

Guest Writer

(Courtesy of Ellen Show)

A group of Filipino Soloist Connived for a very amazing rendition of "Just Give me a Reason"
Singing is part of Filipino's Life (Photo by newshopper.sulekha.com )
When it comes to singing, the Filipinos were one of the best to show the expression of they can sing no matter what type of music you bring to the table. This was also partly due to the Karaoke Culture in which most of the foreigners have the most single impression that when there is a karaoke fortunately you will find a Filipino at the end of the microphone. This was given reference made by Canadian Stand-up Comedian Russell Peters that during the show he acknowledged a group of Filipinos sitting in front were staring at his microphone and humorously declared that they will do a Karaoke session. Also on David Letterman’s Top 10 lists “Why there won’t be a Filipino Presidents, no. 3 No budget allocation to purchase Karaoke machines for every room in the White House.” Karaoke machines were traditionally used for fiestas and celebration, sometime use it for recreation. Most Filipinos in all walks of life have karaoke machines, DVD/MIDI players, Magic System, and even portable Karaoke machines.
"Harana" or simply Serenading is part of
Filipino's culture as form of Courtship

Filipino Singers Abroad (Photo from Vimeo)
Some Filipinos use their talents for singing to improve their lives and escape poverty. Filipino singers will line up for a job application if there is any position available locally or abroad. Singing abroad is most promising and has a higher salary as compare to Filipino entertainers based locally and hoping that might discover by an agent or a record producer with a recording contract. Employers from abroad are all delightful to hire Filipino singers because of their passion in music. Many Filipino singers especially in Japan were the crowd drawers and they can even sing Japanese songs when requested by the crowd. Even in Southeast Asia, most of the employers much prefer Filipinos, one fine example is when I traveled in Bangkok last 2006, I was one the guest in the river cruise and I noticed a female vocalist along with other musicians sang and tirelessly entertained the guests and she have good and pleasant vocal presence. I though first that she’s Thai but when she spoke Tagalog because most the guest in the cruise were Filipinos I was amazed, even foreigners in the cruise were also on to the music and were really entertain.I had a chance to talk to the vocalist and the rest of the band and most of them came from Davao and entertaining the river cruise for six years. Another is that my mother told me that there were a lot of Filipino entertainers in the Disney Luxury Cruise in Miami and most of the guests have a very good time entertained.Moreover, Foreigners were fascinated by Filipinos who were singing on stage no matter what genre of music they play or sing, they will definitely deliver the best quality entertainment. One fine example was Nikki Minaj, during the elimination round of the American Idol a Filipino-American from contestant name Adriana Latonia were having casual talk with the judges and among them was Nikki Minaj and asked her, “are you a Filipino?” The girl politely replied positively and sang “Ain’t No Way” by Aretha Franklin. The judges were so impressed and even judge Maria Carey praised Latonio for taking on a big song. “I was really proud of you and really happy for you. That’s Aretha Franklin. I really loved how you came through with you version of the song,” she said. Unfortunately Adriana was eliminated in semi-finals of American Idol.
"Are you a Filipino?"
I kept wondering about Nikki Minaj’s question: “Are you a Filipino?” Does it mean that Filipino entertainers have finally arrived and duly recognized as a contender to any musical competitions and festivals all over the world. Or is it a sign that the Filipino race is becoming a significant nationality in the music scene besides in healthcare and services? I always bear in mind that us Filipinos were blessed in spite of all the bad publicity, unfortunate news, and mediocre life, a Filipino can still sing and deliver quality entertainment not just only in the Philippines but the whole world as well.
Watch the Video above to salute Filipino Talent (Video by Youtube)