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| (Image Source: Manila Bulletin/Cultural Center Of The Philippines) |
Do you have a unique Filipino song to sing? Do you play an indigenous instrument or have a knack for mashing up different musical styles? Do you you have the skill and confidence to showcase your own musical prowess that can lead you to a place within the growing Philippine pop scene? Well, if you say 'yes' to any two of these answers, then the Cultural Center of the Philippines' open online band competition Kanta Canta may just be the essential platform for you to be discovered.
Aim to discover untapped grassroot talents from different parts of the country, Kanto Canta is part of CCP's Kanto Cultura initiative which is meant to celebrate and cultivate Filipino artistic talent nationwide in a way that safely meets the challenges of our home-based ECQ lives. A brainchild of Nikki Junya, Stanley Seludo and Dr. Jaime Laya of the CCP Board of Trustees with the support of CCP President Arsenio "Nick" Lizaso, the initiative seeks to encourage Filipino talents to create artistic content that showcases innovation and creativity, providing avenues for artistic expression in music, broadcast, film, literature, theatre, dance and visual arts.
Kanto Canta, Kanto Cultura's first step, is considered to be a "stepping stone" in discovering unique Pinoy pop music that has potential to be launched and showcased in the global stage similar to the growing and evolving Korean pop scene considering that the Korean government has played a big role in nurturing a factory system that can develop popular pop acts for a global audience. Since live events and concerts cannot take place due to the continuing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, the project provides opportunities for aspiring and unsigned talents to perform amidst a highly competitive digital space. With that in mind, here are the contest mechanics.
* Submission period for this first contest is Feb. 20 to March 20, 2021.
* Participants must be native Filipino, 18 years old or above, with no existing professional or commercial entertainment contracts; either solo or up to seven-member groups, with live instrumentation on the video (no minus one!).
* Must enter an original song written in Filipino or other native Philippine language, or mixture of both.
* Song must integrate at least one indigenous instrument (examples: gamelan, gabbang, agung, kulitang, tongali, bandurria, octavina, etc.)
* Entries must contain a music performance video shot in any Pinoy “kanto” (area) with a minimum video quality of 720MP. Videos will be uploaded to a designated YouTube page.
* Top 15 finalists will be awarded prizes “worth P150,000” (the specifics of how this breaks down among finalists was not announced), possible publishing contracts and “local and international opportunities with the CCP.” Announcement of initial quarter-finalists will be April 3.
Junya, Selado, Dr. Laya, and CCP President Lizaso emphasized that Kanto Canta is to be a journey of discovery, hopefully educating the young generation on the richness of Filipino culture; however, creatively they choose to express it in their own unique ways. It is also regarded as an opening salvo in the challenge that can bring young Filipino talents onboard to local culture in a time and age where COVID-19 forced more digital methods to enlist their methods. If anybody can achieve one's goals in the Pinoy pop culture scene, it has to be the untapped Filipino talent waiting to be discovered. For more information on Kanto Cultura and Kanto Canta, visit CCP's official website www.culturalcenter.com.ph and social media accounts.
