‘The Clash’ judges slam ‘composer ka lang’ snide remark

From left: Christian Bautista, Ai-Ai delas Alas and Lani Misalucha

For Lani Misalucha, Christian Bautista and Ai-Ai delas Alas—judges of the GMA 7 singing contest “The Clash”—aspiring singers need not only be technically proficient and engaging performers.

Having the right attitude is just as important—and that includes being humble and respectful, especially to those who have had tremendous contributions to the industry.

Recently, a “Tawag ng Tanghalan” contestant earned the ire of viewers after she tweeted, “Composer ka lang,” referring to one of the show’s judges—renowned songwriter Louie Ocampo, who nearly eliminated her from the competition.

Needless to say, her comments didn’t sit well either with established music artists in the industry.

“Sometimes, we fail to control ourselves and end up saying things we wish we could take back. I hope there’s always respect for those who came before us,” Christian said, when asked by the Inquirer about his thoughts on the issue.

“I wish she had researched on Louie Ocampo and the wealth of what he has done for OPM, before saying that. He has lots of songs—songs that have helped launch other artists’ careers,” the balladeer added.

Echoing Christian’s statements, Ai-Ai also stressed that “it always pays to be humble.”

“Even if I’m not a professional singer, I won’t put up with that kind of attitude. If she has the gall to act like that now, what more if she actually becomes famous? She will eat us all alive,” Ai-Ai said in an interview for the upcoming second season of “The Clash.”

“You can’t think too highly of yourself, because there will always be someone better than you,” she said. “And this goes out not only to contestants, but also to us.
“We should be grateful for our talent, but know that there will always be someone better—if not here, then abroad. They should always keep that in mind.”

Lani, on the other hand, noted that newbies and up-and-coming singers usually have yet to develop a full grasp of how the industry works. “They get overwhelmed … And they don’t know how to handle that, or how to deal with industry colleagues. They have yet to figure out how to act out their attitudes,” she said.

“Perhaps it’s similar for those who win the lottery and suddenly find themselves rich,” she added. “They don’t know how to handle that much money.”

Joining the three judges in the “The Clash 2,” which starts airing on Sept. 21, are four new hosts: Julie Anne San Jose, Rayver Cruz, Rita Daniela and Ken Chan. “We will be introducing new aspects—twists that even we don’t know about yet—this time around,” Ai-Ai said.

While Christian, Ai-Ai and Lani get criticism about their judging from time to time, it’s the comedienne who gets the bulk of it, because not a few people think that she’s not qualified for the job.

“Judging a talent search—and the bashing that comes with it—isn’t new to me. Everyone has his own opinion. But I do study, watch other singing contests to do my job better,” she said.

Lani came to Ai-Ai’s defense, saying that one doesn’t necessarily have to be a trained musician to have an eye for talent.
“My husband, for instance, is an engineer; he works in IT. But sometimes you have that ear, gut feel to pinpoint who’s good. In fact, some of the mashups or songs in my shows are his ideas,” she said.