Hail to Hale

There are several record companies that are eating crow these days. This is all because though they had it in hand, they all passed up on the chance to sign up the biggest-selling Pinoy pop rock group today, Hale. The story goes that instead of introducing itself via gigs in the local rock circuit, Hale chose to go the demo route. The young group invested in making a demo recording of some of their originals and then went through the process of shopping it around the various labels.

If the tales currently making the rounds of the local music circles are to be believed, Hale left its CD demos with BMG Pilipinas, Warner Music, Star Records, EMI and others. I have not heard of any reason why they did not pick up Hale from those others. So I will just say that they probably thought that because Hale soloist Champ is the son of songwriter/producer Nonoy Tan, then the band could be singing its own version of My Love Will See You Through. That was a Marco Sison hit by Tan in the ‘80s, so they just refused to give the guys a break.

Could be true but seriously speaking, there were other interesting reasons. BMG decided to pass up because it was then in the critical stage of merging with Sony and believed that it was not yet time to sign up new artists. Warner was enjoying a good season with Nina and Christian Bautista. It also probably felt comfortable poaching on Viva Records territory with rock band Rivermaya. So they didn’t feel the need for a new one, let alone an unknown group. Maybe Star Records just sat on the demo because it prepared to spend its resources on the Star in a Million wannabes. Hale is no candidate for regular stints at A.S.A.P. But EMI hesitated not one bit, signed Hale up to a recording and management contract last November and ended up with a huge success.

The band got off to an excellent start with the release of its debut single, Broken Sonnet, as part of the Pinoy rock compilation album Full Volume. There, in another stroke of very good luck, the guys came to share CD space with Bamboo, Sugarfree, Stonefree, Sandwich and other big names. Listen to Bamboo and you also get Broken Sonnet. The song became an instant hit and this development recently led to the release of the group’s first full-length album also entitled Hale.

And as though they were out to prove Broken Sonnet was no fluke from just another flash in the pan band, Hale made an even stronger follow up with The Day You Said Goodnight. This is the number one selling song in the country today. The all-original Hale album also includes Take No, Blue Sky, Wishing, Here Tonight, Kahit Pa, Life Support, Underneath the Waves, Runaway, Bent Down and Kung Wala Ka.

Hale is made up of new pop heartthrobs Champ Lui-Po on lead vocals and guitars, Roll Martinez also on vocals and guitars, Sheldon Gellada on bass and Omnie Saroca on drums. Students at the UST Conservatory of Music, the boys all contribute to the songwriting and musical arrangements. As for the name Hale, I do not know how it came about but if they wanted to convey the image of being young, hale and strong and ready for any challenge, they certainly picked the right moniker.

Let us all wait and see if they will remain hale when they roll out their second album next year.

MYX’s Top 20

Hale’s second single, The Day You Said Goodnight, continues to lord it over all other videos in the MYX weekly countdown. The rest of the top 20 are Tell Me Where It Hurts by MYMP; I Want to Know What Love is by Sarah Geronimo; Maling Akala by Brownman Revival; Stay by Cueshe; End of Me by Marion Raven; Incomplete by the Backstreet Boys; Hallelujah by Bamboo; Untitled by Simple Plan; Cater 2 U by Destiny’s Child;

I Know by Yasmien Kurdi; First by Lindsay Lohan; Ass Like That by Eminem; Oh by Ciara; N Dey Say by Nelly; Lose Control by Missy Elliott; Best of You by Foo Fighters; Speed of Sound by Coldplay; These Boots are Made for Walking by Jessica Simpson; and Crazy Frog by Axel F.