Philpop 2016 finalists revealed

The celebrity interpreters of the 12 final song entries of PhilPop 2016 were revealed to the media in a press conference held May 27 at Hive Hotel in Scout Tuason, Diliman, Quezon City.

Together with the songwriters and composers, the celebrity interpreters were presented one by one. They are Nyoy Volante (“Sintunado,” composed by Jeroel Maranan); Jason Dy (“Lahat,” by Soc Villanueva);  Yassi Pressman (“Dumadagundong,” by Mike Villegas and Brian Cua); Monica Cuenco (“Nobody But You,” by Keiko Necesario);  Itchyworms featuring Jazz Nicolas (“Di Na Muli,” by Jazz Nicolas and Wally Acolola).

The other interpreters are Cookie Chua, Bayang Barrios, and The Benjamins (“Tinatangi,” by Miguel and Paolo Guico); Banda ni Kleggy and Aikee (“Pabili Po,” by Aikee Aplacador); Acapellago and Jimmy Marquez (“Stars Are Aligned,” by JC Jose); Sugar and Spice featuring Joan Da (“Baliw Sa Ex-boyfriend Ko,” by Joan Da); Kenjhons (“Friday Night,” by Karl Gaurano and Daryl Reyes); The Juans (“Binibini sa MRT,” by Johann Garcia); and Ramiru Mataro (composer and interpreter of “Kahon”).

The same event also served as the launching of the 2016 digital album at Spotify and the PhilPop 2016 Commemorative Special Edition Book as a celebration of the fifth year of PhilPop.

The recording and release of the compilation album will be done by Viva Records who started its partnership with PhilPop last year.

Maestro Ryan Cayabyab, the head of PhilPop Foundation, expressed excitement with the good lineup and combination of the Top 12 finalists and interpreters.

A good number of interpreters this year are young artists but there are also veterans as well.

The Guico Twins are among the young batch of finalists who are collaborating with veteran artists Bayang Barrios and Cookie Chua.

Then there is Sugar and Spice which is a young girl group. Banda ni Kleggy and Aikee (the composer of “Pabili Po”) are also young. Another act is the group Acapellago.

So what makes this year’s PhilPop special is the presence of new acts, not the usual stuff that you will see in the past editions. Mr. C also expressed elation that a good number of upbeat songs made it among the finalists.

“I think it’s a sign of the times na talagang pambata or pang-younger generation, mas now yung tunog. I love it,” he said.

Choosing the interpreters went through a process as well. According to Mr. C, the composers will write the interpreter of their choice. But if the chosen interpreter is not available, then the composer will have to choose another one. Both Viva and PhilPop will make a way so that the composer will have a good interpreter if their first choice won’t be available.

Most of the interpreters chosen this year are new artists compared to the past years of PhilPop. Mr. C says he understands if the more popular artists begged off in being interpreters.

He said some performers didn’t want to participate as interpreters since it is a competition. Even if it is a songwriting competition, some of the interpreters feel bad if they lose. So even if a composer wants a particular artist to interpret his entry, PhilPop and Viva can’t force the artist to say yes because of problem with schedule or the artist really doesn’t want to be a song interpreter.

And even if Viva is helping PhilPop mount the finals night, this doesn’t mean that they can have the Viva artist of their choice to perform like Sarah Geronimo or James Reid and Nadine Lustre (who were interpreters last year). It also depends on the decision of their managers or career handlers, and the availability of the artist.

“James and Nadine have other schedules and projects. Besides, they have already performed last year so okay na iyon,” added Mr. C.

He said that this year’s batch of interpreters may be new artists but Mr. C attests to their being good performers. “When I heard them, I really said ‘Wow!’ Of course, we have to give credit to Viva also. They produced the album so they made sure that the interpreters were the best ones possible. They are strict and since they are the ones investing in the production, they won’t settle for anything less.”