A Night of Mariah

I know a couple of friends who are fanatics of Mariah Carey and for good reason. She's got multiple hit songs (more than Elvis Presley) and was recently one of the artists to be featured in the American Idol. Her latest album, E=MC2 ("squared"), hit gold within 8 days of release here in the Philippines and garnered awards too in other countries.

MCA quickly put together an "E=MC2 Victory Party" which was promoted through word-of-mouth and the internet (yup no tri-media ads!). The party was packed!

Anyway, I was feeling sheepish with my Blogger t-shirt and jeans outfit since I did not expect that there would be a red carpet thingy (beauty angst alert!) and that everyone seemed to be dressed up and all dolled-up. Anyway, good thing Sweetie and I found seats, so I just kept myself invisible the rest of the night.

MCA artists performed the whole evening, starting off with Zoo (the band which Arnel Pineda was part of) and they sang "Always Be My Baby". Miguel Escueta looking a bit peeved followed, and then came Diane Elise, Pedicab, Chicosci and Richard Poon. Each gave their own rendition of a Mariah Carey song. (I'd like to add that I think singing her songs is really difficult, much more when one sings it in a different version).

Chicosci's "jam-like" rendition of Hero was notable (they were just actually playing around). It was extremely hard to take photos of Chicosci since the lead singer moved around a LOT. It was a good thing I thought of putting my cam on "sports mode" and it worked!

t was Richard Poon though who sang the best Mariah Carey song. He did his own version of "My All" and I would like to believe he floored the audience. He's come a long way since he launched his album last February and is just getting better and better. Here's his version of Mariah Carey's "My All".

1st OPM Songhits Music Awards

Songhits is what probably pushed me to love OPM (original pilipino music). We always had those when I was a kid and I remember saving some of my allowance to buy a copy. It was the only way to get lyrics of your favorite song (unless you buy the tape or write it down yourself). Remember? Well, if you're a child of the 80s you'd know what I mean.


I've been tagging along with Sweetie in the music events he's been attending and I couldn't help but be awed when we attended the 1st OPM Songhits Music Awards. There were music artists all over the place - from MYMP to Cueshe to Rivermaya, Ely Buendia and many others. I just got extremely shy to have a photo taken with them, hehehe.

Anyway, Sweetie did a full coverage of the event, check out Titikpilipino.com's photo gallery and the list of winners. I was there as a fan and I forgot to take any notes.

Here are a couple of videos I took -

The New Rivermaya



Pupil (Ely Buendia singing "Sala")



Other videos

Cueshe - Ulan
Itchyworms - Beer
Kyla - Love Will Lead You Back
Mark Bautista - Break it to Me Gently
Ronnie Liang - Ngiti
Yeng Constantino - Hawak Kamay (she won three awards)
Hale - Shooting Star
Miguel Escueta - Isipin
Christian Bautista and Rachelle Ann Go - Pag-ibig na Kaya

I Am M.E. Miguel Escueta

You might have noticed that I've been attending album launches in the past few months - Christian Bautista, Rachelle Ann Go, Jimmy Marquez, Josh Groban's "Awake" album, Luke Mejares and now Miguel Escueta. It started out as a tag-along, just for me to experience what it is to be a technopreneur (coz I wanna be one!). But then, I enjoyed the first launch so much, Jay the expert technopreneur behind Titikpilipino.com allows me to tag along whenever our schedules jive.

Anyway, I was on my way to Makati for a meeting and I managed to squeeze in some time for Miguel Escueta's debut album, "I am M.E." at Redbox, Greenbelt. I was late, but I caught Miguel's first song "Sa Pagkawala". It piqued my interest and Jay whispered that Miguel is from Ateneo (later on I found out that he graduated with a degree in Business Management major in Communications Technology). Miguel's songs sounded so foreign especially when he sang "Take Me There" and "Falling Away". According to him his musical influences include Coldplay, Lifehouse and Parokya ni Edgar - "Harana" being the first guitar song he learned how to play at the age of 12.

(Top L-R): I am M.E. album, free Mossimo cap
(Bottom L-R): of course! photo opt!, Miguel Escueta being interviewed

The cute 23-year old said he's a shy guy and only had one serious relationship - he is a very persistent suitor though and is single and available. The Ely Buendia look-alike wants to be known for his lyrics, music and showmanship. The album "I am M.E." is all-original and something I'm sure people would enjoy listening to. I checked out the song lyrics and they are indeed deep and doesn't give away the whole meaning of what he's trying to say. Check out "Isipin" for all you torpe guys and "Falling Away" for those on the brink of a break-up.

And notice the writing on Miguel's hand, "Vivite Somnia!" which he said means "Live your dreams".

Thanks to MCA Music Inc., it's my first time to get a free album! And Mossimo for the cap which shielded me from the hot sun when I walked to my next appointment.

Goodness! I think I just sounded like a teener! Anyway, M.E., you've just made a fan.

Here are some videos I took:

Take Me There
Balik Simula
Falling Away (carrier single)

Hala! What are you waiting for? Get a copy at the nearest record bar or order online!