OPM artists promise ’90s music overload

Making a better show is both a challenge and promise for Lei Bautista and company, whose successful Solaire-produced-show The ‘90s Live, will have its follow-up titled ‘90s Overload on Nov. 17. Lei along with last year’s collaborators Wency Cornejo, Paco Arespacochaga, Cooky Chua, Perf de Castro and Naldy Padilla welcome new featured artists to sing hits and anthems that dominated the Original Pilipino Music (OPM) landscape two decades ago.    

“I think... (this is) to make a more amazing show than the first one,” said Prettier Than Pink lead singer Lei in an interview with The STAR. “The first one was so amazing. It was super saya, it was super successful and I think right now, the challenge is to bring that same energy from last year, to surpass what we did.”

The names of Jek Manuel of IAXE Band, Glenn Jacinto (Teeth), Myra Ruaro (Put3ska), Dodong Cruz (The Youth), Stephen Lu (Rizal Underground) and Noel Palomo (Siakol) are a welcome change for, as Lei put it, “it’s going to create a different synergy, create a different energy.” The feeling of familiarity or happiness is secured by the nostalgia their songs evoke. The audiences are off to a trip down memory lane with artists they grew up with.

“(The purpose is) to bring the nostalgia back to people who were in high school and college (back in the ‘90s),” said Lei. “All of them are now working, and lahat yan serious na. For one night, they can be 18 or 20 years old again and it’s going to be a refreshing time for them.”

The presentation is also a musical event that introduces the ‘90s music to the new generation of OPM listeners. “It’s nice to share our music with our kids, who are (part of) the new generation,” said Lei, who, like Wency, experiences some “rebirth.”   

Lei (second row, second from right) with Dodong Cruz, Perf de Castro, Myra Ruaro, Glenn Jacinto, Stephen Lu, Noel Palomo, Jek Manuel, Cooky Chua, Wency, Naldy Padilla and Paco.

“I think right now I’m at (that) point,” she said, “because (with) my cycle (as an artist), I (had) reached success, popularity. Of course, it waned for a few years. It seems that in the 20th year or anniversary of your (musical) decade (as an artist), there’s resurgence (and) people (are) looking for it, looking for parang classic na, retro, classic-retro sound. I feel so privileged that I’m part of this (musical generation).”

That collective sound resonates how vibrant OPM music was then and how prolific songwriters and singers were at that time. It offers diverse narratives set in music and storytellers that tried to approximate the scenes of the past.

“I’ve always wanted to have a positive contribution to and a life-changing impact on the youth, yun yung lagi kong naiisip,” shared Lei, whose song Cool Ka Lang describes a traffic jam, in the first line, which remains a problem to this day. “My second verse is about medyo niloko ka, yung asawa mo hindi umuwi, naglasing sa labas... The third one is about people na naiingit sa’yo. For me, it’s always (about) turning a bad situation into a positive energy. As a person, it’s the philosophy that I live by… we (might) be going through a bad situation but we can see it as cup half full or as cup half empty. I choose to look at it as half-full always. There’s always a silver lining, (meaning) there’s always something positive we can make out of the situation.” Yes, life is a choice and one should face it with no regrets.

“That decision (came) with the support of family,” said Lei of her sojourn from the recording scene years ago. “At that time, I also had young kids and it was time to shift really, to give way to the next generation. I always say that I’m retiring na. But you can never really retire from being an artist.”

Her typical day also sees Lei running a software game and mobile development business with her husband. “It’s my day job and then I’m also working on an album. Most probably, it would be out next year.”

What can fans look forward to in this post-Cool Ka Lang album?

“It’s about my journey after Prettier Than Pink,” she answered, “the songs, I didn’t make them all just this year, galing sila sa baul... (They are) songs that I made in the last 15 or 20 years. They will sound more mature. It will still be my same voice but you’ll hear the maturity, you’ll hear na may pinagdaanan (that it has gone through meaningful experiences in life). The sound will be different. (When) Cool Ka Lang (became a hit), I was only 20, 21. That’s what I’m saying (that) it’s about rebirth, new beginning at this stage of (my) life.” 

(For details, call TicketWorld at 891-9999.)