Viktors: Making music together

When Joyce Tanana, Froilan Canlas and Karl Tanhueco joined the OPM@PAGCOR singing contest, all of them dreamed, not just of winning the contest, but of launching solo careers, and making it in the mainstream biz.

But now, they find themselves together in one group called The Viktors, one of four performing groups launched recently by PAGCOR as part of its new batch of in-house artists. The reason for putting them together is obvious — all three are champions of their respective seasons; Joyce in season one, Froilan in season two, and Karl in season three — and because they are champions, audiences have come to expect a certain level of excellence from them, which they always try to live up to each time they are onstage.

The pressure is intense,  but by now they are used to dealing with it. “Actually feel na feel namin ang pressure, so we see to it na di kami basta-basta sasalang,” says Joyce. “We always ask ourselves, ‘Paano ba tayo?’ Kasi pwede naman kami kumanta ng ganon-ganon lang, pero parang laging kailangan may unique. Kaya laging ganoon ang tanong namin bago kami mag-perform, ‘Ano ang pwede nating gawin para maiba tayo?’”

It starts with paying extra attention to the way they look onstage. Joyce, who they describe as “the most OC (obsessive-compulsive)” of the three of them, has made it her responsibility to check up on their outfits. She also sets a call time for every gig to make sure that they won’t be late. Each one who is late is fined P300.

The most important thing, of course, is the music. The three of them are constantly looking for ways to keep their repertoire more interesting for the audience, coming up with new arrangements and mash-ups of songs every so often. Froilan, who writes and arranges songs and a teacher at the UP Conservatory of Music, is usually the one in charge of this. At The Viktors’ official launching at the Forum Hall of PAGCOR Casino Filipino-Parañaque where they sang for the media, they performed a mash-up of Someone Like You by Adele and Magasin by The Eraserheads. It is just one of the many arrangements they have in their repertoire. “Nag-co-combine ang ideas namin, out of nowhere, nakakaisip kami, ‘Bakit di natin i-mash up ito?’” says Joyce.

They also make sure to address any issues right away — and every member has learned how to take criticism constructively for the good of the group. “Minsan, sinasabi ko, ‘Froi, masyadong malakas (ang boses mo),” she continues. “Kasi group kami, kailangan magsabihan ng totoo. Pero wala naman napipikon because we say sorry to each other kapag may problema.”

Although they wanted solo careers initially, now they they have pretty much adjusted to the idea of being in a group. “Lahat kami, n’ung umpisa, gustong magkaroon ng solo break,” admits Froilan. “Pero n’ung ginawang group, naisip ko na okay na, champions naman kaming tatlo, so hindi mahirap pakinggan, hindi masakit sa tenga.”

Joyce says she never thought of leaving the group to pursue a solo career. Whatever dreams she has now are dreams not just for herself, but for the group or with the other members. Joyce and Froilan — who, like Karl, are all from Pampanga — have put up a music and rehearsal studio called Museo Music Studio along Timog Ave. in Quezon City. They also talk of recording an album as The Viktors. The group’s goals have now become more important than their own. “Love ko ang group namin. Sobra akong natuwa sa binibigay na trabaho sa akin, sa amin, at saka group na puro champions, mas challenge ‘yun,” says Joyce.

Their hopes are simple: “Sana stay strong, and more music. Learning process ‘yan,” says Joyce. Karl hopes, “Sana magkaroon ng album.” They are grateful to PAGCOR’s Entertainment Division for providing support and training and creating opportunities for them to travel around the different PAGCOR branches in and out of Metro Manila to do shows. This gives them a guaranteed income and has really made a difference in their lives and those of their families.

Now, they no longer need to struggle to make a living. It is much easier now, and this really makes them — as their name puts it — victorious.