I love the title of the new album release by Acapellago. It is 100% Human, which I think says everything about the singing group. The music that Acapellago makes is 100% human. That means everything you hear in an Acapellago song is made by a human person.
That does not mean just the singing. What you think is a beatbox is actually a voice. So is the bass and that flute. As are all the seemingly musical instruments you hear in the background. As the name clearly states and to which the group strictly lives up to, Acapellago is really all about voices, human voices that can create a complete song.
Produced by Viva Records and released to all digital platforms only a week ago, 100% Human presents Acapellago with a fun repertoire that shows off its versatility. Despite the music degrees and recognition from abroad, these guys do not only sing serious classical compositions. They also do pop, novelty, dance, jukebox, etc. and they have those in this new EP. In fact, the album is made up of a diverse set of songs that are the audience favorites during the group’s live performances.
These are Song of Happiness from the Rukai Tribe of Taiwan, which is a native Chinese song that is a tribute to the Taiwanese people where Acapellago has a huge fan following; Tala, the first official cover version of the sensational song by Sarah Geronimo; Tama Na, the power ballad popularized by Katrina Legarda; Da Coconut Nut, that pure genius composition by Ryan Cayabyab about the native nut which is not really a nut; and Can’t Stop the Feeling, the happy troll song by Justin Timberlake. Note that every one of these songs was recorded 100% Human.
The release of 100% Human coincided with Acapellago’s headlining performance at the 45th International Bamboo Organ Festival’s Night of my Favorites evening in Las Piñas City. It was here that the group performed live for the first time in public the song Bayang Mahal that it recently recorded. This is the composition of the great composer and katipunero Julio Nakpil, with lyrics based on the Song of Maria Clara by Jose Rizal.
A few days later, Acapellago was conferred the annual Ani ng Dangal Award from the National Commission on Culture and the Arts by President Rodrigo Duterte. This is in recognition of the group’s accomplishments abroad that brought honor to the Philippines. Acapellago was declared first prize winner in the Medium Vocal Ensemble Category of the Moscow Spring A Cappella Festival in 2019. This competition is considered the Olympics of a cappella singing and is the largest festival of its kind in the world today.
This is Acapellago’s fourth Ani ng Dangal honor. Aside from trophies from competitions, it seems to have also started a collection of Ani ng Dangal trophies. The group was also similarly honored after winning the CHVOCALS A Cappella singing competition in Shenzhen, Guangdong last Aug. 18, 2018; then after winning at the VoKal Total 2017, International A Cappella Competition held in Graz, Austria; and before all these, the group was also the Gold Award grand champion all over Asia at the A Capella Championship 2015 held at the ITE College Central in Singapore.
Of course, Acapellago was also the champion of the First Akapela Open Competition held in the Philippines in 2014. And its first big hit was a kiddie tune titled Tatlong Bibe. It has indeed come a long way from those early days with a harvest of local and international honors. The group is now on tour in Europe where it will perform in concerts and hold workshops in Frankfurt, Geneva, Vienna, Graz and Padova in Italy.
Acapellago is made up of soprano Michelle Corpoz Pascual, who is a voice major graduate at the University of the Philippines College of Music; CHVOCALS Best Male Singer Almond Bolante is the group’s counter tenor; former child actor and Kokey star Joshua Cadelinia, only 22 years old, is the tenor, who just recently graduated from UP as a voice major; Acapellago founder and arranger Happy Lemon Laderas is the bass singer; and Happy Lemon’s younger brother Bogart Laderas, the Best Percussionist winner is Acapellago’s impressive beatbox.