PANGILINAN. Sings about gay love.
Joven Tan is fielding a “risky” entry, “Pare, Mahal Mo Raw Ako,” to this year’s Himig-Handog P-Pop Love Songs tilt. The tune is about a gay male falling for his straight best friend.
It took Tan some time to find an interpreter for the song, because most male singers didn’t want the public to speculate about their sexuality. Then, Charo Santos-Concio took notice of 20-year-old Michael Pangilinan, who once joined a talent search on the Kapamilya network, and whose debut album was recently distributed by Star Records.
Michael recalls listening to the song five times and liking its serious approach to a sensitive issue. He considers it an honor to take part in the songwriting competition.
The composer felt that Michael sang the song with compassion and maturity. Last year, Joven won the Grand Prize for his entry, “Anong Nangyari Sa Ating Dalawa?,” interpreted by Aiza Seguerra. For his part, Michael has been nominated in this year’s PMPC Star Awards for Music, in the New Recording Artist category.