MANILA, Philippines - There’s a new boy band in town that will ignite the Filipinos’ passion for old and not-so-old love songs such as Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Somethin’ Stupid and Every Breath You Take.
Men of Manila is composed of 12 young men aged between 16 to 25 who are from different places and from all walks of life. They come from as far as Mindanao, to farther away in the US, Europe and the Middle East. They are all aiming to fulfill their dream of making it big in the entertainment industry, and in the process, uplift the lives of their families back home.
Although they come from diverse backgrounds, they are united by their common quest for stardom with an advocacy to share their dreams with the Filipino people. If some beauty contests have a “beauty with a purpose” tagline, Men of Manila is “entertainment with a heart.”
Apart from entertaining Filipinos with their soothing voices and sexy moves, Men of Manila also hopes to make a difference in the society in their own way by donating part of the proceeds of their earnings (concerts, ticket sales, record sales) to a charity of their choice.
Why Men of Manila? Manila, the country’s capital, is synonymous to a Filipino’s search for the fulfillment of a dream. The city is a melting pot of different local cultures from the 7,100 or so islands of the Philippines. Filipinos from different parts of the country converge in this city in their search for a better life. Hence, you always hear adventurers, carpetbaggers and fortune seekers say: “Luluwas ako ng Manila para hanapin ang aking swerte” (I will come to Manila to try my luck).
The brains behind the boy band believe that there is no need to reinvent the wheel to connect old songs with the new generation. They simply want to start with old favorites, songs that each one of us can identify with, and then eventually come up with their own original music.
Men of Manila is composed of Imm zaidi, Hester Hernandez, Clark Merced, Yano Gaspari, Arcel Delgado, Kurt Batacan, Nelson Valencia, Paolo Sta. Maria, Xen Monforte, Redjie Relucio, Lio Garcia and Gabriel Bayan.
Some of the members of the band are still studying, taking up information technology, tourism, business and marketing management, among other courses, while the others have already graduated from nursing and engineering.
Men of Manila will hold its first-ever concert on July 26 at the Music Museum and is being managed by a group called Le Marais Production. Tickets (P500 and P1,000) are now available at Music Museum.
(For ticket inquiries, sponsorships, bookings, PR-related matters and other details, call Jun Isidro at 0918-7383364.)