Rivermaya releases first single in five years
RIVERMAYA makes a comeback with “Casino,” the group’s first single since 2018’s “#SBN.” The band’s lead vocalist and drummer Marf Escueta mixed and co-produced “Casino” with musician-friend Paulo Zarate at Studio Z. Mike Elgar (vocalist/guitarist) recorded his guitar tracks at home, while Nathan Azarcon (vocalist/guitarist) went back and forth with the remaining elements of the song. Born through online collaboration and never jammed in one space, “Casino” sets the tone for what’s to come on Rivermaya’s future music-making endeavors. The band is targeting to finish an album’s worth of songs. “It’s been five years so we really miss putting out new music,” Mr. Escueta said in a statement. “It looks like we are gonna be able to do this a lot more often this year.” “Casino” is available on all digital music platforms worldwide.
Ben&Ben, SB19 release collaboration
THE NINE-PIECE band Ben&Ben and P-Pop group SB19 make a stand on the abuse of power and need for public service in the music video of the song “Kapangyarihan.” “Theater is meant to be experienced live but we used its intrinsic quality in presenting the ‘Kapangyarihan’ music video,” music video director Dexter M. Santos said in a statement. “By infusing the music video with narrative, choreography, set, and costume design as well as video, we hope to deliver a sincere and emphatic performance.” The video is interspersed with snippets of historical context and stories that question leaders and call for a meaningful change. “The audience is reminded that this is a performance — yet a call to action is demanded from them; that there are bigger and stronger issues that we have to address after watching the performance,” Ben&Ben said in a collective statement. The song marks Ben&Ben and SB19 second collaboration. They first worked together on the rousing pop ballad, “MAPA (Band Version).” “Kapangyarihan” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Philippines. Watch the music video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaGmwtpOyV0&t=2s.
FDCP holds acting workshop recital
THE RECITAL of Bubog at Karga: Acting Workshop on the Chubbuck Technique for Background Actors by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) showcased performances in an event conducted in-person on May 5 at the Cinematheque Center Manila. The acting showcase was the culminating activity for the first batch of background actors who underwent an intensive 14-week online acting workshop and onsite rehearsals with the guidance of acting coach and director Rahyan Carlos. The acting workshop series will have an upcoming workshop for writers, directors, and producers, and another for professional actors. The FDCP National Registry is still accepting applications. To sign-up as a member and receive updates on upcoming workshops and training, visit https://nationalregistry.fdcp.ph/signup.
New Warner Music Asia artist releases single
WARNER MUSIC Asia’s new artist, Valentina Ploy, dropped her first single of the year, “Bla Bli Blu.” The song features a love language created by the Thai-Italian artist to express her love in this track that she co-wrote with Richard Craker and Jackson Dimiglio. A glimpse into Valentina’s multilingualism, the pre-hook is a preview of her proficiency in Italian, French, and Spanish, as she professes her love in these languages before diving into a grand confession her own love language. Warner Music Asia announced in April that it has formed a strategic alliance with Thailand’s independent record company What the Duck by signing Valentina Ploy. “Bla Bli Blu” is available on digital music streaming platforms worldwide.
