International artists perform in Then & Now

MANILA, Philippines - The Then & Now concert on May 15 at the SM Mall of Asia concert grounds gathers nine major global artists in a single stage.

Flying in from the United States are JoJo, Diana King, Frankie J, Baby Bash, PM Dawn, SWV, All-4-One, TQ and V Factory. Each artist will be performing their greatest hits.

“Our primary goal is to provide the Filipino audience live outdoor entertainment; the kind of musical experience that happens once in a lifetime and never before witnessed in this country,” says Janeth Chang, president and CEO of Divan Media Group, the show’s production outfit.

A guaranteed all-hits show, the concert is not an album tour where the artists sing only cuts from a newly-released recording; nor a promotion tour wherein they only push for a couple of songs. Their respective fans can expect to hear the artists’ top tunes all night long.

The R&B quartet All-4-One is behind the revival of The Thymes ‘63 classic So Much In Love, its 1994 chart-topping single, as well as a cover of the country ditty I Swear, one of the longest-running No. 1 singles in Billboard’s history.

V Factory, meanwhile, has gained a solid following despite its lone hit single Love Struck. With its hip-hop-meets-R&B vibe, the instantly addictive songs that the band has just finished recording for Warner Bros. Records have something for everyone; from tough-edged beats to touching ballads, giving it an appeal to music lovers of all ages. The group is composed of Jared Murillo, Wesley Quinn, Asher Book, Nick “Nicky T” Teti and Nathaniel Flatt (with two of the boys cast members of the series Glee).

TQ (or Terrance Quiates) began with the R&B group Coming of Age in the early ’90s. The ensemble disbanded after two albums; one of which produced the hit ballad Coming Home To Love. In 1998, he released his solo album Westside and, a year later, They Never Saw Me Coming that carried the hit singles Bye Bye Baby and Better Days. He is currently working on his sixth studio project, Kind of Blue.

New Jersey hip duo PM Dawn is the multi-platinum selling R&B act formed by brothers Attrell Cordes and Jarrett Cordes in 1988. They released their debut album Of the Heart, of the Soul, of the Cross: The Utopian Experience in 1991 to rave reviews. The duo’s more famous hits include Set Adrift On Memory Bliss, I’d Die Without You and Looking Through Patient Eyes.

SWV (acronym for Sisters with Voices), meanwhile, is associated with the hits I’m So Into You, Right Here/Human Nature and Weak; all of which came out in 1992. The trio disbanded in 1998 but reunited in 2005; went back to working on a new studio album and started touring again. Their other hits are You’re The One (1996) and Rain (1997).

Diana King is an R&B, pop, reggae and dance-hall singer-songwriter whose debut album Tougher Than Love spawned Shy Guy, a hit track that made it to the OST of the 1995 action flick Bad Boys. In the Philippines, it has become a staple song in most videoke and comedy bars all over Metro Manila. Her follow-up hit, Ain’t Nobody, was a cover of the ’70s chartbuster by Rufus & Chaka Khan. She came up with another big hit in 1997 with a dance/reggae cover of Dione Warwick’s ’70s classic I Say A Little Prayer that was featured on the soundtrack of My Best Friend’s Wedding.

JoJo, on the other hand, is behind the hit singles Leave (Get Out) and Baby It’s You, making her the youngest solo artist with a No. 1 single in the US. Her second album The High Road, released a year later, scored more hits including Too Little, Too Late and How To Touch A Girl. But her greatest hit seems to be the 2007 reply to Sean Kingston’s Beautiful Girls, her rendition of Beautiful Girls’ Reply. JoJo’s other hits are Not That Kinda Girl and Weak (2005) as well as Anything and Note to God (2007). She has also dabbled on TV and in film and made her maiden boob-tube appearance at the Bernie Mac Show. She starred in two Hollywood movies: Aquamarine, her film debut, and RV; both of which came out in 2006.

American rapper Baby Bash, a.k.a. Ronald (Ronnie) Rey Bryant, performed under the stage name Baby Beesh from 1995 through 1998, after which he changed the last part of the name to Bash. His first album in 2003, Tha Smokin’ Nephew, included the hit singles Suga Suga and Shorty Doowop. Two years later, he released another album, Super Saucy, with its lead single, Baby I’m Back, a collaboration with singer Akon. His third album in 1997, Cyclone, had two certified Billboard hits: The title track featuring T-Pain and What Is It? featuring Sean Kingston.

Frankie J is behind the hit Don’t Wanna Try and Ya No Es Igual from his second self-titled album. He also released in 2005, How To Deal and his cover of More Than Words. To date, he has come up with four English-language solo albums, the latest of which is Time that was released last year.

Tickets are available at all TicketNet and TicketWorld (891-9999) outlets. For details, call 389-3708 and 687-0048 ext. 15099 or e-mail [email protected].