Having his own album with some of the famous AlDub songs is a natural transition for Alden Richards. And it has happened. The young actor who is known as the Ang Pambansang Bae and as the other half of the AlDub love team, has just released a new album titled Wish I May for GMA Records and the song line-up includes the two songs that helped propel the AlDub phenomenon to dizzying heights. These are Thinking Out Loud and God Gave Me You.
As almost everybody knows by now, Al stands for Alden, while Dub stands for Yaya Dub (Maine Mendoza in real life), the dubsmash Internet sensation who went from unknown to one of the biggest stars around in only two months. This surprise team-up came about largely because of a series of serendipitous instances in the noontime show’s Eat, Bulaga!’s Kalyeserye portion. The viewers lapped those up and as a result Alden and Yaya Dub now make up the country’s burning hot love team.
With the excellent support of talented comedians Wally Bayola, Jose Manalo and Paolo Ballesteros, AlDub has sent Eat, Bulaga!’s viewership soaring through the roof. They also have social media in a dither wondering who these people are, giving big-name celebrities a big run for the money with their millions and millions of followers. Even the Twitter office in Asia Pacific itself came out with an announcement as to how tweets from fans around the world are validating the resonating storyline of AlDub.
Then as though to drive the point home further that they are indeed today’s biggest stars of the moment, Eat, Bulaga! went to the massive Philippine Arena last Oct. 24, for a special telecast. The show was billed as the much-awaited Tamang Panahon for the famous twosome. It was also part of the Bayanihan ni Juan project to raise funds for AlDub libraries in public schools all over the country. It came as no surprise that the demand for tickets sent ticket-selling sites crashing. Great job. Thanks to AlDub, a lot of kids will now have the chance to study with textbooks and read all they want.
Of course, Alden sang in the show. I know there was no need. He is now at that point when he can just give a pabebe wave, while showing off his dimples and fans will scream their hearts out. Still, it is also good for him to be able to entertain the public with his songs. Now, please note that Alden’s singing will never get him through The Voice auditions. His tone and range are just average. But there is such a sweet, earnest quality in his style that is more endearing than any high-flying notes.
The album title comes from a new original composed by hitmaker Agatha Obar-Morallos. Produced by Alwyn Cruz, Wish I May easily made No. 1 in the iTunes charts upon release while the music video directed by Louie Ignacio is in great demand on YouTube. There are also Urong-Sulong, another new original written by JC Magsalin; and How Great Is Our God, the extremely popular worship song by Chris Tomlin, which is Alden’s way of saying, “Thank you God, for all the blessings.”
Then there are those two songs AlDub fans would have killed for just to be included in the album, Thinking Out Loud by Brit pop idol Ed Sheeran and God Gave Me You by country music crooner Bryan White. Incidentally, also thanks to AlDub, those newly-recruited fans of White out here will have the chance to watch him sing God Gave Me You in person. He will be performing at the Araneta Coliseum soon.
But back to Alden. He comes from Laguna where neighbors see him walking his dogs, although not as often anymore these days. Nicknamed Tisoy, his mother believed from the onset that he should be in show business. Alden grew up wanting to be a pilot but gave it up to please his mother. It was her belief in him that kept Alden going after stardom. He dedicated his album to her: “I love you forever, Ma,” Tisoy, he wrote. She must be very pleased.