Vehnee Saturno: The hitmaker & talent discoverer
On September 2016, ABS-CBN’s ASAP gave tribute to the hits of Vehnee Saturno and during the said production, Martin Nievera gave the most fitting intro: “It’s an honor to share the stage with one of OPM’s precious gems, the man behind the songs that truly changed our lives, captured our hearts and became part of our history, OPM hitmaker Vehnee Saturno.”
The accolade “hitmaker” indeed fits him perfectly, as his songs have become instrumental in the rise to stardom of many artists. His first big hit in 1983 was the song Be My Lady that launched both his and Martin’s careers as songwriter and concert artist, respectively. That big break led to a string of gold, platinum and multi-platinum record awards. Hit after hit, his songs did wonders to the rising careers of Donna Cruz, with Only Me
and You; Jessa Zaragoza, with Bakit Pa?; Jaya with Dahil Tanging Ikaw and Wala
Na Bang Pag-ibig. Even Jay-R and Sarah Geronimo acknowledge the fact that Vehnee’s songs Bakit Pa Ba? and Forever’s
Not Enough greatly contributed to their respective careers.
Recently, he has been further exploring the artist management niche and has been helping aspiring Filipino singers launch their careers here and abroad.
James Wright is one of those upcoming artists whom Vehnee helped along the way. He produced James’ self-titled debut album that received a gold record award in 2015. The songs in the album were also used in different GMA TV series.
Beverly Caimen, a young Filipina singer from Laguna, is also one artist whose career blossomed because of Vehnee. After joining the World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) where she won the Best Vocalist Performance, she worked with Vehnee in an album distributed through GMA Records. But Beverly’s big break came after she introduced her songs to Avex, a recording company in Japan. Now, Beverly is making waves in Japan’s music scene with her songs used as official soundtrack for several TV series.
Another artist Vehnee takes pride in is Esang de Torres. Even before she joined
The Voice Kids, she has been training at the Vehnee Saturno Music Training Center (VSMTC). Under Vehnee’s guidance, Esang continued to improve her craft and she has even starred in musical theater plays like Les Miserables Singapore and Matilda
the Musical at the Meralco Theater in 2017. Their recent song Awit Sa Marawi received a plaque of appreciation from the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) & Balai Filipino. It was also used by the Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) in their various activities for Project Bangon Marawi.
Daryl Ong is another Vehnee discovery. Long before Daryl joined The Voice, he was already singing Vehnee’s demo songs for other artists. His rose to stardom began when he made his own version of Ikaw na
Nga, originally sang by Willie Revillame. This year, Daryl is gearing up to conquer the Korean music scene. He signed up a recording deal with a Korean producer who aims to release Korean music globally. Vehnee, who co-manages Daryl with Star Music, couldn’t be more proud of his artist and all that he has accomplished in the past years.
Among the other singers he made popular were the April Boys, Rodel Naval, Rockstar 1, Rockstar 2, Ariel Rivera, Jessa Zaragoza and Ella May Saison.
Now on his 38th year in the music industry, Vehnee still continues to write and produce songs and always makes it a point to keep an open eye and heart for aspiring and talented artists. He wants his music to be the bridge for talents to be discovered and recognized both in the local and the international music scenes.