Freestyle, Top Suzara expand with multifaceted brand
OPM icon Freestyle and Top Suzara grow into new horizons with the announcement of an expanded brand touching on music, advertising, live entertainment, and merchandise following their media launch entitled “Freestyle: Giving It All This Time… And More” on Monday.
Building on the band’s discography of hit songs such as “Before I Let You Go”, “So Slow”, “This Time”, “Till I Found You”, “Para Sayo”, their rendition of “Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang?”, and “Once In A Lifetime”, Freestyle is set to connect with fans anew through original music for release this year and a series of concerts in the Philippines and abroad.
“When Freestyle started, the heart of the music really lay in the original songs that we felt our fans connected with and grew up with. This time, we are starting that journey again with new songs to share that we hope will touch our fans and new generations of Pinoy listeners,” shared Suzara, who served as the band’s vocalist and composer from 1997.
After pursuing a solo career in 2005, Suzara gained renown on his own with classic OPM ballads such as “Sabihin Mo Na” and has since established himself to be one of the country’s most celebrated singer-songwriters. In recent years, the artist has also made a name in advertising through musical and artistic collaborations with top brands and companies.
“What we hope to share with our fans from today is our undying passion for making and sharing original music, as well as a rekindling of our relationship with fans whom we first connected with through our original songs in the early days of Freestyle. At the same time, we hope to share with them our growth because, today, Freestyle is so much more than its music,” he shared.
During the media launch, Suzara unveiled Freestyle as a brand touching on a wider range of entertainment products such as advertising services leveraging Freestyle’s music and artistry, merchandise, forays into digital media, and other projects in the pipeline.
“We know that Freestyle as a brand has a lot more to offer because we’re passionate about telling stories that touch on people’s feelings and sentiments. We want to take that capacity for storytelling further not just through songs, but also through other products and services. We know that, in the digital era, we’re competing for eyeballs and seconds of attention, but we still believe that good stories can stand out,” Suzara shared.
“Of course, we will always go back to the core, to our music. We’re excited to have upcoming collaborations with other Filipino artists, and we’re thrilled to take the stage again to share these connected, intimate moments with our fans and audiences.”
Nearly three decades since the establishment of the band in 1996, Freestyle is set to kick off this new chapter with a live performance on October 20 at 19 East. Upcoming tours, concerts, and other updates will be announced through their official Facebook page at https://facebook.com/freestyle.philippines.
***
A groundbreaking film with an all-nurse cast aimed at celebrating 100 years of the Philippine Nurses Association was launched Oct. 9 at a dinner event marking the centennial held at the
PNA courtyard on Benitez Street, Ermita, Manila.
Dr. Carl E. Balita said his own movie production company is bankrolling the film in cooperation with the PNA, of which he remains an active member.
“My life and career have been devoted to nursing. My dream is to elevate our profession to a higher level of appreciation through this film,” he said.
Lemuel C. Lorca (Ned’s Project, Intoy Shokoy ng Kalye Marino, Water Lemon, Maestra) has been tapped to direct “Siglo ng Kalinga.” Lorca described the film as a fusion between past and present, juxtaposing the experiences and lessons gleaned from the life of Anastacia Giron Tupas, who founded the Filipino Nurses Association in 1922. The FNA was to become the PNA years later. Archie del Mundo writes the script.
Balita announced a casting call in search for real-life nurses to play lead and supporting roles in the film. They can be anywhere from 20 to 60 years old, are registered nurses, and who are willing to undergo a five-day acting workshop.
Other activities lined up in connection with Siglo are: theme song writing contest on the passion and heroism of Filipino nurses worldwide, and a poster-making contest.
Veteran nurses Mila Delia Llanes (centennial celebration overall chair) and Remedios Fernandez (historical committee chair) of the PNA expressed their full support to the film. They expressed hope that the varied stories told in the film could inspire more Filipinos to go into nursing as well as light the fire furthermore among our nurses to serve humanity.
Dr. Balita hopes to premiere Siglo ng Kalinga in April 2023 in cinemas.
- Latest
