Himaya band joins PolyEast family

MANILA, Philippines — The Himaya band is the newest addition to PolyEast Records’ roster of artists, joining the company of such music stars as Martin Nievera, Bamboo, The Dawn, Michael V, Sugarfree, among others.

Leading the inspirational pop-rock band is its founder, the Catholic lay preacher-rocker Alvin Barcelona (lead vocals and guitar). He is joined by pioneering members Jeric Mison (keyboards), James Aguilos (bass), Mike Nuez (lead guitar and vocals) and new-generation musicians in 16-year-old Gab Espinosa (drums) and Alvin’s son, Aio (vocals and guitar).   

Named after a Cebuano word that means “glory,” “praise” or “bliss,” Himaya has been active for almost two decades now, independently producing several albums in the past. Getting signed up by PolyEast marks Himaya’s continuous crossover and evolution from being a praise and worship band to a mainstream or secular music-making group.

The process seems to be smoother than expected, owing to what they do at The Feast on Sundays at the PICC. Alvin said, “First of all, Bo Sanchez, our leader, is very radical in our preaching. Feast ang tawag sa aming gathering. It’s unchurched friendly, hindi kami doctrinal, our preachings are very practical, that’s why we can inject secular things. Sa mga talks namin — of course based on the Bible — pero on family, etc., so we can easily put in a song for a talk. For example, last time we were talking about different stages in life, so we sang one of our songs like Maghihintay. And our audience likes that, it’s like being blessed and watching a concert at the same time.”

Outside of The Feast, Himaya has been invited to be opening act in shows headlined by Ai-Ai delas Alas, Alden Richards, Coco Martin, and has done inspirational concerts, playing in big and intimate venues, and selling out albums in areas like Jolo, Sulu. They also take pride in being versatile, as they can cover a diverse range of songs, from the ‘60s, rock ‘n roll standards, to reggae, rap and alternative rock.

“We can sing Green Day, Bamboo,” Alvin said. “But, of course, as artists, we want to play our own songs. It’s a dream of ours to play our own songs. There’s nothing wrong with covering (other artists) but sumusulat rin naman kami. Now, PolyEast comes in, (saying) write your own songs and we will market them.”

The partnership with PolyEast is nothing but a long-held dream come true. Alvin, who started in the music scene as front act for the legendary Freddie Aguilar, recalled bringing his songs to various music labels in the past, but received rejection multiple times. “They would politely turn down naman, saying that my music might not be their market. Nung bago kasi ako, medyo inspirational leaning na talaga ako. I was able to release albums but independently produced, not with major record labels.”

Nevertheless, those experiences taught Alvin and his band to become more radio-friendly. Their present music and line-up have also been infused with young blood and a fresh sound, courtesy of Aio and Gab.

Aio said, “I think, the set of songs that we’re doing, we’re trying to marry the old and new sound. Growing up, mga idol ko po sila, nakikita ko sila nagpa-practice sa garahe namin and I always dreamed that some day I would join them. Parang sila, more of the past experiences. I thought we can experiment, (combining our) new sound with all their experiences.”

He added, “In terms of songs and lyric-writing, (our music is) really more on love songs. It’s not directly worship but we’re not saying that di rin yun ang gusto namin na iparating. Mas open po yung songs namin, we hope makita nila si Lord pero if not, okay lang din as long as you like it. If yung love na yun nararamdaman nila sa nanay nila or asawa or sa girlfriend, go lang.”

Aio also shared that they want to collaborate with other members of the PolyEast family like Bamboo or Ebe Dancel.

Himaya’s recent contract-signing was graced by PolyEast general manager Jesmon Chua and A&R director Chito Ilagan. 

“When I listened to their songs, we saw potential in the band. We’re always looking for talents and especially artists who do their own compositions. That’s a plus factor for them. This is a different market for us, but we try to reach all kinds of music markets that are available. As a company, we really want to develop our own OPM. That’s our mission — to support the local industry. We support any artist or group that we feel has potential to be good or big,” said Jesmon.

Chito added, “They have a very wide range of style and music, they cross over to all genres. So, we’re very optimistic we can make good with what they have.”

Speaking on behalf of the group, Alvin said, “Thank you for making our dream come true. Thank you for the opportunity and the trust, and rest assured, we will give it our all for our partnership to be victorious and to work.”

(For more details on The Himaya band, check out himayaband.com or follow its FB page TheHimayaBand. Check out their initial offering, Payakap, on their YouTube channel.)