Psychology helps Erick write songs

MANILA, Philippines - For songwriter Erick Sta. Maria (photo), Christmases always bring back fond childhood memories, for it was during his young Yuletide seasons that he honed his musical talent, particularly acoustic guitar strumming, while accompanying on his guitar cousins and close friends who used to do the rounds of caroling around the neighborhood.

It’s a little-known fact that Erick composed the Christmas caroling-ender, “Thank you, thank you, thank you very much, thank you!” He first divulged this in an interview on GMA 7 when he became a Metropop finalist.

Erick misses the Metropop (as the Metro Manila Popular Music Festival was then called, launched in 1977 by a group spearheaded by newspaperman Teodoro Valencia and then presidential daughter Imee Marcos, and held annually from 1978 to 1985). He joined the country’s pioneering and once foremost songwriting competition in 1997 with his entry Fallin’ interpreted by then neophyte singer Roselle Nava (who’s now a Parañaque City councilor). The song made it to the Billboard top charts.

On the halt and eventual cancellation of Metropop, Erick has this to say: “Sayang! It could have been an ideal venue for new composers and song interpreters to get discovered.”

In the succeeding years, the absence of songwriting tilts didn’t dampen Erick’s enthusiasm to create new musical compositions. He still continued to write pieces for new singers: Nang Dahil Sa ‘Yo interpreted by Michelle Zamesa; Sapagka’t Mahal Kita interpreted by Manilyn Reynes (which was included in her LP album How Long); and True Love Waits interpreted by Jamie Rivera who also co-wrote it.

When a new songwriting contest, the “values songwriting competition” funded by the Development Bank of the Philippines came, Erick joined it with two songs, Kung May Pangarap Ka interpreted by Maritess Flores, and Kung Kaya Nila, Kaya Mo Rin interpreted by Arnel de Pano.  The latter won third prize for him.

Then came another music tilt, the short-lived Himig Handog organized by ABS-CBN, to which he submitted his work Ang Galing Mo! interpreted by Ruben Laurente.

For 23 years now, Erick has been working for Adamson University’s (where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Psychology degree) campus ministry through the music program of the Vincentian priests.

Erick is currently a part of the creative team (as co-composer and arranger) of the Imelda Marcos musical, A Mother’s Soul, which is based on the libretto of multi-artist Francis Tanseco who also co-directs the musical with Ronnie del Barrio.

A Mother’s Soul will be mounted on Oct. 4 to 9, at the Justo Albert auditorium of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) who is partnering with the Association of Merkaba Arts Philippines, Inc., along with the Manila Tourism and Cultural Affairs Bureau and PLM College of Tourism and PLM College of Mass Communications, in cooperation with National Parks and Development Committee.