10 hottest OPM acts of 2018 (Part 1)
MILLIONS
streamed their songs on Spotify and viewed their music videos on YouTube. With the changing musical landscape, they changed the name of the game with digital and singles overtaking CDs and albums. Some were all over radio, TV (with their guestings and music videos) and film soundtracks. Some even had their solo major concerts and collaborated with foreign artists this year. Some didn’t even need TV or radio as being viral was enough as digital was the king this year. Most of all, they defined what is a hit in 2018, made OPM alive and it was their year as artists.
The following are Music Geek’s list of Top 10 Hottest OPM Acts this year based from Spotify streams, YouTube views, radio and TV charts and overall popularity.
10. I Belong To The Zoo
The solo folk project of Tonight We Sleep’s Argee Guerrero, I Belong To The Zoo debuted in 2016 with the single “Never Me” and a self-titled album in 2017. But it was this year, that the folk singer made a hit with “Sana” which currently has more than 22 million streams on Spotify with more than 1.4 million monthly listeners. The song is also still charting on radio. His follow-up single released in October titled “Balang Araw” is also catching up with more than 1.4 million streams on Spotify. The combined single views (whether lyric or music video) have reached more than 22 million. The songs were said to embody Guerrero’s more private musings, with songs characterized by hushed vocals and wistful verses. Proves how sentimental Filipinos are in terms of music.
Janine Tenoso
Since 2016, songs for movie soundtracks became popular. Janine Tenoso was one of the singers who benefitted on this trend. In 2017, her cover of Rivermaya classic “241” for the box office hit “100 Tula Kay Stella” got her career rising. But it was this year that she achieved a bigger success. Her version of Philpop grand prize winning song “Di Na Muli” was chosen to be the theme song of the Anne Curtis and Dingdong Dantes starrer “Sid & Aya
(Not A Love Story)” and instantly became a hit currently with more than 26 million streams on Spotify and garnering her more than 1 million monthly listenership. Tenoso followed it up another movie theme out: “Ang Awit Natin” for the movie “Para Sa Broken Hearted” released in September which was also doing well with more than 700 thousand streams on Spotify. He was a former “The Voice Kids” finalist who placed third and MUSIC GEEK used to sing pop ditties as a solo artist and acted as well on ABS-CBN soap operas. This year, he decided he wanted to be a band vocalist/composer and formed his own band juan karlos (his preferred spelling all in lower case) inspired by his TVK coach Bamboo Manalac. Influenced by bands like Eraserheads and Bamboo, the 17-year-old had his biggest hit this year with “Buwan” with more than 22 million streams and his first single to turn platinum in November. It peaked on its Philippines Top 50 and Philippines Viral 50 at No. 1. The band together with his solo efforts currently has more than 1.7 million monthly listeners on the streaming app. Thanks too his leading lady, Asia’s Next Top Model Maureen Wroblebitz, its music video piqued the interest of many and now has a whooping 36 million views. The single also peaked at No.1 on both MYX Hit Charts and Pinoy MYX Countdown for 1 week in November. His first single for this year “Demonyo (Redefined)” had moderate success in terms of streaming (more than 900 thousand streams) as well as his latest “Sistema” with more than 300,000 streams. But Labajo likewise got into controversy this year with his Twitter war with fellow The Voice finalist Darren Espanto and his alleged attitude problems. This former “Pilipinas Got Talent” contestant and former Ex Battalion member already had his first solo hit “Di Ako F**kboy (Featuring Agsunta)” last year until he was signed by Viva Records in 2018. His first three singles – “Oks Lang,” “Di Ako FBoy” and “Taguan” all became hits, with the first one being biggest. Among his releases this year, it has more than 18 million streams on Spotify with more than 800,000 monthly listeners and more than 27 million YouTube views for his combined singles. Likewise, his singles can be hears on “masa” radio stations and his music videos charted on MYX.
7. Darren Espanto
His cover of Timmy Thomas “Dying Inside To Hold You,” the theme from the Jennylyn Mercado and Derek Ramsay starrer “All of You,” was released in December last year in time for the Metro Manila Film Festival but its popularity spilled over to 2018. The single turned out to be Darren Espanto’s biggest single to date with more than 27 million streams on Spotify and was on its Global Viral 50 charts, Philippines Viral charts and Philippines Top 50 in January. Its music video had more than 43 million views and entered the MYX charts. His only 2018 single “Poison” (written by Espanto himself) struggled to reach a million on both Spotify (more than 800,000) and YouTube (more than 600,000 views only) though its music video (which in Music Geek’s opinion was horrendous it didn’t fit a star like him) spent weeks at #1 on MYX Hit Charts and Pinoy MYX Countdown. But despite the release of only one single in 2018, the 17-year-old continued to be a force to be reckoned with his sold out concert at the former Kia Theater in May, continues to be in demand for shows here and abroad and still a part of the ABSCBN variety show “ASAP.” He has indeed moved on from just being a runner-up on The Voice Kids. Likewise, the controversial Twitter war between him and fellow TVK finalist JK Labajo proved that you can’t put a good man down.
6. Ben & Ben
This nine-piece indie folk/folk pop band hit it big when their track “Maybe The Night” was used as soundtrack for the romantic film drama “Exes Baggage” starring Angelica Panganiban and Carlo Aquino with more than 29 million streams on Spotify and more than 11 million views on YouTube. But their biggest hit was “Kathang Isip,” though released last year, still remains in the Top 10 of Spotify Philippines Top 50 with more than 49 million streams and more than 51 million views on YouTube. Ben&Ben has currently more than 1.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify. On this year’s Spotify’s Most Streamed List for the Philippines, the band placed third in the Most Streamed Local Artist, fifth in Most Streamed Groups and second in Most Streamed Track for“Kathang Isip.”Both songs were also radio favorites this year, entering the charts of various stations.
(To be continued)