Tourists expected at big concert at SM Mall of Asia
MANILA, Philippines - Thousands of local tourists are expected to troop to the SM Mall of Asia concert grounds tomorrow to join the “Then & Now: Massive Music Festival 2010” concert.
“It’s very rare to see nine international artists in one big stage,” says Renan Salvador Baluyut, CEO of Divan Media, producer of the once-in-a-lifetime event.
Angelo Lopez, Divan Media CEO, adds: “And Filipinos, being such great music fans, will not pass up an opportunity to enjoy three hours of the best pop and R&B hits from the past three decades.”
The concert boasts of an all-star lineup. Major music artists JoJo, Diana King, Frankie J, Baby Bash, PM Dawn, SWV, All-4-One, TQ and V Factory will all be performing their greatest hits.
And the Philippines, too, will have its own representative in the massive event. Myrus Ramirez, the country’s sentimental prince of OPM, will be performing alongside such big names.
JoJo is the youngest solo artist with a No. 1 single in the US. Her greatest hit, though, is the 2007 reply to Sean Kingston’s “Beautiful Girls.” She has also dabbled into TV and film, starring in two Hollywood movies: “Aquamarine,” her film debut, and “RV.”
Diana King is an R&B, pop, reggae and dance-hall singer-songwriter whose debut album “Tougher Than Love” spawned “Shy Guy,” a hit track that made it to the OST of the 1995 action flick “Bad Boys.” In 1997, she did a dance/reggae cover of Dionne Warwick’s ‘70s classic “I Say A Little Prayer” that was featured on the soundtrack of “My Best Friend’s Wedding.”
SWV (or Sisters with Voices) is associated with the hits “I’m So Into You,” “Right Here/Human Nature” and “Weak,” all of which came out in 1992. The trio disbanded in 1998 but reunited in 2005, went back to working on a new studio album and started touring again. Their other hits are “You’re The One” (1996) and “Rain” (1997).
The R&B quartet All-4-One, meanwhile, is behind the revival of The Thymes ‘63 classic “So Much In Love,” their 1994 chart-topping single, as well as a cover of the country ditty “I Swear,” one of the longest-running No. 1 singles in Billboard’s history.
Relative newcomer quintet V Factory, meanwhile, has gained a solid following despite its lone hit single “Love Struck.” The group is composed of Jared Murillo, Wesley Quinn, Asher Book, Nick ‘Nicky T’ Teti and Nathaniel Flatt (with two of the male cast members of the series “Glee”).
TQ (or Terrance Quiates) is behind the hit singles “Bye Bye Baby” and “Better Days.” He is currently working on his sixth studio project, “Kind of Blue.”
New Jersey hip duo PM Dawn, on the other hand, is the multi-platinum selling R&B act behind “Set Adrift On Memory Bliss,” “I’d Die Without You,” and “Looking Through Patient Eyes.”
American rapper Baby Bash’s 1997 album, “Cyclone,” had two certified Billboard hits: the title track featuring “T-Pain” and “What Is It?” featuring Sean Kingston. Baby Bash also writes lyrics for singers like Whitney Houston and Jennifer Hudson. He frequently collaborates with other artists like Natalie (“Energy,” 2005), Paula DeAnda (“Doing Too Much,” 2006) and fellow concert performer Frankie J (“Obsession” aka “No Es Amor,” 2005).
Frankie J is behind the hit “Don’t Wanna Try” and “Ya No Es Igual” from his second self-titled album. He also released in 2005 “How To Deal” and his cover of “More Than Words.” To date, he has come up with four English-language solo albums, the latest of which is “Time” that was released last year.
Tickets to the “Then & Now: Massive Music Festival 2010” are available at all TicketNet and TicketWorld (891-9999) outlets. For more details, call 389-3708 or 687-0048 local 15099 or e-mail at info@divanmedia.com. Or check the websites www.MassiveMusicManila.com and www.ThenAndNowConcert.com or simply log on to www.divanmedia.com.
