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| (Image Source: Rappler/PhilPop Music Foundation) |
Smart Communications Inc. continues to champion original Filipino music (OPM) by supporting the upcoming 2020 Philippine Popular Music Festival (PhilPop) songwriting competition which goes nationwide to discover more aspiring and talented songwriters with the theme "Music Breaking Borders".
Pushing forward amidst the limitations brought about by the continuing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, PhilPop Festival Chairman and National Artist For Music Ryan Cayabyab shared, "We've planned for this year's festival way back in 2019 when COVID-19 was nowhere in sight. When the pandemic hit us, we had to make a huge pivot in terms of the execution of most ideas, many of which were originally envisioned to happen in the usual, traditional in-person platform." He added, "We did encounter challenges in executing some tasks. In terms of producing the songs, for example, it was quite a different process owing to the restrictions in travel and mobility. But I'm happy to say that PhilPop has managed to find ways thanks to the ingenuity of the team and their passion to make things happen."
On the other hand, veteran OPM singer-songwriter and PhilPop festival co-chairman Noel Cabangon admitted that the lack of physical interaction made early goings of the search more difficult. "PhilPop festival this year is basically faced with a challenge of not celebrating the event face to face or with physical presence and interaction between the audience and the performers. It may have its advantage in terms of costs of production but to make it more appealing and creative on digital is a tough challenge." Technology bridged much of the distance for this year's nationwide search as Cayabyab explained, "Technology made things possible for us. It also helps provide a new dimension and flavors to our songs as we discover more reasons of how great it is as a tool in music production."
Anyway, the Smart People's Choice Award for Best Song makes its return for this year's festivities. Music buffs are encouraged to vote for their favorite song via Twitter Poll on December 4-11 and through streaming on Spotify and YouTube on December 11. PhilPop 2020 has pulled out all the stops by gathering finalists from the following clusters: Metro Manila, North Luzon, South Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Those who will top the votes for each cluster will be named Smart People's Choice awardee considering that there will be five winners of the said category. "This year's finalists are a great mix of songs and I am sure many - whether they are here or across our borders - will enjoy listening to the top 15 songs," Cayabyab said. The PhilPop 2020 Grand Finals will take centerstage on December 12, 2020. For more information and updates, visit www.philpop.com.ph and PhilPop 2020 on Facebook and Twitter. On the other hand, the official PhilPop 2020 album is now available on digital and streaming platforms worldwide under Warner Music Philippines.
