MANILA, Philippines - MYMP recently represented the Philippines in the Asia Song Festival at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium, South Korea.
The appearance of the acoustic band at the festival was followed by separate show at the Mecenatpolis Mall Plaza, Hongdae.
Attendance at the two events was purely Korean and was conservatively estimated at 20,000. The number included the fans and supporters of Korean idols and K-Pop stars who routinely cover MYMP songs. Viewers of Korean telenovelas that have adopted theme songs by MYMP also trooped to the Asia Song Festival, which is touted to be the biggest pop-music event of the year in Korea.
Event producers believe that the MYMP popularity was brought about by the acoustic trend, which the Philippine band started, through its Korean chart-topping songs like Say You Love Me, Especially For You and Superman.
Korean, Malaysian, Indonesian, other fans in region have alternately lined up events that showcase the genre made popular by MYMP.
MYMP’s performances in the two-day event were led by founder and guitarist Chin Alcantara. The band’s new vocalist, Jana Liwag, more than impressed the Korean audience though it was her first time to perform in front of thousands of people. KBS television (Korea’s biggest TV network) and the concert producers named her as the “acoustic angel voice†and described her as the prettiest in the Asia Song Festival. She was backed by keyboardist Hannche Bobis, bass guitarist Ibey Haber and drummer Joel Tolentino.
The performances in Korea served as MYMP’s breather from its local gigs and the production of its 10th anniversary album. The band hopes that its new album would also break language and cultural barriers, and further push the band’s international career. For updates on MYMP and schedule of gigs, visit its Facebook page MYMP (Official), Twitter @MYMP2010 and Instagram @makeyourmommaproud.