■ BISAYA MUSIC FOR (AND BY) MILLENNIALS
Jacky Chang’s “Pero Atik Ra” song has conquered music charts not just in Cebu, but in many areas in the country, including Metro Ma- nila. Chang started with the hits “Usahay Nagadamgo” and “Di Ta Uyab, Walay Ikaw Ug Ako,” which have been sung in different versions and by a number of interepreters. Bisaya songs have through the years proven themselves a different breed since attempts at translating them have not conquered the charts.
“Ballpen man ma wala, feelings pa kaha?”
So goes Jacky Chang’s Pero Atik Ra song, which topped music charts of different radio stations within and outside Cebu. Who would have thought that Bisaya music would have such a large following. From the humble beginnings of “Usahay naga
damgo ako” to the heartbreak
ing “Di ta uyab, walay ikaw ug
ako,” Bisaya songs have indeed changed through the decades, but its uniqueness has always remained.
There have been numerous attempts to recreate Bisaya songs and translate them to Tagalog, but those attempts often don’t come out well. There’s really that different vibe to a Bisaya song, which may come in the form of a punchline, a colloquial term or just about anything that is Bisaya.
There is a variety of Bisaya music out there and the songs don’t just talk about “maoy,” “hugot” or boyfriend-girlfriend relationships. There’s Pep-pep by Kenneth Corvera and Baklay by Jerika Teodorico, which talks about road trips and exploring places. In fact, the places mentioned in the song are in Cebu, like Argao, Bulacao, Balamban and Talamban.
Then there’s Brgy. Blues by Earl Ornopia, which, as the title suggests, tackles the daily life of the people in the baranggay, from drinking binges to brawls, and even Zumba sessions the oldies keep themselves busy with.
OF ROCK AND CHARMS
For rockers and headbangers, Habak by Bien Lobetos would be the perfect jam complete with those hard-hitting drums, cymbals and screamos. The song is basically about a lucky charm popularly known in Cebu as habak, which is believed to be from the supernatural spirits and is passed on from generation to generation.
Then there’s the all-time favourite Hahahahasula by Kurt Fick, the song that broke a lot of hearts and revealed a lot of feelings. Released in October 2015, it has