Dilaw’s Uhaw outsells foreign acts

I have been involved in various ways with the music business in the Philippines for many years now, but I still get this huge thrill when I find out that a local act is outselling the foreigners in the hit charts.

There was a time when something like that was inconceivable given how well-entrenched were the foreign labels in this country. Outsell Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, etc.?  Everybody thought then that there was no way that was going to happen.

Thankfully, changes came about in the ‘70s with the arrival of the Manila Sound. Music buyers woke up to the charms of Original Pilipino Music (OPM) and started buying the records of Hotdog, Jose Mari Chan, Rico Puno, VST&Co. and many others.

After that, it was not unusual anymore to find recordings by Filipino artists outselling the imports. It is not as often as we’d like it to be, more so these days when the competition has grown to include the now seemingly formidable South Koreans.

But it can still happen. And last week, it did. I checked out the Billboard Global Philippines chart and there it was. Uhaw by Dilaw is No. 1. I just knew it would happen after the first time I heard the song and I got that old thrill again.

Dilaw is this alt group from Baguio which started out as a hip-hop duo made up of Dilaw Obero and Vie dela Rosa. They had well-received releases like 3019, which spoke out against government corruption and Kaloy, an in-depth look at people and their problems today. The going was good for Dilaw until one day, they suddenly breezed through writing a new song that they titled Uhaw and the rest is history.

Thanks to all the attention generated by Uhaw, Dilaw is now a full-blown band. The credits for Uhaw list the members as Dilaw on vocals and as main songwriter; Vie and Leon Altomonte on guitars; Jonathan Jabez Lopez, bass guitar; Oluwatobiloba Omojola, drums; and Aeneas Altomonte, piano and keyboards.

Dilaw released its first EP two weeks ago with Uhaw, of course, as the carrier track and its earlier singles, 3019, Kaloy, the unreleased Maskara and the title cut, Sansinukob. I see this one as a combination of Dilaw’s penchant for social commentary, it is a call for better understanding of the world around us, and the fun, dreamy but no less spiritual side that the band discovered with Uhaw.

By the way, the producer of the well-made, sparkling sound of Sansinukob, including Dilaw is Shadiel Chan who also comes from Baguio. He also did the latest release from the young band Cup of Joe, Tataya.

Dilaw is facing stiff competition from BTS Jimin, who is on a massive campaign to promote his first solo album Face with the single Like Crazy. A great dance track with sweet falsetto vocals by Jimin, the song is already No. 1 in several countries.

Here now is last week’s hit list from Billboard Global Philippines: Uhaw (Sa Iyo) by Dilaw; Die for You by The Weeknd and Ariana Grande; Pasilyo by Sunkissed Lola; Cupid by Fifty Fifty; Kill Bill by SZA; Snooze, also by SZA; Like Crazy by Jimin Park of BTS; Elevate by Jeff Garcia; All of the Girls You Loved Before by Taylor Swift; OMG by NewJeans; Anti-Hero by Taylor Swift; Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez; Here with Me by d4vd.

Mahika by Adie and Janine Berdin; Flowers by Miley Cyrus; Nonsense by Sabrina Carpenter; Reminder by The Weeknd; Boy’s A Liar, PT. 2 by Pink Pantheress and Ice Spice; Tally by BlackPink; Umaasa by Calein; Cruel Summer, again by Taylor Swift; As It Was by Harry Styles; Ikaw Lang by Nobita; Midnight Rain, also by Taylor Swift; and Set Me Free, PT. 2, also by Jimin.