Shamrock band gets new lead singer in Bradley Holmes
Bradley Holmes takes on a new role as lead singer of the popular band Shamrock.
“There were a few cases I jammed with them and in some of my gigs, Sam would drop by. Then very casually, he asked me ‘Do you want to be the singer of Shamrock?’ I thought he was joking but I said why not? It was not serious talk really then we had some meetings where I got to meet the rest of the band members,” Bradley shared during the launch of Shamrock’s new single titled “Bakit Ka Aalis?”
The next thing he did was to call Mark Sicat and to ask for his blessings, which he readily gave. Bradley said it is intimidating to take the place of the lead singer in a band. “People will always look for the voice of Shamrock. But I take that both as a challenge and as inspiration,” he said.
He also agreed there is pressure in being the new soloist of an established band with a strong following. “Yes, of course, there is pressure but ‘yun ang masarap doon. You can channel the pressure to be the motivation to do better,” he added. “It pressures me to improve on my craft even more.”
The rest of the band members only had Bradley in mind to be their soloist. He was first and only choice, no one else came close. He was handpicked and his bandmates were glad he accepted the offer.
Shamrock is a band that most of the country is familiar with due to their hugely popular theme songs from 2005-2012 which include their renditions of “Naaalala Ka”, “Hold On” and original songs “Alipin”, and “Nandito Lang Ako.”
Not surprisingly, the pandemic brought major shifts to the band as the entertainment industry was closed for over two years due to COVID-19. During this period, original frontman Marc Tupaz moved to the USA with his family. Sam (bass), Nico (guitar), and Harald (drums) wanted to continue to perform when shows were once again allowed by the government. This led them to talk to Marc and with his blessing asked someone to join the band. Sam then approached Bradley about joining the group.
Shamrock’s last release was 2018 and their new single “Bakit Ka Aalis” was actually being recorded and arranged before the pandemic started. With all the changes and things being so unsure during the pandemic the band decided not to release any music.
Nico, who is also the primary arranger of the band says, “When Bradley joined the band one of the first things we wanted to do was release a new single with him. When we showed Bradley the song, he loved it, and we just moved forward.”
The song is composed by veteran songwriter Lito Camo. Sam says of the song, “It’s all about the reasons we leave the one we love. Going through the experience of what and how you arrive at being ready or willing to let go and move on.”
While Lito has never shared the exact story of how the song came to be, the chorus lyrics speak clearly of the topic. “Bakit ka aalis, ano ang dahilan, Di mo ba naiisip na mayrong nasasaktan.”
Harald shared, “This was in the works for three years due to the pandemic. We had it how we liked it in 2019, then we had over two years to think about it and adjust things. We are excited and really happy with how the track came out and how Bradley sang it.”
The song was recorded, mixed and mastered at TrueSound Studio and like all other Shamrock songs it is produced and performed by Shamrock. The listener will immediately be familiar with the “Shamrock” feel and sound in the track.
The band has also taken a different approach to previous singles with programmed drums, and added synth elements. Shamrock has consistently delivered songs that pull at the heart and impact the listener. “Bakit Ka Aalis” is no exception to this. You can stream it on your favorite music platforms now.
If you wish to listen Shamrock perform, they will be at K Lite 103.5 Star FM Baguio on Aug. 12; on Love Radio 5 pm Hard Rock Café Manila; Aug. 20 at NCCC Mall Davao; Aug. 25 V81 Radio 10 a.m.; and Aug. 27 Take Over Bar, Xavierville QC.
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