Wishcovery Season 2 Winners, Finalists Unveil Certified Platinum ‘The Singer and The Song’ Album

Rising singers Rhea Basco, Nashrenne Casas, Jemy Picardal, Paula Guevara, Anna Marie Guinsisana, Angelica Bermoy, Audrey Rose Arellano, and Tweetie Salas were on spotlight on June 4, Tuesday, as they unveiled their commemorative album “The Singer and The Song.”

The promising acts are all products of the sophomore season of Wishcovery, the online singing competition of Wish 107.5, with Basco taking the championship tilt.

The album, which was released only over a quarter since the show’s grand finals, is composed of the original songs penned by their respective mentors during the competition, namely Jungee Marcelo, Top Suzara, Rannie Raymundo, Moy Ortiz, Vehnee Saturno, Boy Christopher Ramos, Odette Quesada, and Noel Cabangon.

Proving to be a phenomenal feat, the effort has been certified Platinum and Gold by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry. It sold more than 15,000 units on the day of its release.

The talented artists, known as the Wishcoverees, follow the footsteps of Wishcovery Season 1 winners who achieved the same milestone with their “Wishful Journey” album released in June last year.

On Spotlight with Solo Stints, Collaborations

As the Wishcoverees returned to the Big Dome, they made sure that they brought a different flavor to the set of performances they staged compared with what they did during the show’s grand finals.

In the opening production number, all eight singers teamed up with their respective Wishcoverers and rendered a medley of hits from the Manila Sound era of OPM.

They also had their own shining moments as they performed their respective original tracks from “The Singer and The Song” album.

First to serenade the crowd was Wishcovery third runner-up Paula Guevara who lent her pristine vocals for Moy Ortiz’s newest composition, “I Am A Singer And This Is My Song.” Angelica Bermoy, hailing all the way from Davao, then owned the stage as she brought the patriotic piece, “Alamat” to life. The song was composed by Boy Christopher Ramos.

Meanwhile, Iloilo’s pride Tweetie Salas showcased a powerful sound with her live rendition of Noel Cabangon’s eye-opening tune, “Gising Kabataan.” Making the night more soulful was second runner-up Jemy Picardal who sang the Rannie Raymundo-penned pop-soul piece about long-distance relationships, ‘Maliit Na Cuadrado.”

While Audrey Rose Arellano, who represented the US during the competition, went mellow with the Odette Quesada creation, “Nasa ‘Yo,” belter Anna Marie Guinsisana gave a heartbreaking story with the Vehnee Saturno original, “Ang Sakit-Sakit Naman.” First runner-up Nashrenne Casas next delivered an optimistic message with “Light In The Dark,” written by Top Suzara.

One of the highlights of the night was grand winner Rhea Basco’s breathtaking performance of Jungee Marcelo’s inspirational anthem, “Hingang Malalim.”

Each also shared the stage once again with their mentors, giving their own spin to the hits of the latter.

The album launch concert also featured show-stopping performances from OPM stars Christian Bautista, Aicelle Santos, Gerald Santos, and Katrina Velarde, who collaborated with the Wishcoverees to give tributes to OPM songwriting greats Rey Valera and Ogie Alcasid.

BMPI Talent Center acts Plethora, Bradz, and The Wishfuls, opened for the sold-out show.

Inspiring Pieces of Advice

The launch of “The Singer and The Song” album marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Wishcovery Season 2 winners and finalists. And as such, their mentors and composers were not short with pieces of advice to give for the up-and-comers.

"To all the Wishcovery Season 2 finalists, hold on to this opportunity and don't lose it because it's a rare opportunity. Wish has already opened a big door for you, and all you have to do is to take advantage of it and use it for your benefit. Wishcovery is a good start for your music career if you want to pursue it,” Cabangon remarked in an interview.

Oritz, on the other hand, shared one secret to career longevity, “If you continue to produce music with integrity and beauty and artistry, you will last in this industry."

“Don't get sidetracked and don't get distracted by everything else. The shiny and glitzy stuff — that's not why you're here. You're here because of music. Stay on course,” the The Company founding member added.

Wishcovery creator Kuya Daniel Razon also gave an inspiring message for the rising OPM performers.

“To all the winners of ‘Wishcovery 2: The Singer and The Song,’ [this is] not the end -- it’s just the beginning,” he shared in an interview, also addressing the message to any competition winners.

“[Know that] not everything we want in life will be given to us on a silver platter… Maybe in the coming days, we’ll be having some frustrations in life, we will be facing difficulties in life, we will be facing failures in life,” he added, emphasizing that what is important is “we should know how to recognize what God can do -- not what we can.”

Concluding his message, Kuya Daniel said that they should “not forget to stay humble and to stay grounded.”

Brand-new Wishcovery Season

After the album launch concert of Wishcovery Season 2, Wish 107.5 will soon be launching a brand-new season touting a brand-new concept.

Dubbed as “Wishcovery Originals,” the third installment of the competition will now put the limelight on aspiring singer-songwriter acts. It will be open to unsigned Filipino soloists, duos, bands, and vocal groups, 18 years old and above.

Auditions have officially opened last Monday, June 3, and will end on June 30. For more details on how to join, visit www.wish1075.com/Wishcovery.

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