which is also Bo’s favorite.
“The song plays a lot of metaphors. It talks about someone who is a lover and who listens to people’s dreams, yet he is misunderstood by a lot of people. At the end, there is a twist. It shows that there is, indeed, only person who can understand him,” he said.
The album, which takes pride in the orchestration of Noel Espenida, also contains tracks such as “Love from a Distance,” “This Loneliness,” “Se Potessi Un Di Rinascere (If I Had My Life To Live Again),” “Tayo Din Naman Ay Umibig,” “When Eyes Are Filled With Tears,” and other tunes that talk about love, loss and other emotional demons.
Bo Cerrudo is considering of going international, as he believes he might have a hard time finding a good audience for his music in the Philippines.
As he puts it, “The Philippines has a long way to go when it comes to appreciating crossover types of songs. There are some Filipinos here who do, but they are of the minority.”
“I don’t expect everyone to appreciate my music. Gaya-gaya lang naman yung iba. But I’ll continue with my passion of singing – wherever it takes me. It’s not really about the audience, but more on the expectations I have for myself,” Bo stands.
Full of emotions and sentiments, Bo sings his heart out in this album. And with his level of passion, Bo Cerrudo is going steady and strong with his Classical Ballad Love Affair.