Jamie Rivera a proud 'Swiftie'

MANILA, Philippines — Staying put in the music industry, where YouTube and other social media platforms have made instant stars out of newbie singers, is no mean feat. You compete with younger artists who sing straight to the hearts of people their age, and make Spotify, iTunes, YouTube and others, their own.

Jamie Rivera is one of these prized survivors of the digital era. She has been in the industry for 30 years – long enough to see the reign of Original Pinoy Music (OPM), and witness fellow singer-songwriters come and go.

She continues to maintain a high profile by composing songs for young singers like BaiLona (the love team of Bailey May and Ylona Garcia), coming up with a 30th anniversary album, and on Friday, September 8, an anniversary concert called "Hey It’s Me, Jamie!" at Music Museum.

How does the 52-year-old Jamie, who started her career when making music meant recording them in vinyl, stay relevant in the digital age, when her contemporaries have vanished from the public eye?

 She keeps abreast of new music platforms, that’s how.

“I tune in to (music channel) Myx, listen to Spotify and new songs on radio,” she beamed. These introduce her to music millennials are listening to, and the lyrics that strike a chord in their hearts.

That is why Jamie appreciates the music of Taylor Swift because “she writes whatever she feels.”  She is real.

“If she’s angry, she puts it down into words. If she’s crying, she puts it into words,” said Jamie.

She also lists Inigo Pascual’s hit song "Dahil Sa‘yo," and BaiLona’s "Gusto Kita," whose lyrics she herself wrote, as some of her favorites.

That is why the Kapamilya singer-songwriter can continue to write songs for younger artists in the comfort of her Quezon City home. She has one finger on the pulse of the younger generation.

She also reaches out to young artists, like Janella Salvador, whom Jamie is proud to act as godmother to. Janella sleeps in Jamie’s home, and confides in the singer-songwriter.

Of course, Jamie guards Janella’s secrets. No amount of prodding from the press will make Jamie spill the beans.

This hard-earned trust goes hand-in-hand with wisdom that comes from experience.

“Veteran singers like us apply our wisdom in our songs. We’ve been through a  lot. Younger people can still act cute. But not us. We have a mine of hugot feelings to express,” she said.

These hugot lines – packed with the joys and pains of living life to the fullest – hook today’s music lovers. After all, music platforms change. But feelings are universal. Young people feel happy, sad, angry, etc. over situations that made their elders react the same way.

The difference, said Jamie, lies in the fact that her generation already knows what they want. So they can do things faster. 

And because they are battle-scarred survivors of life’s battles, Jamie adds that her generation knows the value of waiting. They can stay put quietly in one corner before the curtains rise.

Young music lovers can learn from the wisdom Jamie has gained throughout her 52 years. And Jamie, in turn, can learn about new music genres from her younger counterparts.

It is a win-win situation both generations can profit from.