WRITTEN BY: FRANCESA JANA SANTIAGO

Is the world ready for Filipino Music?

Well, artists like Bruno Mars, Bella Poarch and Olivia Rodrigo would say yes, but the industry is yet to taste art that’s homegrown in the Philippines. It may be a hard pill to swallow, but the community has been struggling to break into the global music scene for so long now. While we do get to see Filipinos go viral online for their song covers or auditions on televised competitions, having them release albums or go on world tours is quite rare. It even took America a while to recognize a P-Pop Boy Group at the Billboard awards! However, music created by people of color is genuinely and popularly enjoyed by different demographics… as proven by R&B, Latin and of course, K-Pop. But can their success guarantee that Filipino music has a chance too?

This is what prompted MYX GLOBAL, an emerging platform for music, art and lifestyle, to step in. The company had its humble beginnings as a Philippine-based channel wherein you’ll find a variety of music segments from vintage love songs to the top trending hits among the youth. It has now evolved into a hybrid brand with an expanded international distribution. This year, MYX GLOBAL is launching 2 new shows: MYX Live! and MYX Hits Different, the first pair of projects since the pandemic which will “showcase the next generation of rising musical talents coming out of the Philippines and Asia” (MYX Head of Content & Programming Nino Llanera) and evidently “bring them to the world” (MYX Head of Platform Operations Marlino Bitanga).

MYX Live! is a returning staple show on the platform, but this time with a revamped style to it. The new and improved program aims to bring in fresh artists and music from across places and genres. What Jeremy G, one of the artists in the lineup, hopes that fans and first-time audiences will be able to realize through MYX Live! is that “there may be different languages from across the world and across the country… [but] music is something that we can all relate to. If we want to go to a different world than we’re used to, music can definitely do that for us.” Nhiko from the up and coming band Nameless Kids believes that the show “gives smaller or rising artists an avenue to show what they have” while catering to today’s fans who are known to “really depend on how the artists sound live rather than just listening to them on streaming platforms”

On the other hand, the goal of MYX Hits Different is to have audiences see musicians perform in “extraordinary circumstances” such as in grocery stores, barber shops and more. Featured singer Shanaiah Gomez sees this as an opportunity to “learn about creativity [in music] and how it works and how you can find art almost everywhere you go, working with something you’re not used to or thinking outside the box.” Other than performances, the show will also include other fun challenges and random Q&As. But are all these necessary when it comes to boosting one’s music career? “Given the technological advancements of our time, people have also grown into visual learners or visual consumers” shares Denise Julia on why in today’s time, so much effort is put into music videos, official merchandise and live shows. Companies like MYX are learning to combine music with visual media so that artists will be able to put on a sensory experience for their fans which can, and will, help them make a mark in this era of virality.

Everyone has the material to show, it’s just that they aren’t provided with ways to show it yet. But with MYX’s new programs, the lineup of artists are collectively hoping that the international market will finally realize Filipino music isn’t just limited to cutesy pop or power ballads, and most especially, not reserved for local audiences only. Singer Anji Salvacion guarantees that what the world is missing out on is “the expressiveness and passion [of Filipino music]” while Shanaiah adds that “with every unique song, you’ll get to experience the different sides and cultures of Filipinos”. Any form of art can be marketable to the world only if its creators put effort in it, and are smart enough to know what prompts fans give their genuine support.

We’ve come a long way from busking and distributing demos to executives but if there’s one thing our history has proven time and time again, is that Filipinos are capable of not only adapting but also competing on a global scale.