Young OPM Singer-Songwriters You Need to Get on Your Music Radar

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To sing is one thing. To be able to craft and compose a song is another. To have a flair for both is on a different level, especially when the artist is still in the springtime of life.

Thanks to the continuous emergence of this class of singer-songwriters, the local music industry is able to thrive, propel and move forward. The recent months were a testament to the arrival of fresh pool of talents, fueled with their dream to bring in new materials for Filipino music lovers to listen to, indulge in and appreciate.

In case you’re missing out on what’s new in the OPM scene, here are five promising singer-songwriters you need to get on your music radar.

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Fern.

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Fern. is only 17 years old but he has already a Spotify chart-topper, the pop-EDM track “Into You,” listed under his profile.

Fernando Tan in real life, the budding artist is influenced by the music of the 80’s and of contemporary artists like LANY and The Weeknd.  This and his new-found knowledge of producing spawned a charming musicality that only gets more addicting the more you listen to it.

However, he shared through a press release that his music is more than just the sound of each song he writes and produces. “I want my music to speak for the people who can’t speak up,” the teen artist spoke of his wish to let the crowd acknowledge his ability to empathize.

With the millions of streams his singles receive on digital platforms, it’s safe to say that he was successful in turning his wish as an artist into a reality.

“It’s crazy. With only four months into the music scene and with everything that’s been happening, all I can say is I’m grateful. Everything that I have worked hard for is paying off,” he told Wish in a Roadshow interview last February 22.

Adding another milestone, he released his anticipated debut EP on March 30, 2018.

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Tala

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As if she was born to become a star, Tala Gil or simply Tala has been surrounded by musically-inclined people since childhood. Her father Dan is a former member of OPM band Neocolours, and is the founder of R&B outfit The Chillitees. Her cousin Nikki is a successful host, actress and singer.

The 18-year-old Interior Design student was first launched in the music industry with the release of her debut single, “Nothing Personal” in November 2017. After dropping two more tracks, she launched her self-titled five-track EP earlier in March this year.

The talented lass describes her music as “low-key pop.” Though her chill, easy-listening tunes -- which will remind you of the likes of Corrine Bailey Rae and June Marieezy -- have made it to various digital charts in the country and across Asia, there’s no stopping this young star from shining even brighter.

“I’m going to make this year my year,” Tala said in a Wishclusive interview last March, hinting what’s in store for her listeners. “I’m going to try to release as much as I can, and share my music with you.”

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Trisha Denise

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Though she’s been singing since the age of two, Trisha Denise’s original dream is to become a chef. But when she began to learn playing the guitar when she was only 11, a new passion welled up inside her.

Fast forward to eight years, she is now a full-time singer, songwriter, arranger, vocal coach and an anti-bullying ambassadress who uses music to promote her advocacy.

“My EP ‘Sunshine’ has an anti-bullying advocacy. Most of the songs there are stories of how I survived bullying,” she shared during her Roadshow gig last April.

According to her, the effort’s carrier single, “Mahalaga,” embodies this message well, revealing that the title itself was born out of the combination of two “important Filipino words -- mahal and alaga.”

Apart from making her own materials, she also writes for other artists. She is the mind behind the songs “Teka Muna, Pag-ibig” by Janella Salvador and “Alam Na This” by Kisses Delavin.

Trisha credits Ed Sheeran as one of her biggest musical heroes.

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Gabbi Garcia

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Earning a spot in this list is someone who’s proven that she is more than just a pretty face.

Nineteen-year-old Gabriella Louise Garcia, more popular for her screen name Gabbi Garcia, is a Filipina singer and actress. She has appeared in a number of TV shows including the 2016-2017 reboot of the epic fantaserye, “Encantadia.”

She released her self-produced debut single, “All I Need” in 2017. Showcasing her knack for songwriting, she co-wrote the track with Asia’s Romantic Balladeer and fellow Kapuso star, Christian Bautista. In the song, the two talented acts touched on the theme of moving on and finding one’s self-worth in the process.

“This song is about self-empowerment and many realizations of my own experience in life. It’s about being stronger,” she remarked during her March 6 Roadshow stint.

Meanwhile, when asked what does she love more, doing music or acting, she revealed: “Both, because it’s just about balance. I’m just happy that I could do both at the same time.”

Garcia also gushed that she is dropping an EP soon.

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Shanti Dope

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Rap sensation Sean Patrick Ramos, known as Shanti Dope, only started writing lyrics in 2013, but in a brief period, he is already making waves in the competitive music scene.

He has gone viral on Spotify and YouTube with the tracks from his debut EP, “Materyal.” He is signed under one of the biggest record labels in the Philippines, Universal Records. He is being mentored  -- and praised -- by his ultimate musical influence, Gloc-9. And he is just 16.

Despite his young age, the rapper is not one to hold back when it comes to singing about socio-political issues.

In an interview with Inquirer, he said that he has always been an observant teenager. “When I sense something wrong that I cannot accept I express it through my songs. I write my opinions about society,” he uttered.

If anyone would try to bring him down and criticize his music, he has instilled a strong mindset to help him get by: “I know that I don’t have to prove myself to others...It’s their opinion, and I’m not about the argue with them,” he shared in the same interview.