Page 12 - MidWeek - May 19, 2021

12 MIDWEEK MAY 19, 2021
Songs on the album
Kaibigan: A Troy Laureta OPM Collec- tive Volume 1 show- case notable artists from the U.S., Philip- pines and beyond.
1. Intro: Harana
2. Kahit Isang Saglit (featuring Ailee)
3. Bakit Pa Ba (featur- ing Matt Bloyd)
4. Bakit Pa (featuring Cheesa)
5. Pangako (featuring Nicole Scherzinger) 6. Kailangan Kita (featuring Pia Tos- cano)
7. Usahay (featuring Jake Zyrus)
8. Patuloy Ng Pangarap (featuring Sheléa)
9. Outro: Hanggang Sa Dulo Ng Walang Hanggan (featuring Regine Velasquez)
Musical director and producer Troy Laureta bridges the gap between his Filipino culture and Western music with his newest album, Kaibigan.
the songs I grew up listening to.”
Last summer, in the middle of the pandemic, Laureta took the time to turn
Story by
NICOLE MONTON
Photo by
ABEL RODRIGUEZ
here’s nothing like memories of home to spark a little bit of inspiration, but for internation-
calls. “I called my friends, and everyone was itching to make music.”
Kaibigan: A Troy Laureta OPM Collective Volume 1
hit No. 2 in the Philippines and charted worldwide.
PHOTO COURTESY TROY LAURETA
T
al musical director/producer and local boy Troy Laureta, the muse for his lat- est album sent sparks flying around the world.
that dream into a reality.
“All live music was canceled,” he re-
“When I got to LA, I got to play with so many good musicians,” he recalls. “I started daydreaming about how cool it would be if these bands or artists I work with would sing Filipino music,
On a whim while talking story, Laureta pitched the idea for his Filipi- no language music album, and it was a hit. With everyone on board, he was able to put the album together in just a few months.
its release. The goal was to celebrate Filipino music and bridge the gap be- tween Laureta’s culture and Western music.
Kaibigan: A Troy Laureta OPM Col- lective Volume 1 — OPM standing for “original Pilipino music,” according to Laureta — hit No. 2 in the Philippines and charted in the U.S. and Taiwan upon
All the words are sung in Tagalog or Cebuano and feature Asian-American artists who are not only professionals
SEE PAGE 17