JM Bales serenades a Miss Iloilo candidate./ARMIN P. ADINA
ILOILO CITY — Ilonggo singer JM Bales has gone a long way from his “Tawag ng Tanghalan” days, and now has a phenomenal hit song that has become an anthem for local beauty pageants — “Magandang Dilag” that debuted at the first-ever staging of the Miss Universe Philippines competition in 2020.
But the pop balladeer said he will take his music to a different direction in 2024. “I will enter into jazz-pop this year. We already finished many songs,” he told INQUIRER.net in an interview at the welcome dinner for the Miss Iloilo pageant’s guests held at Camiña Balay nga Bato in Iloilo City the eve of the final contest. He was invited to serenade the candidates on the coronation show.
“I’m the type of person who does not want to get stuck in my old self. I want to grow,” Bales explained, sharing that his first jazz-pop single will be out next month. “And then right after, maybe an album will be released,” he added.
But he is still very grateful for where “Magandang Dilag” has taken him, the song that was written specifically for the first stand-alone Miss Universe Philippines pageant. The anthem was written in 2019 by Kiko Salazar, and many other singers sent their reels.
“They didn’t tell me who the other singers were, but I’m so lucky and blessed that I was the one chosen. After I made the demo, they told me ‘the song suits you, it’s yours,’” he shared.
The pageant’s winner also happens to be from Iloilo City, Rabiya Mateo who later on cracked the semifinals in the 69th Miss Universe pageant held in the United States. But he said he did not know back then, during the national contest, that an Ilongga had snagged the title.
“At that time I was focused on my song. ‘Oh my, I can hear my voice in Miss Universe!’ It was my brother who told me an Ilongga had won. I was immensely proud, because we did a ‘double-kill’ of a success for our hometown Iloilo,” Bales shared.
But after years of serenading pageant contestants with his hit song, Bales said this was the first time that he would be singing “Magandang Dilag” on the Miss Iloilo stage. “It’s really special, I was not able to sleep. It old my self, ‘Oh my, it was unexpected that they chose me.’ And I will be with Rabiya for this Dinagyang,” he said.
Mateo returned to the stage of the city pageant that changed her life forever, but this time as a host, together with 2016 Binibining Pilipinas Grand International Nicole Cordoves.
Bales said updates about his gigs and music are available on his social media accounts, where his followers may check when his new jazz-pop song will be released.