99% of Filipinos can hold a tune; hi to the 1%, okay pa mu?
When the world hears the word “Filipinio,” only two things come to their minds- one is, best nurses, and two, best singers! But, how did we end up being known as the “Singing Country?” Well, we dug a bit into how it all came to be, and here’s a jist of it:
We had the harana tradition
Although di na uso ang harana, we still do serenades when courting, just not blatantly in the middle of the street where the entire neighborhood will know of it, but it’s done discreetly, either through a private song rendition or via song request to a DJ.
We sing religiously (as a predominantly Catholic country)
Masses are filled with songs, for almost every part of it. And because we’re a religious country, we have embraced hymns and choral music. In connection, the Philippines is also known as one of the countries who keeps bagging trophies and awards for international choral competitions; which is not a surprise at all!
Karaoke is in our genes
Karaoke is our culture, regardless of where you are in the Philippines; be it in a public and private space. Because of that it has made singing accessible to anyone, whether you have formal training or not.
We established global recognition
The names of Lea Salonga, Charice Pempengco, Apl de Ap, Garry V. and Morisette Amon are some of the leading Filipino-bloods whom our international folks already know of. Due to that, we have music schools, local competitions, and live performance shows that help in improving our singing skills.
In sum, the Philippines’ reputation as a “singing country” is the result of its strong musical traditions, the widespread popularity of karaoke, a deep-rooted culture of performance, and the country’s natural vocal talents. So, ang pangutana, apil ba ka sa mga talented singing Sugboanons?