Chito Miranda took to social media to look back on the journey of 90s Original Pilipino Music (OPM) bands, explaining why he believed today is the “golden age” of OPM bands.
“Maraming nagsasabi na Golden Age ng OPM yung 90s. Sobrang saya naman kasi talaga nun 90s dahil sa Eheads, Rivermaya, PNE, Siakol, Color It Red, Teeth, Wolfgang, Yano, Razorback, Alamid, Youth, Grin Dept, at napakarami pang iba…at kahit saan ka kasi magpunta, maririnig mo yung kanta ng mga banda,” he wrote.
The Parokya ni Edgar frontman, who has been in the music industry for years, recalled their experiences in the 90s and said they were all underpaid and lacked a decent backstage, dressing room, and sound system.
“Kahit sobrang sikat na ng mga bands, para pa rin kaming mga 2nd class citizens compared sa mga mainstream singers and artistas. Pero we loved it kasi “t****** rakenrol kami eh!” and we loved the fact that we were outcasts, kasi it was cool not to be a part of their system,” he continued.
Despite the challenges he mentioned, Chito stressed that they still enjoyed that era. However, he reiterated that now is the “golden age” of OPM because artists don’t depend on “mainstream media and recording companies anymore” to “make it big.” He also clarified that mainstream media and not having a recording contract are not a bad thing.
“Pwede na silang mag-sulat lang basta ng kung anong trip nila, without considering kung ‘patok ba sa masa’ or kung ‘radio friendly’ ba yung kanta pwede sila mag-record at mag-release kung kelan nila gusto. Kaya sobrang solid ng mga artists ngayon eh…kasi naririnig talaga natin yung actual artistic intention nila without compromise. Kumbaga sa painting, we get to see their most honest artwork…tapos nakakatuwa kasi sobrang patok sa mga Pinoy,” he explained.
The 47-year-old compared the working environment of the current OPM bands to theirs during the 90s and said bands and artists, such as Ben&Ben, December Avenue, Zack Tabudlo, Flow G, and SB19, are now getting paid well and treated like celebrities.
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He went on commending music festivals, “Sobrang ganda na ng mga Music Festivals, with kids actually buying tickets, backed up by major sponsors, sobrang ganda ng mga stage, and world class yung soundsytem, naka-business class na palagi…wala kaming ganito nung 90s.”
“1st hand ko nakita at na-compare yung value na binibigay nila sa bands noon at ngayon…and sobrang saya ko na ganito na nila i-treat yung mga bands ngayon. Mabuhay ang OPM,” he added.
Chito pointed out that all Filipino artists are excellent, and he wasn’t comparing which era is better.
“Tulad nga ng sinabi ni Tito Rico [Blanco], madami talagang magagaling na Pinoy artists, regardless ng era…but what I appreciate with how things are now, is that the bands and artists, both old and new, are now treated with value…much more that before. Example nalang: Ben&Ben, nag solo concert, 60k yung nagpunta…can you imagine? Nasa ganung level na ang OPM bands ngayon. Grabeng nakakatuwa diba? Wala lang,” he concluded.
In the comments section, netizens, mostly fans of 90s OPM bands, also shared their thoughts on his lengthy post.
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