Porque - Maldita - Karaoke
Liebe Karaoke
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How Maldita’s Chavacano track “Porque” found its way to pop ubiquity
MALDITA/KZitem
Despite the call for representation and diversity in the grander scheme of the ‘OPM’ narrative, the majority of the Pinoy pop music that’s been getting traction on top 40 radio and streaming platforms are either too Western-influenced or Tagalog-centric. Without stating the obvious, it’s always the high and almighty folks from Metro Manila that perpetuate these significant inequalities, rendering everything outside of its cultural and socio-economic radar as irrelevant, lacking potential, and unworthy of attention.
Initiatives that promote regional music rarely get funding or institutional support, while most songs written and produced in the local vernacular other than Tagalog are often shunned by Top 40/urban/rhythmic/alternative radio formats, Spotify/Apple Music playlists, and music video channels for fear that it’s not commercially viable enough, and that no matter how infectiously catchy or game-changing the material is, the urbanite snobs and powers-that-be controlling the playing field still deem it as culturally and artistically inferior.
Award-winning songwriter, record producer, musical director and Vispop Founder Jude Gitamondoc also pointed out how record labels and local creatives often neglect to put in experts from key regions to strategically market and promote regional songs on a national level. He says, “It's almost always someone from the major companies and institutions in Manila that are making these creative decisions. If there are attempts to bring in local creatives, they're mostly on a consultancy basis and not key decision makers. We need to be able to trust our local creatives to make creative decisions that represent their locality authentically, so as to engage the community.”
But there are some note-worthy instances when regional pop music accidentally makes its way into mainstream consciousness. These songs have introduced the distinct sensibilities and expressions of individuals and people outside Metro Manila - thus, taking on the challenge of asserting cultural identity while moving forward with the times: Cebu-based band Mandaue Nights made shiny synth-pop jams inspired by New Order or The Human League, but the lyrics are proudly penned in their native Bisaya. Karencitta went viral in 2017 with “Cebuana,” and part of its charm was its insistence to include a verse in Bisaya over booming hip-hop beats and tropical rhythms. PhilPop, the country’s premier songwriting competition, awarded last year’s top prize to reon’s “Suyo,” a bilingual song that touches on young love amidst differences in cultural and geographical upbringing. And who can forget the breakout success of multilingual and multiethnic boy band Alamat whose vibrant debut single “kbye” had its members singing and rapping in Tagalog, Ilocano, Waray-Waray, Bicolano, Kapampangan, Hiligaynon and Bisaya? Yes, all seven languages in one song.
Maldita’s “Porque” as cultural reset
While these developments constitute a substantial step toward minimizing the systemic othering of the regional Filipino experience, none of the songs mentioned above have achieved the ubiquity often granted to cultural products made in Imperial Manila and marketed by big industry guns. Perhaps, the last contemporary-sounding song that isn’t sung predominantly in English and Tagalog, but went on to become a massive chart-topper that everyone has heard of at least multiple times in their lifetime, is Maldita’s “Porque” - a stripped-down song that dredged up wounds with great force, embracing the appeal of hugot songwriting even before Moira called it dibs a decade after.
I remember the song being a cultural reset not only because it opened doors for a relatively unknown band in Mindanao, but also for introducing the poetic beauty of Chavacano in pop music. Chavacano, a Spanish-based creole language spoken in Zamboanga City and in some areas of Southern Mindanao, was primarily used in the original lyrics of “Porque.” Its effortless elegance and romantic appeal somehow complement the song’s subdued, acoustic arrangement, making it easier for the pained words to flutter above gentle chords and soaring melodies. “Filipinos love a pretty tune,” says Jude Gitamondoc. “I've also observed that acoustic renditions draw more people in, particularly the Filipino audience.”
www.cnnphilippines.com/life/e...
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