A famous Hollywood quote “ You’ve come a long way baby “ best describes the storybook and Cinderella rise to fame and popularity of Filipino singers.
There is Arnel Pineda, the newly discovered lead singer of the 80”s great American rock band, the Journey which is now undergoing its most strongest revival (if not resurrection)
Since the departure of its legendary front man and singer Steve Ferry.
Undeniably, Pineda’s impact on Journey (due largely to his Steve Ferry-sound alike voice) has made the group embarked on its yet biggest concert tour ever that took them from South America (Chile at the Vina del Mar International song festival) to Europe, North America, and soon to Asia with an important stop in the Philippines.
In South America, where Pineda debuted as the new lead singer, Chile’s media said the “new vocalist (Arnel) fit well with the band, his vocal aptitudes shining through, which are very similar to the legendary musician Steve Ferry “
Last September 5, in Toronto, The popular Molson Amphitheatre at Ontario place was jam-packed, its open grass lawn bursting at its seams and guess what? Almost half of the audience were Pinoys while the rest of the North American audience were either original Journey fans and some curious enough to know who this new guy is (Arnel) and how does he sounds.
Unmindful to all, the Toronto concert of Arnel and Journey was actually a celebration since it was his 41st birthday on that same day and he did not disappoint his crowd and his kababayans.
After his renditions of “Don’t Stop Believing “ and the anthemia “Open Arms “to the
deafening approving roar of the audience, he sneaked in a yell of “ Mabuhay ang Pinoy! And on the last set (actually an encore) again another Mabuhay.
A seatmate, a white guy and his wife, told me, “that guy is amazing, he sounds like Ferry but how can he sustain his high notes and his voice throughout in concert tour is a big wonder. Do you know that guy?” he asked. “ I answered, “Yes “ He is a Filipino “
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CHARICE; Arnel and Charice musical careers, their struggles and eventual meteoric rise to fame seemed to have parallel beginnings and converged in the same universe.
Charice is Charice Pempengco, the slinky eye 16-year old who caught the eye of Hollywood’s super hosts Ellen Degeneres and Winfrey Oprah with her equally super voice unmatched in strength and clarity so they say.
Like Arnel who was discovered in You tube, Charice is a girl phenom whose voice belies her age. She can do a Whitney Houston with ease (including the high. high notes),
Croon a Celine Dion melody (her idol)and even a Barbra Streisand.
Like Pineda who was fetched by Journey’s Neal Schon from the Philippines to Marin county, California to audition for the lead singer part on August12,2007 along with manager and Eat Bulaga director Bert de Leon of Sundance Entertainment corporation,
Charice also flew to the United Sates to guest in the Ellen Degeneres show, and later on two Oprah Winfrey shows, where the billionaires herself was described as “breathless and blown away“ by what she heard and saw.
Decidedly, Oprah, pushed the right buttons to help Charice’ career. Today, Charice is under tutelage and guidance by the world’s top music promoter /composer and arranger David Foster, the same guy who helped catapult the careers of Diana Krall, Michael Buble, Josh Groban, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, among others.
More recently, Charice held a memorable duet in Tuscany, Italy with Andrea Bocelli who personally invited her.
On September 15 and 16 at New York city’s Madison Square Garden,Charice gets the chance to sing the first song she ever learned, “My Heart will go on “the Titanic movie theme, in a concert called “Taking chances tour “. She will duet with her childhood singing idol, Celine Dion who has also personally invited her in a television show with Oprah.
Indeed, from the karaoke bars and discos of Japan,Hongkong, Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok and many places in Asia, Filipino singers or entertainers are finding their rightful spots in showbiz filaments, From Bimbo Danao, Martin Nievera Sr. and his
Society of Seven group, The Brown Boys band of Pasay city (they are the pioneer
overseas musicians) and now to Arnel, he of the homeless beginnings and who also almost lost his voice in 1994 as a result of a failed relationship and Charice, whose traumatic experience with an alleged abusive father nearly killed her dreams, they have indeed come a long way.
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PINOY SINGERS IN TORONTO: Pinoy singers here in the community are not as lucky as Arnel and Charice, although by standards they at par with their compatriots in terms of talents and skills. But there are problems plaguing these people.
One is they are not properly paid, or not paid at all. Worse, they are overexposed, not that they like it, but a confluence of fiscal needs and some unscrupulous promoters whose main agenda is more profit and greed.
Folksinger Chito Sarabia has complained to this column that a group belonging to Mike Hanopol did not leave up to its part of the bargain. He said he was asked to be a bass player for two mini-concerts at two Filipino restaurants. He agreed to play for free at these two “gigs “in deference to playing with well known Hanopol.
However, in the last concert at Kalayaan last month with Hanopol, he was promised to be paid $300.00. For this he had to borrow a bass guitar from a friend, spend gasoline money every practice and even ferry some of the group’s personnel in his car.
After the concert, there was no payment, “ni ha ni ho “ he said.
Until now, Chito says he remains unpaid. A week ago, he met hanopol and a certain
Cesar Pareja who gave him and his other band mate a measly $50 “a sum way way off from the promised P300.00.
Chito said when he tried to talk to Hanopol, he was berated and even given a lecture
on religion.
Chito’s complain is nothing new. This has been happening ever since .In the past, I batted for the formation of an association of entertainers like singers here in the Filipino community primarily to protect their rights and to avoid things like these.
One good start is to identify promoters who have a nasty history of “forgetfulness “ or whom we shall described as “ manunuba at mandididal “. In this kind of business, there is always these kind of people who wants to make a fast buck from the hardships and toils of other people. We shall eventually expose these kind of personalities and organizations.
