by Jules Vivas, Manila Bulletin
Much can be said about the local entertainment industry, in particular, the performing arts.
Young performers today have shown great potential, enthusiasm, and passion. Homegrown singers exemplify vocal prowess and charm on par with Korean idols, a huge hit in the Philippines right now.
Pinoy talents are becoming increasingly popular abroad. There’s SB19, a five-member boy group that made history by being the first Filipino artist to chart and debut at the Billboard Next Big Sound chart. Ben&Ben emerged at the top of the Melon Realtime Search Chart in South Korea and is the most-streamed Filipino artist on Spotify with over billions of streams.
These are only two prime examples, and there are far more Pinoy talents out there who deserve recognition. The thing about the Filipino’s consumption of music is that we tend to support more foreign and international artists over our own. It takes international acclaim for Filipino artists to be truly acknowledged.
A venue for local talents to celebrate the best of Original Pinoy Music (OPM), the first-ever Tugatog Filipino Music Festival is set to take place on June 18, this year. The annual event by Ant Savvy Creatives and Entertainment Inc. elevates Pinoy Pop (P-Pop) to new heights and helps uplift Filipino musicians, both prominent and rising, to the global stage. A play on the words Tugtog (music), Tugtug (heartbeat), and Tugatog (peak), the concert gathers some of the youngest, most promising Pinoy performers on a single platform.
P-Pop is not solely entertainment. It’s now about embracing our roots and heritage at a time national identity needs to be relearned and re-established.
“We’ve worked on many memorable live concerts with Ant Savvy Creatives in these past years and every time we needed to mount a new concert, we had to inevitably raise the bar higher,” says Miggy Tanchanco, festival show director. “Even during the pandemic when we had to build a digital concert together, we knew we were breaking new ground when it came to creating a unique music experience for the Filipino audience.”
To encapsulate the magic of P-Pop, Tugatog promises to combine the best elements of live and recorded performances to create visually stunning experiences. Think digital P-Pop Party. It would be purely online in compliance with the health protocols amid the pandemic.
Tugatog not only celebrates artists but our identity in music as Filipinos. It also gives consumers a chance to support Filipino talents. “This way, we are able to honor the different voices that keep the community alive and contribute to building the culture and craft of Filipino music. Every voice, every sound, and every beat—that is what Tugatog is all about,” explains Anj Heruela, executive strategy and communications officer of Ant Savvy Creatives & Entertainment Inc. She adds that talents serve as inspiration to others, through their music and stories of hard work to reach their status now.
Featured in the first edition of the music fest are Alamat, BGYO, Bini, Litz, MNL48, PPop Generation, Press Hit Play, VXON, 1st One, among others.
Tugatog Filipino Music Festival will be held virtually in June 2022 via the online streaming website TicketMelon. Live chat will be open for viewers to engage and interact with each other while the show is ongoing. VIP tickets are priced at ₱2,700 while Premier at ₱1,800. Tickets may be purchased at www.ticketmelon.com/antsavvy/tugatog-filipino-music-festival-2022. Those buying tickets until March 31 get a 30 percent discount.
“In the future, we hope to bring the Tugatog experience to fans all over the Philippines. We want to take Tugatog to different regions so we can also feature local artists in the lineup. We want Tugatog to be the platform that not only brings artists to audiences in different regions but also puts a spotlight on talents from all over the country,” says Su Matias, chief executive officer.
P-Pop is not solely entertainment. It’s now about embracing our roots and heritage at a time national identity needs to be relearned and re-established. It serves more meaningful purposes, including connecting us, healing the broken, freeing the soul, and generally opening up whole new doors, shaping perspectives, and reflecting who the Filipinos are today.
@tugatogph | mabuhay@tugatog.ph
