Filtered By: Topstories
News

Pinoys dominate CNMI`s first pop music festival


GARAPAN, Saipan – Filipino professional and amateur musicians dominated the first pop music festival in the US Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which also saw the release of a compilation CD for the top 10 original compositions. Organizers of the Grand Fiesta Pop Music Festival, held on Sept. 3, also plan to release a compilation of all the music videos that also featured tourist spots in the islands. Except for the first prize, which went to a resident of Tinian, all the other awards went to contract workers from the Philippines or whose parents are from the Philippines. Marconi Calindas, a journalist from Laguna, bagged the second major award with his original composition, “Sweet December," interpreted by Macoi Aguda. Their music video brought down the house because of the twist at the end. Calindas` composition was inspired by two friends` heartaches. “They both met special people, fell in love and stayed together until those two men had to leave only after three months on Saipan. I felt my friends` sadness and I thought of writing this song for them," he told GMANews.TV. The third prize went to Orly Gustar’s composition, “You took me back," interpreted by Izza Calumpag. Gustar, of Bulacan, said he composed the song originally for his sister`s assignment to compose a gospel song in 2001. The following year, he brought the song to Saipan. He said he joined the music festival hoping to replace an old car with his winning. The texters’ choice award went to Marvin Espeleta’s “Waiting," interpreted by the Symbiote band, first place; Yesterday’s Tomorrow band’s “Why," second place; and Big Beats band’s “Music," third place. The Yesterday’s Tomorrow band’s “Why" also bagged the readers’ choice award. It is the band with the youngest member — 8-year-old drummer JC Cadua. The other members are his 14-year-old brother JR Cadua, bassist, and 15-year-old Ron Catap, guitarist and lead vocals. “I want to become a chemist or an environmental scientist someday besides being a musician," Catap told GMANews.TV. Catap, a fourth grader on Saipan, is a son of a contract worker from the Philippines. JC Cadua, who started playing the drums when he was 3 years old, and JR Cadua, came from a family of musicians. Their mother and father, from Cavite, are professional singers on Saipan. Big Beats, one of the most popular Filipino bands in the CNMI, said their original composition is something “to give back to music" and is dedicated to all those who appreciate music. “Without music, you miss a third of your life," the band said. Another finalist is Jeremy Bender’s “Yearning" interpreted by Roy Gonzales, a professional musician on Saipan. Bender, of Manila, said at face value, his song is about a hopeless romantic, “but on the subliminal level, it's about the undying hope of a loving father that his prodigal son would return home one day." The pop music festival received hundreds of entries, which were pared down initially to 26 and then to 10 finalists, six of whom are either teams of Filipino contract workers or children of Filipino contract workers. - GMANews.TV

LOADING CONTENT