Three OPM acts to watch out for

MANILA, Philippines - There are three Original Pilipino Music (OPM) acts that you must watch out for. Young, talented and oozing with mass appeal, they are a glimpse of the future of the Philippine music industry.

We’re talking about rock band Letter Day Story, balladeer-songwriter Myrus and boy band 1:43 (pronounced as “one forty-three”). These three, who are all managed by public relations expert Chris Cahilig, have been making waves across all media platforms.

Letter Day Story, composed of rockers Aldrick “Dex” Yu, John Oliver “Oli” Agustin, Chrisanthony “Not” Vinzons, and Emil Joseph “EJ” Arabit, won the Best Rock/Alternative Recording trophy at the 2012 Awit Awards for its song Save Me. The band won over the other nominees, who are all more established bands and solo artists.

Letter Day Story’s latest digital single, Maiwang Mag-isa, written by Agustin is currently receiving a lot of airplay over radio stations nationwide.

Earlier, Letter Day Story also won at the 2010 Awit Awards for its song Martilyo, which they recorded with Gloc-9, also for Best Rock/Alternative Recording.

The band has recorded 11 singles that all made it to the Pinoy MYX Countdown.  It has released three albums namely Sulat Aral Kuwento, Sama-Sama and Breakaway all from Sony Music. Likewise, the band has endorsed brands including Revicon Forte, Mossimo, Vans and AXN.

Letter Day Story has appeared in such TV shows as Umagang Kay Ganda, Unang Hirit, Music Uplate @ ABS-CBN and has performed in major shows organized by MTV, MYX, and Alliance Francais (Fete dela Musique).

Myrus, who delighted listeners with his remake of the ’70s love song Sayang (originally by Claire dela Fuente), has reinvented himself from being a romantic balladeer into a sought-after singer-songwriter.

Last year, Myrus has released a critically-acclaimed album titled Wanted: Just Alive featuring his original compositions Pusong Lito and Sige Na Nga. An intriguing song about being torn between two beloved, Pusong Lito became a monster hit and was named as the No 5 most popular OPM song in 2012 by the Philippine Music Charts. It was also used as a soundtrack of Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) Teen Edition on ABS-CBN and its official music video and lyric videos has garnered over 10 million views on YouTube so far.

In a few weeks, the public will hear three of Myrus’ compositions as soundtracks of the most anticipated primetime soaps on ABS-CBN. His original composition for his co-talents 1:43, Sa Isang Sulyap Mo is one of the soundtracks of Coco Martin’s new fantaserye Juan dela Cruz while Pusong Lito and his new hit single Hiling is included in Angeline Quinto’s romantic comedy soap, Kahit Konting Pagtingin.

Myrus is also an effective and dedicated advocate of the local music industry. He earned everyone’s respect as an OPM activist during his stint as the project head of Tunog Natin. In December, Myrus was declared as a UH Morning Star by the GMA 7 morning show, Unang Hirit.

Myrus is acclaimed as “The Sentimental Prince of OPM” because of his romantic flair and smooth vocals. He has won prestigious awards including a Gold Record for his debut album Love Cycle under Sony Music, an ASAP 24K Artist Award, the Top Entertainment Award for Best R&B Artist and nominations in the 2010 Awit Awards and the First Philippine Radio Music Awards.

1:43 (One Forty-Three) is currently the hottest and most popular boy band in the Philippines, and it has steadily and impressively expanded its fan base in just two years.

The 1:43 hit, Sa Isang Sulyap Mo, has topped numerous year-end music charts of 2012 and the song’s music video was hailed as one of the Most Viral Videos of 2012 according to YouTube Philippines. To date, its official music video, reposts and lyric videos have received over 30 million views on YouTube. It is also one of the most downloaded songs in MyMusicStore, Videokeman, iTunes Philippines, and Sun Cellular and ranked No. 2 in the Philippine Music Charts tally for 2012, next to Gloc-9’s Sirena.

The best thing about 1:43 is that the band is living proof that Filipino talents can successfully hold its own against the K-Pop fever. Its mass appeal led to guestings in ASAP, KrisTV and in Sarah G. Live!, to name a few. 1:43 have been declared as one of the UH Morning Stars of the GMA 7 morning show, Unang Hirit.

Composed of Anjo Resurreccion, Goldmon Aquino, Kent Malunda and Yuki Sakamoto, 1:43 has recorded two albums — Time for Love and Sa Isang Sulyap Mo — under MCA Music and were included in OPM compilation albums Tunog Natin: Songs from Home and 40 Most Requested Love Songs. It has been nominated twice in the Awit Awards for Best Christmas Song and Best New Group.

The boys of 1:43 are expected to duplicate their success in 2012 with the chart-topping single Halika Na and a line-up of product endorsements.

With the popularity of foreign musical acts in the Philippines, it’s inspiring to know that there are still original Filipino acts like Letter Day Story, Myrus and 1:43, who are going strong and holding up high the banner for OPM.