Louie Ocampo
Despite being the backbone of the music industry, songwriters don’t always get the recognition they deserve.
People know the hits and who sang them, but rarely do they know who wrote them. Their names rarely get mentioned when their songs are played on the radio, or performed on television and live gigs. And on the off chance people do get curious, they will have to willfully search for the composers’ names online, check out the liner notes, or find the credits tab on their streaming apps.
Now, being underappreciated is one thing. Being disrespected is another.
In 2019, a contestant in the singing contest “Tawag ng Tanghalan,” ranted on Twitter and wrote “composer ka lang” — alluding to judge Louie Ocampo, who pointed out mistakes in her performance. Little did the singer know that she had just insulted one of the country’s most revered musicians whose body of work has become a soundtrack to generations.
“I’m a shy person. I’m old school. I wasn’t about to respond. But the people around me were like, ‘No, you have to say something.’ But that’s not me, so I kept quiet … Maybe she just had a different way of expressing herself. I just let it be,” he told the Inquirer at a recent press conference.
Formidable discography
“But a lot of my colleagues felt offended for me, like Vice Ganda (one of the show’s hosts). They all came to my defense. The next day, she went onstage again and was made to apologize for that post,” he said.
This moment popped into Ocampo’s mind when he and the Viva Live production team were brainstorming for a potential title for his 45th-anniversary concert. It was his way of taking the insult in stride and finding humor in it — as if saying, in this concert, this “mere composer” will let his music do the talking.
And what formidable discography he has put together: “Ewan” and “Anna” (Apo Hiking Society); “Ikaw” (Sharon Cuneta); “Tell Me” (Joey Albert); “Don’t Say Goodbye” (Pops Fernandez); “Say That You Love Me” (Basil Valdez); “You Are My Song” (Martin Nievera, Regine Velasquez); “Babalik Ka Rin” (Gary Valenciano); “Kahit Isang Saglit” (Vernie Varga); “So Many Questions” (Side A); “Si Aida, Si Lorna at Si Fe” (Marco Sison); “Closer You and I” (Gino Padilla).
“Composer Ka Lang” will be held on Feb. 4 and 5 at The Theatre at Solaire. (call TicketNet, 8891-9999). But two nights may not even be enough to cover his most important compositions, which encompass pop music, television, and film.
“There are many songs that didn’t make the setlist, but we will try to pack as many as we can. I have to choose the biggest songs, or the songs people expect to hear. But I would love to do more installments in the future because there are songs that didn’t become as big as the others, but were nonetheless my favorites,” Ocampo said.
Challenge
He is comfortable onstage as a musical director and has no problem staying in his own little corner away from the spotlight. This time, however, he will have to take centerstage. And that makes him a little anxious.
“What I’m nervous about are the spiels! You really have to entertain. When you’re out there in front, you have to keep the audience entertained. Hindi pwedeng may laylay — that’s my challenge,” said Ocampo, who hopes to create a connection with the fans by sharing with them stories of what inspired his songs and how he wrote them.
Louie Ocampo is comfortable onstage as a musical director and has no problem staying in his own little corner away from the spotlight.
“Tell Me,” for instance, was inspired by a girlfriend who told him by phone — on the day he was to fly home to Manila from San Francisco—that she didn’t love him anymore. The inspiration for “I’ll Be There For You,” meanwhile,” came while he was watching his children sleep.
Joining Ocampo onstage are Sharon Cuneta, Basil Valdez, Martin Nievera, Gary Valenciano, Marco Sison, Katrina Velarde, Janine Teñoso, Lyca Gairanod, and Jim Paredes and Boboy Garrovillo of the Apo Hiking Society on Feb. 4 and 5; Zsa Zsa Padilla and Sarah Geronimo on Feb. 4; and Regine Velasquez on Feb. 5.
“It’s a celebration with friends. They’re more than colleagues. They all have been there for me through the years … I don’t refer to them as work partners. They were always my friends,” he said.
But more than a celebration of music, “Composer Ka Lang” is also Ocampo’s way of asserting that a well-loved hit belongs to the composer as much as it belongs to the singer who popularized it.
“Back in the 1970s and ‘80s, the composer’s name was always mentioned when a singer was promoting a song. That sort of stopped as years went by. And so, sometimes, that makes me wish that I could come up with a way to make people associate the song with its composer and not only with the artist,” he said.
There’s nothing more painful for a composer than when their work is mistaken as someone else’s. “I treat my songs as my children. And if people say, ‘Oh, so and so is their father,’ it’s like being stabbed in the heart. It’s important that they acknowledge the composer, the lyricists correctly,” he said.
“This is one of the reasons that made me go, ‘It’s time to celebrate, share my music with people, and reassociate the songs with the composer.’ Hopefully, after the show, people will think, ‘Kay Louie pala ‘yan’!” he said.