On the Concert Series hosted by Rico Robles, we get to hear performances from our favorite Filipino artists, plus catch up with them and find out what they’re up to. Since the pandemic began, artists have kept their fans entertained with lots of new music in the form of singles, albums, music videos, livestream performances, and more. But a couple of musicians have shared on the Concert Series that they’ve spent this time exploring other creative outlets in the past few months!
Here are five OPM artists who have started and released their projects and businesses, besides the usual album or single release:
The Itchyworms
The iconic band behind “Beer,” “Akin Ka Na Lang,” and other OPM hits have cemented their place in the Filipino music scene, and they did release an album in 2020 amid the pandemic. But aside from new music, The Itchyworms also put out a podcast to celebrate 25 years in music!
The 6-episode Spotify exclusive podcast titled “Worms Upon A Time” uses a unique music + talk feature on the platform, which allows listeners to hear the stories behind The Itchyworms songs, and then listen to the song itself all in one podcast! “We can pull out any songs from the millions of tracks available on Spotify. Kaya nakakatuwa na we were able to do that,” said Jugs Jugueta. The podcast is hosted by fellow musician Wincy Ong.
Two members of the band also have their own separate podcasts: Jugs hosts “Soundtrip with Jugs and Teddy” with Rocksteddy’s Teddy Corpuz, while Chino Singson has a podcast with his guitar student PumaPodcast CEO Javier called “Chino and Carl’s Guitar Picks.”
Listen to Worms Upon A Time on Spotify:
Watch their full Concert Series set from August 2021:
Follow The Itchyworms for more updates:
https://www.facebook.com/theItchyworms
https://www.instagram.com/theitchyworms/
https://twitter.com/theitchyworms
Kakie
We usually see the soft side of the fierce Frankie Pangilinan, a.k.a. Kakie, through her music. But did you know that she’s a novel writer, too? Kakie publishes novels on her Wattpad account, with titles like “Arko Cade & The Magic Hunter” and “the unsung.”
“A lot of them are unfinished,” she admitted, saying that she gets easily distracted and tends to jump from one project to another. But there’s no denying that this girl has a way with words, whether it’s through her music or her stories!
She also says that she has plans to start a podcast with her sister Yellie called “Y2K” – referring to the fact that they were both born in the early 2000s, but also stands for ‘Yellie 2 Kakie.’ The podcast is meant to be a learning conversation between two sisters going through the transition from teenage years to adulthood. “[Yellie] and I became literally inseparable, especially because of quarantine, I think,” Kakie said. “We used to fight a lot when we were really small, but now she’s just my absolute best friend in the whole world.”
Read Kakie’s pieces on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/kakiewrites
Watch her full Concert Series set from August 2021:
Follow Kakie on her social media:
https://www.instagram.com/frankiepangilinan/
Keiko Necesario
Witness Keiko Necesario-Cubil’s journey as she made her second album “Ready, Let Go” with her YouTube video series: Ready, Let Go Diaries. Keiko says she was moved by Lady Gaga’s documentary “Five Foot Two” because she felt like she built a connection with Lady Gaga just by watching it. Then, she was inspired to do the same with her own music and wanted to let people into the entire album-making process. “This is my chance to really document everything and let people see how everything came about, and how everything fell into place,” Keiko said.
“Ready, Let Go Diaries” takes viewers behind-the-scenes of the album and what she learned along the way. Keiko writes on YouTube: “I would like to thank everyone of you who's been there for me and with me through my entire journey. [...] This record will always be so special to me.”
Aside from the mini docu series, Keiko has also been designing journals and stickers! She did a journal giveaway in September, but we’ll be waiting to see if she puts these beautiful journals up for sale in the future.
Watch Ready, Let Go Diaries on YouTube:
Watch her full Concert Series set from September 2021:
Follow Keiko on her social media:
https://www.facebook.com/KeikoNecesarioFanPage
https://www.instagram.com/keikosoundslike/
https://twitter.com/KeikoSoundsLike
Marion Aunor
Throughout the past year and a half, Marion Aunor has proved that her musical chops go beyond singing and songwriting! Her most recent accomplishment is founding Wild Dream Records, a new record label in partnership with Viva. Marion says it’s something she’s always dreamed of doing, but thought it would be in the far future. But during the pandemic, she realized life is short, so “Why not go for your dreams now?” And that’s the advocacy behind the label!
With Wild Dream being quite fresh, Marion says she’s not in a rush to sign plenty of artists just yet. “I’m still kind of learning the ropes and I’m glad that Viva is there to handle all the administrative parts of it,” she explained. “I can focus on being a creative head and co-founder.”
Aside from the record label, Marion also earned her Master’s certificate in Songwriting online from Berklee College of Music, started a production duo with her sister and fellow musician Ashley called Aunorable Productions, and starred in three Viva films. Talk about productivity! “It’s been blessing after blessing,” Marion says of the several projects under her belt.
Check out Wild Dream Records and Auronable Productions online:
https://www.facebook.com/wilddreamrecords/
https://www.instagram.com/wilddreamrecords/
https://twitter.com/wilddreamrec
https://www.facebook.com/aunorableproductions
https://www.instagram.com/aunorableproductions/
Watch Marion’s full Concert Series set from October 2021:
Follow Marion on her social media:
https://www.facebook.com/marionaunorofficial
https://www.instagram.com/marionaunor/
https://twitter.com/marionaunor
Migz Haleco
You know Migz Haleco for his charming voice and impressive guitar skills, but when he’s not performing under the spotlight, Migz is also produces music! He recently started an independent production team called Wave Your Lyrics (WYL) Audio and Music Production to help artists produce and launch their music.
As a producer, Migz admits that “Hindi siya as simple as people think it is,” but he’s really been enjoying being on the ‘backstage’ part of music for now. So far, he’s been working with a lot of fresh artists like Anjo Sarnate, Steven Peregrina, and a couple of Tik Tok artists! Are you interested in working with them, too? Just send WYL a message on Facebook or Instagram!
Check out Wave Your Lyrics online:
https://www.waveyourlyrics.com/
https://www.facebook.com/waveyourlyrics
https://www.instagram.com/waveyourlyrics/
Watch Migz Haleco’s full Concert Series set from October 2021:
Follow him on his social media:
https://www.facebook.com/migzhaleco
https://www.instagram.com/migzhaleco/