3 For the Win
By Tiger Yanga
OPM is surely on the rise again to popularity in this day and age. Apart from the means to accessing Pinoy music, it is also the rise of new artists that contribute to the growing success of the genre. IV of Spades is quite a big name to come across in this generation of music, as they have been around for a few years already and only gained popularity recently.
Beginning as a band of four members who go by the names of Unique Salonga, Blaster Silonga, Zild Benitez, and Badjao de Castro, IV of Spades acquired mainstream attraction from their beloved fans back in 2018 when their breakout single”Mundo” came out. It took them some time to gain traction, but the band eventually got their big break with this hit song. Like how every other good thing comes to an end, the same did happen to IV of Spades at some point in their career. Unique Salonga, who does lead vocals for the band, eventually took his departure from the band and set out to pursue a solo music career. This now begs the question: what does this leave the rest of the members of IV of Spades with?
To have this thought in your head that the primary member of the band is no longer part potentially leaves you with doubts regarding the future of the band’s music career. This kind of situation though doesn’t just apply to Unique Salonga of IV of Spades. The same also could go for Parokya ni Edgar losing Chito Miranda, Hale losing Champ Lui Pio, or even the Eraserheads losing Ely Buendia. Did the loss of Unique Salonga automatically mean the loss of IV of Spades and the success it has gained? Not necessarily. In fact, this loss for IV of Spades could actually be seen as a blessing in disguise. The departure of Unique Salonga from the band could be seen as an opportunity for further growth. Presently, IV of Spades is now a band that is only comprised of three members. However, they are still able to carry on with their music. In this year, IV of Spades released their first album as a trio entitled “CLAPCLAPCLAP!” which contains fifteen songs. The fact that they still pushed through with releasing another album despite Unique Salonga leaving speaks volumes about the amount of success they still wish to achieve in the music industry. I
It’s safe to say that IV of Spades is still going strong with their creation of music. Even though the presence of music streaming platforms has become prominent in the Philippines, the band also chooses to release and distribute their music via physical albums because they understand that there is this idea of ownership that comes with it. For the band, there also is sentimental value to releasing a physical album because of the fact that it is not just music that you can hear; it is also something that is tangible, which makes the music yours in that sense. The band surely had a drastic change after Unique Salonga left, but IV of Spades surely continues to create new music that their admirers can look forward to in the future.
GillsThoughts 