‘Truth Festival 2024’ offers vibrant showcase of OPM artists

Live at the Bridgetowne Concert Grounds in Pasig City, the Truth Festival celebrated The Philippine STAR’s 38th anniversary with an unforgettable night of music, laughter, and iconic performances.

The festival, segmented into four parts — P-pop, solo artists, bands, and hip-hop/R&B — offered a diverse array of entertainment.

Before the main show, a pre-program featured up-and-coming artists Elisha Ponti, Mimi, Sebastian Ebas, and Rise High, setting an exciting tone for the evening.

The festival officially kicked off with an opening performance by internet sensation Sassa Gurl. Her performance of her single Maria Hiwaga captivated the audience, followed by a humorous rendition of Baby Shark and the lively Sulutera Remix, bringing laughter and joy to everyone present.

During the performance, Sassa humoured the crowd through her comedic bits in-between but never forgetting the essence of the said event which is the pursuit of truth. Effortlessly hyping everyone, she simply remarked, “Live your truth, naksh*ts.”

Lucien Dy Tioco, executive vice president of PhilSTAR Media Group, addressed the crowd with an opening remark that underscored the festival’s mission of celebrating truth and artistry. Partaking in truth-seeking fun activities as Philippine STAR stands with truth has never been more exciting, Dy Tioco commended the event altogether with its passion.

“To always believe sa inyong katotohanan, ano ‘yung katotohanan ninyo? Una, alamin ninyo kung ano ‘yung source, mag-research mabuti, tingnan ‘yung iba-ibang panig, until mabuo ninyo ‘yung sarili ninyong katotohanan,” he said during the event.

Graced by such motivating words, it set the stage perfectly for Leandro Reyes’ stirring spoken word poetry, which deeply resonated with listeners. Although clapping was not encouraged so as to not distract the speaker, the crowd still enthusiastically interacted with Leandro’s performance through snapping their fingers to communicate their liking to his piece. This was taught to the audience by Leandro himself.

With the rising popularity of the P-pop genre, the festival dedicated a segment to P-pop artists, much to the fans’ delight. The segment kicked off with rising Filipina girl group YGIG, who mesmerised the audience with their magical performances of Shaba Shaba and Universe.

This was quickly followed by the boy group Yes My Love, honed by Cornerstone Entertainment, who brought nostalgia with their renditions of classic hits Gisingin ang Puso, and Ako Na Lang. The group went out of their way to interact with the audience, making their way towards the crowd and getting close with their fans.

Other rising P-pop groups, PLUUS and KAIA, also lit up the stage with dazzling performances. PLUUS electrified the crowd with their with “Universe”, and their version of VST & Company’s “Rock Baby Rock”, while KAIA energized the crowd with a medley of their song “5678” and “Turn up.” The segment concluded with girl group G22 who recently competed alongside BINI in China’s reality talent show Show It All. The trio — composed of Alfea, Jazz, and AJ — performed their songs Boomerang and created unforgettable interactions with fans while serenading them with Musika.

The festival also featured soloists including Michael Keith, followed by The Voice Kids Season 2 winner Elha Nympha, who delivered a stunning rendition of Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight. Indie darling Clara Benin closed the segment, serenading the audience with her luminous folk-pop songs, singing some of her hit songs such as, Wine and Parallel Universe.

As midnight approached, the festival showcased some of the country’s most famous bands. The segment began with the classic band Imago, who rocked the stage with their hit Akap. The crowd illuminated the venue with phone flashlights while singing along to Sundo. Their iconic hit songs struck the audience with a reminiscent trip back to the past when alternative rock music was at its peak, bringing joy to the OG fans.

They were followed by Hey, June! and Gracenote, with the latter performing a rock version of Taylor Swift’s Lover. These two bands definitely pumped up the audiences as they simultaneously serenaded and rocked them throughout their performances.

The iconic band Sandwich then set the stage on fire, performing their well-loved song Betamax. Someone from the audience even proudly sang an excerpt of his favourite song of choice from the band, which is Sugod, causing fellow fans to scream in joy. The excitement was palpable as the band, a favourite from the early 2000s, brought a wave of nostalgia.

The segment was closed by singer-songwriter Adie, who serenaded the audience with his songs Mahika and Paraluman. Despite experiencing some technical difficulties, Adie managed to push through his set with the crowd singinging along to his songs. He even went down the stage to interact with the audience, providing an extra “kilig” moment for fans.

Down to the last two performers of the event, rapper Young Cocoa opened the stage with his lit performance, hyping the fans up. Singing his top famous song Manila, the audience was swayed by his smooth rapping calibre.

Talking about quality and extraordinary performance, the crowd went wild as they welcomed the last performer of the night, Illest Morena. As the female RnB singer came on stage, fans screamed and jumped for her, being one of the most awaited artists of the event. Coming in hot, she hit the fans with Lagabog, a collaboration with rapper Skusta Clee. She also performed her other hit songs such as, Faded (raw) and Slow Burn. She then picked up a call and sang Pick Up, as her closing act.

Followed by joyful cheers from the crowd, The STAR’s 38th Anniversary celebration successfully embodied its mission of truth through the powerful expression of music.