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| (Image Source: Orange Magazine TV/ABS-CBN Corporation) |
The now-seasoned Roque “Rox” B. Santos has made a name for himself in the Philippine music scene in various versions of his musician himself — as a hit-making record producer, composer, and record label executive. As label head of StarPop under ABS-CBN Music, Rox spearheaded some of the most relevant records the past two years.
As overall producer, he is behind Maymay Entrata’s album “MPowered” which spawned the massive hit “Amakabogera". The song earned 250 million views on Tiktok while the album garnered 32 million views and streams on YouTube and Spotify combined. He is also the key figure who helped deliver Belle Mariano’s “DayLight” which includes the hit “Sigurado” and “Tanging Dahilan”. The album collected 45 million views and streams on social media. Also touched by Rox’s magic wand were Anji Salvacion’s “Kasingkasing Dalampsigan”, Jeremy G’s “Maybe Forever,” and KD Estrada and Alexa Ilacad’s “When I See You Again” among others. Rox gratefully expressed, “I would like to thank Sir Roxy Liquigan and Jonathan Manalo, our bosses in ABS-CBN music, for all the support and for believing in me through the years.”
The list of Rox’s all-time hit songs he wrote or produced is long. Kim Chiu’s “Bawal Lumabas", Maymay’s “Kakayanin Kaya”, Jem Macatuno’s “Can’t Get Out", Seth Fedelin’s “Kahit Na Anong Sabihin Ng Iba" and Kyle Echarri’s “Pangako” are just some of the worth-mentioning tracks on it. Last year, ABS-CBN Music released its Top 12 most watched videos on Youtube. Out of the list, five were released under StarPop. As he approaches his 15th year in the biz, Rox certainly deserves to celebrate a milestone with a special record and a host of music-related events. “I will be celebrating my 15th anniversary in the music industry next year (2023) with an EP and music events,” Rox said. The multi-faceted music figure is having another fine year in his storied career, especially with his Jaya-performed song “Hanggang Dito Na Lang” reaching 85 million views and streams on YouTube and Spotify.
Rox recently co-wrote two special tracks. One is “Life’s a Beach", the main theme song of the new Dreamscape/IWant TFC series “Beach Bros” performed by Jeremy G. & Nameless Kids. The other is “Moving On” by Matty J of Idol Philippines, a piece for ABS CBN Music’s Pride Month campaign. Among Rox’s heralded compositions of late are, “Walang Pagsisisi", the Angeline Quinto-sung main theme song for “The Broken Marriage Vow”, and “Sabay Natin”, the main tune in the official soundtrack for “Love In 40 Days”. He also penned Ronnie Alonte’s “Hindi Bibitawan” and “Napapangiti”, both also from “Love In 40 Days.” Belter Sheryn Regis interpreted the hitmaker’s “Kung Pwede Lang” while rising stars BINI and Ruiz performed “Kinikilig” and “Paano Ngayong Pasko", respectively. Rox also had a hand and even joined in on “Laban Leni”, a song performed by a star-studded bunch, including Noel Cabangon, Moira de la Torre, Ebe Dancel, Kyla, Jolina Magdangal, and Erik Santos. Rox is also now a shareholder of Academy of Rock Philippines which reopened in July 2021. AOR, first established in Singapore, specializes in helping students master musical instruments, vocal lessons, and the fundamentals of pop music theory.
If looking into the track record of Rox Santos is an exciting lot, it sure reflects the magnitude of the upcoming EP and musical events that meant to celebrate his colorful career. Rox’s talent and generosity ensured his first 15 years in the biz mattered. So is, very much likely, the next 15 or more.
