The ‘pillars’ purportedly holding up OPM have begun to crack

I believe that all should have their time to shine. But when those preceding them do not recognize that they must now graciously step aside to give room also for others to take their respective place in the spotlight, they must remember that time has a way of catching up with them. And that time will come whether they want it to or not as this is how the “cycle” has worked in the local music industry since Day One.

To go against that natural rhythm of things is counter-productive because it does not “allow things to fall into their proper place” the way they should without unnatural interference from those who would wish to hold the bastion permanently. The effect is that in the long run we all are witness to a very shallow pool of aging mainstream talents for the general public to choose from.

For those who hold influence and yet ironically push down promising talents by breaking their spirits by continually raising the proverbial “glass ceiling” even higher than it already is, before our young artists would have reached that point, is the biggest hypocrisy of all ! It is such an injustice for all the wasted talents over the years who never got their deserved breaks when it was clearly their time already to rise from obscurity and be heard.

One day, that dam will just burst open! You can’t keep holding it back.

Let me ask you, when was the last time that there was a significant influx of new talent? As I clearly recall, that was between the years 2003-2004. We know who they are, and we are certainly thankful they had arrived when the available talent pool for local mainstream artists was starting to dwindle dramatically at that point.

We are nearing 2015. By now we should be seeing “new faces” come in but it seems we are getting mere trickles of them. And the few that are branded as “new faces”, I just do not see a long term future for them unlike the batch that came before around a decade ago. Something is missing here. It feels like the ones allowed to “seep through the cracks” are the few who, in fact, do not surpass or match that level of superior talent that is now becoming so lacking these days.

Are we getting the “cookie cutter” mold type of artists all over again to temporarily fix the problem ? I thought that time has passed already when they all seem to sing alike, act alike, and dress alike ? Where is the real individuality here?

The development of new talent is a must 

I cannot reiterate enough how critical is the development of new artists who do not always go by a certain mold, and how they should not be overlooked in exchange for the selfish gain of a select few to keep prolonging their careers practically “dead” in the water today.

Years have passed and in that time frame, so many aspiring artists have unfortunately been shunned by those who have the power to make a change, but choose to not do anything.

And because of that, I can’t but help wonder what could have been, if things were just a little bit different?

Where is the turnover? When will it be time for others to finally move up the so-called hierarchy? The “pillars” purportedly holding up OPM have begun to show their cracks already and because of that the whole foundation of OPM is at a weakened state because we keep focusing and depending on the same old core group to represent OPM. Come on, “Father Time” catches up with everyone.

Those vocal chords aren’t getting younger and it is time for graciousness to take over here.

I do not want to mince words here, as I will just say it the way I see it. When you can no longer reach those high notes and you have to rely on the back-up singers to do the singing for you in that section of the song, while you just stand there trying to look pretty holding the mic, it is questionable why you are even still performing in front of a live audience. You cannot fool the audience and you will lose their respect because of it. The audience may be forgiving, but they are not fools to not notice it !

The worst crime is to pretend you are singing when you are actually not.

I would not want to wake up to a future wherein OPM is still dominated by the same old faces. That is so unnatural and contrary to ensuring the survival of OPM for the next generation. Which now leads me to my next and final sub-topic below.

The new leaders of OPM are already here

I believe they are the new leaders of OPM and they have been around long enough to prove that they are indeed the new “core group” we can now rally behind.

Who are they? In my opinion, from all the developments in the recent years, and how these outstanding individuals’ respective careers have flourished, and the way they have impacted the mindset of the youth when it comes to their brand of music,  my picks for the new leaders of OPM are the following: Sarah Geronimo, Gloc-9, Angeline Quinto, KZ Tandingan,and Abra.

Usually, based on the history of the local music industry from decades past when it comes to the core group of would-be leaders representing OPM, they always happen to come in an odd number.

There are two more artists missing from that equation! And this is exciting. Who are the other two who will complete the line-up? They are just waiting in the wings!

It is too soon to tell who will fill in the two empty slots. But in my observation, the five named above local artists are the ones who will help lead us into the next decade.

But for now, I believe OPM certainly has a bigger, better, and brighter future because of them.

It is always better to hope.