Singing out loud to rock impossibilities
MANILA, Philippines - With the continuous innovations shaping our times, young Juans of today explore many inventive means to express themselves and be heard. Daring to carry on the task of representing these bold individuals is a challenge that I willingly take on. After all, the title “OPM icon” bestowed on me by those who have found their own voice in my music, comes with a price — and that is to rise above eras and boundaries and diminish differences.
Reminiscing over my college days in UP as a film major, everything seemed to be very limited. Too little dough, too little time. But that didn’t stop us, a group of four musikeros, from daring to start with the little that we had. We knew that if there’s one thing that we had a lot of, it was spirit and love for music. Who would have expected that a simple pastime of a band of brothers would bloom into a nationwide phenomenon? Who would have thought that we would come to be known as the Eraserheads? No one probably, but it didn’t really matter. I wanted to leave my mark on this world.
Starting with zero brings with it both the excitement for the surprises that lie ahead and the setbacks that might happen. When we were beginning, the hardest push was probably the struggle to establish our own identity. Before we got the whole nation singing along to our own musical mumblings on the album “UltraElectroMagneticPop!”, we were just like every youth of today, trapped in the habit of imitating what the mainstream brands as “cool,” imitating who and what seems to be “in.” At that time, we did covers of other artists’ hits but it wasn’t long till we find out that like most copycats, we sucked at it. So, we decided to write our own material, the kind of songs that spoke about the most common of things and expressed the most candid of thoughts and feelings — relatable stories that gave us that unique flavor and sound. In no time, not only was the whole campus singing “Pare Ko”, a string of other “novelty tales” spread throughout the country like wildfire.
BMG Pilipinas was the instrument that gave us the chance to be heard on a larger scale. Underground college rock became a secret no more. Some called it “Eraserheadsmania” in 1993, the time when we gained friends more than just fans, when we rocked harder, not just performed in sold-out concerts and became the youth’s voice rather than merely producing successive chart-topping singles. From then up to this point, I’d say it’s great singing hit songs but nothing compares to knowing you have been able to tell a story that otherwise might have never been told, one that someone could honestly identify with and share better through a song.
I continued rocking with every Filipino youth even after Eraserheads — this story I’m sure has been told many different ways. From my departure from E-heads to my new gigs with first the Mongols down to my continued passion as the front man of Pupil at present, what’s important is that I remain an artist, trying to stand for generations of young Pinoys, wrapping their angst, euphoria, dilemma and visions within musical notes, happy to see them still singing to the tune of what I see as this world’s true universal language: music.
“Aloha Milkyway” and a bunch of glorious studio albums, a “Moon Man” for being the MTV Asia Viewer’s Choice, a column called “Cursor” in a major broadsheet, a few records written and produced for other striving Pinoy artists, a couple more record deals, Indie films, gigs here in abroad, two angioplasties, two beautiful children (Eon and Una), two E-heads reunion concerts and a lot of other things cherished and swooshing by almost unnoticeably — it’s great to know it’s that one thing that remains unfaltering. Indeed, music is as much a part of me as carbon and water.
With Coke Zero, the world-renowned beverage that made possible the combination of real Coke taste with zero sugar empowering me to continue my jam sessions with Pinoys everywhere, I am now singing my heart out, daring each one to prove that there are no impossibilities we could not overcome. Even if that entails starting out with zero. Though starting from scratch may give the impression that your aspirations are beyond reach, have solid faith and dare to extend your beliefs. We only have one life to live; we should live it how we want it.
I remember once being dubbed “the John Lennon of OPM.” Although it was a huge honor to be compared to a legend in the music biz, I still prefer to be known as “Ely Buendia of OPM.” And in the coming years, “Ely Buendia of OPM” will continue to be a unifying voice, embracing his individuality through his melody, urging the young to establish their own. Dare to start with Zero! It’s possible!
