4th Wish Music Awards: The Night More Boundaries Were Broken

Breaking boundaries is no easy feat, especially in a world where people are divided by many things — literally and figuratively. In the realm of music and radio broadcasting, Wish 107.5 has made the bold move to go beyond what’s conventional, treading on a new path by introducing platforms that are both game-changing and unifying.

The 4th Wish Music Awards held on January 15 was a celebration of the FM station’s successful journey of breaking boundaries and setting unprecedented milestones. 

With the right blend of art, technology and philanthropy, Wish has proven its intent to always offer something out of the ordinary — from introducing the Wish Bus to conquering the digital space with viral Wishclusives to sustaining an awards show where both music and charity take center stage.

Wish 107.5’s journey is still far from over. On the fourth installment of the WMA, the station has amplified its commitment to continue the causes and endeavors it has started.

One of the evening’s highlights was the unveiling of the 2nd Wish 107.5 Bus in the Philippines. While the first one will continue traversing streets in the National Capital Region, the newly launched unit will be hitting provincial roads to bring Wishclusive music to more people. 

Apart from the two buses in the country, another FM-on-wheels is roving around Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. 

The Wish Music Awards winners also emulated what the night’s theme was all about: Breaking boundaries. 

Musical stars across different genres, mainstream and independent, took turns to own the spotlight as they received their own awards. These surreal moments collectively weave a story of celebrating music — beyond affiliations and labels.

Indie folk troupe Ben&Ben bagged two trophies for the Contemporary Folk performance and song categories. Leanne and Naara earned their first WMA win with “New York and Back” hailed as the Wishclusive Urban Performance of the Year. The Urban song counterpart went to Julie Anne San Jose and Fern.’s collaborative track, “Down For Me.”

The flag of hip-hop was carried proudly by icon Gloc-9 and prodigy Shanti Dope. The former won Wishclusive Hip-hop Performance of the Year for “TRPKNNMN,” while the latter was awarded with the Hip-hop Song of the Year with his Gloc-9 collab, “Shantidope.”

A mix of established and emerging acts dominated the R&B, ballad, and pop categories. Daryl Ong won Wishclusive R&B Performance of the Year for “Nais Kong Malaman Mo”; Kyla’s “Fix You And Me” was crowned R&B Song of the Year. 

Breakout indie act I Belong to The Zoo won Ballad Song of the Year for “Balang Araw” while crowd favorite Morissette took home the Wishclusive Ballad Performance tilt for “Akin Ka Na Lang.” She bagged two more major awards -- Wish Pop Song of the Year (“Panaginip”) and Wish Artist of the Year.

Rising diva Eumee earned nods for the Wishclusive Pop Performance of the Year (“Bratatat”) and Wish Promising Artist of the Year. 

Juan Karlos, the band fronted by crossover artist JK Labajo, clinched the Wish Rock/Alternative Song of the Year for “Buwan.” Acclaimed OPM tio IV of Spades opened their year with a grand, rockin’ note as their Wish Bus rendition of “Mundo” bagged Wishclusive Rock/Alternative Performance of the Year. The Wish Group of the Year awardee also took home the night’s highest citation — the Diamond Wishclusive Elite Circle Award for the same performance’s 100 million YouTube-view milestone.

Just like the previous years, each winners received a cash prize of Php 25,000. A bigger amount — Php 100,000 — was donated to their chosen beneficiaries. This year, Wish has doled out a total of Php 2.25 million.

From the roster of winners to the unveiling of the 2nd Wish Bus, Wish sealed its thematic revelry with a remarkable set of groundbreaking performances — kicking off with an opening salvo featuring The TNT Boys and The Wishfuls.

Products of two different singing competitions (Tawag ng Tanghalan and Wishcovery), the vocal groups showcased seamless harmony with the performances of Queen’s “I Want to Break Free,” Ariana Grande’s “Break Free,” and the High School Musical theme song, “Breaking Free.”

Hip-hop acts Loonie and Ron Henley set the stage on fire with their biting collaborative effort, “Ganid.” Sustaining the hyped-up mood were Shanti Dope with “Nadarang,” and Gloc-9 and Al James with “Lagi.”

Inching closer to the night, Queen of Soul Jaya — together with R&B King Jay R and The Voice Season 2 Grand Champ Jason Dy — made the atmosphere more chill and mellow with their rendition of Tamia’s “Officially Missing You.”

A first on the WMA stage, international sensation Lukas Graham brought the house down with a dramatic delivery of his chart-topping mega-hit, “7 Years.”

Another first was the production number gathering Moira, KZ Tandingan, Julie Anne San Jose, and Morissette. After Moira and Julie Anne teamed up for “Kung Di Rin Lang Ikaw” and KZ and Morissette wowed the crowd with the Visayan hit “Pero Atik Ra,” the four ladies united for a breathtaking performance of Ed Sheeran’s global smash, “Perfect.”

IV of Spades capped off the occasion with their high-adrenaline performance of “Mundo.” The love anthem took on a whole new different meaning as it befittingly served as the climax for the rock act’s victorious run throughout the night. 

Shortly before performing the song, vocalist-bassist Zild Benitez remarked how moments and recognitions like these remind artists like them why they pursued their craft in the first place.

Congratulating the artists and winners of the 4th Wish Music Awards, Kuya Daniel said, “I know one way or the other you have broken boundaries in your performances and have shown the world what a great talent you all are.”

And setting the tone for the rest of the year, the Wish 107.5 executive further remarked, “One thing we’re expecting, God willing, is that 2019 is going to be a milestone year for all of us. With God’s help, we are hoping that we can go further. With God’s help, we hope that we will be hearing all of you and more people not only here in the Philippines but all over the globe whispering ‘Wish 107.5.’”