I had an epiphany of sorts at the Musicfest 2010 thanks to Kris Allen. It has been quite sometime since I last got struck by a song’s lyrics more than the melody. “We only got 86,400 seconds in a day, to turn it all around or throw it all away… gotta live like we’re dying,” the American Idol champ rocked out last February 5 at SM City Cebu. But I wouldn’t be surprised if my moment of clarity, as induced by his song Live Like We’re Dying, wasn’t exclusive to me.
After quite a period of patronizing songs about the paparazzi and being a single lady, I decided to let go of some of the chart-toppers on my regular playlist to give way to Kris Allen singles.
I find his songs anthemic in nature. You know, the kind of songs that can emotionally lift you up, if not empower, as opposed to the kind that can remind you of bad romances and unpaid debts. And it had me pondering on the present state of anthemic songs. Do they exist today or are they passé?
(Wait, there’s a surge of anthemic songs in the global music industry because of the tragedy that happened in Haiti, but then again, these are rehash of old songs.)
At any rate, I used to have a favorite go-to local artist for such songs, and that’s Rivermaya during its last years with former frontman and main songwriter Rico Blanco. From Alab ng Puso (Tagumpay) to Posible… the band’s songs were my music arsenal when, after being so inspired by the exploits of the first Pinoys to summit Everest some years back, I dared to conquer my own mountain (okay, make that a mini-mini-mountain).
As for foreign artists, one that immediately comes to mind at the mention of anthemic is the late Michael Jackson. From I’ll Be There (when he was still with the Jackson 5), to Will You Be There (theme from the eco-oriented film Free Willy), they’re the kind of songs that make you want to hug a tree, hug a friend.
His Man In the Mirror song is also up there on my “personal anthems” list because there’s no message that could have been any clearer: If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, and make that change.
It must have been a personal anthem of Kris Allen as well, as he already chose to cover it when he was still in the Top 36 of last year’s “American Idol”. It turned out to be one of the most defining renditions from that AI season. Much to our delight, Allen, a big spur-of-the-moment guy and not a big fan of set lists, also played the song at Musicfest 2010.
So, back to the concert. There was a slight technical delay just right before Kris Allen's turn at the stage following the performances of the Jabbawockeez and Boyce Avenue, which offset some of the momentum of the night. But he is not for nothing the reigning “American Idol” champ. He got our groove back on with well-applauded mash-ups of Heartless/Gangsta’s Paradise and Falling Slowly/With or Without You, plus originals from his recently-released album Brand New Shoes—Before We Come Undone, Can’t Stay Away From You, and of course, Live Like We’re Dying.
He also generously capped the night with two encores. It was a much appreciated gesture that I didn’t see from the biggest foreign act that came to Cebu last year, the BoyzIIMen, even as we screamed ourselves hoarse for more.
In my one-on-one interview with Kris Allen, I learned that this anthemic, wholesome vibe is the direction that he is determined to take, even as some artists of today have been deliberately nonsensical or have employed over-the-top tactics to merit media mileage. Staying true to his song, this is how Kris Allen’s going to live his career.