Himig: Music for the soul, spotlight for the artist

Legends

By Tiger Yanga

There simply is no denying that OPM has become a prominent part of Filipino culture. Filipinos have always had a strong inclination to expressing themselves in terms of their passions, sentiments, and emotions through creating music of all sorts. The varying genres and styles of each Pinoy artist and musician brings different and unique flavors to the table. Whether  it be OPM songs from way back or even songs from the new generation of OPM artists, there surely is something pleasant to look forward to when listening to Pinoy music produced and played by a myriad of artists.

Needless to say, OPM is short for “Original Pinoy Music.” These songs are composed and sung by Filipino singers. Accompanying OPM is a variety of genres and styles combined with influences drawn from Asian, Latin American, and U.S. music. OPM is comprised of both traditional and modern Filipino music. To further expound on this, traditional music is comprised of folk songs, harana (a Filipino word which refers to courtship), and kundiman (another Filipino word which refers to lyrical songs). To add on to this, traditional music is accompanied by instruments such as gongs and chimes that are played by an ensemble. Of course, if traditional Pinoy music exists, so does modern Filipino music. In contrast, modern Filipino music is characterized by a selection of genres, some of which included are pop, rock, and ballad. Well regarded music artists all the way from the 70s up to the present include the likes of Pilita Corales, Freddie Aguilar,  Ryan Cayabyab, Basil Valdez, Regine Velasquez, Ogie Alcasid, and Sarah Geronimo.

Indeed, OPM has impacted admirers of the genre in a multitude of ways. For one, it’s quite obvious that we Filipinos are a very sentimental group of people. We are easily attached to people and perhaps even things that are inanimate and abstract such as our pets and distant memories that have a great deal of sentimental value. When there are OPM songs released that contain stories that Filipinos can relate to on a sentimental level, there is a strong bond formed with those songs because of their relatability. In today’s time though, OPM has gained a level of traction because of the availability of online streaming services such as Spotify and other known platforms.

Even though Filipinos mostly preferring to listen to foreign music , there still remains this optimism for OPM, an optimism that the hype for the genre can be restored. There are Filipinos who love listening to songs of OPM artists, but to further increase the number of people listening to OPM would entail a number of efforts and changes needed. Some of these changes involve matters such as effectively combating piracy of OPM songs, new laws created by the government to promote OPM, and most importantly, producers emphasizing music’s value more as an art rather than a means to generate revenue. The potential for OPM’s growth is already planted. The right means to grow the seed of OPM delicately are what people need right now, most especially OPM artists themselves.