Trace Gaynor
With an album currently in the works, The Filharmonic, an a cappella band composed of six, young Filipino-American singers, is hopeful that the style of music it offers will find its place in the current pop music scene.
“I think a lot of the sounds that we hear today are very vocally driven. And I believe that the people are ready for what we do; for pure vocalists on the radio,” said member Trace Gaynor, who pointed out that the Pentatonix—another American a cappella act
—has proven that, when done right, its genre can capture a wide audience.
“The Pentatonix really paved the way for us … It’s extremely rare for an original a cappella album to make it all the way to the top of the (Billboard) charts, but it did,” Trace said of the Pentanonix which, like The Filharmonic, was an alum of the reality talent search “The Sing-Off.”
Unique sound
“We’re friends with them and we have learned a lot from them,” he said in a pocket interview. “We will be taking some cues from them, for our coming album. But of course, we will also stay true to our unique sound.”
Also composed of VJ Rosales, Jules Cruz, Joe Caigoy, Barry Fortgang (who’s not touring with the group at the moment) and Niko del Rey, The Filharmonic counts being part of the film “Pitch Perfect 2” as of one its most important achievements so far in its four years in the music business. The group also performed as the front act for Fifth Harmony’s recent Manila show, which was mounted by MMI Live.
What about collaborating with Filipino artists? The boys said that given the opportunity, they would love to work with the likes of Regine Velasquez, Morissette Amon, 4th Impact and Darren Espanto.—ALLAN POLICARPIO