More often than not, “going with the flow” has a negative connotation since it is usually perceived as synonymous to imitation. It is a “practice” that suggests playing it safe.
In the Philippine-music industry, based on its history that started from the Pre-Historic era, to the Spanish Colonial Period and down to the disco and Manila sound, a common characteristic Filipinos exhibit is going with the flow of the world’s music biz. In the 1970’s, when Elvis Presley, the immortal King of Rock ruled the air waves, local rock and roll bands, such as Sampaguita and the Juan dela Cruz band, started emerging in the music scene. During the 80’s when disco music was at its height, Filipino artists started copying foreign music styles like those of the popular band Beegees. The list of how the Filipino music industry “goes with the flow” is endless, until a Sitti Navarro attempted to go against the flow. And it looks like she succeeded and continues to do so in her endeavor.
Sitti single-handedly introduced Bossa Nova to the Philippines. Bossa Nova, a cool and relaxing sound, is a musical genre that originated from Brazil. This genre, that has a touch of jazz, is also perceived as the “music for the elite,” maybe the reason why it is not a popular musical genre in the country. Come to think of it, pioneering a new, not to mention, a practically unknown genre to Filipinos took a lot of guts from this 23-year-old singer.
Although the local music arena has experienced a lot of development throughout the years, Filipino music sticks to whatever the reigning genre is. And most of the time, it will (at least for a certain time) be the only genre played on music stations. But, again, Sitti went against usual. She started her career in 2006 when local bands ruled everything in the music business. After some months, she was dubbed as the Philippine’s Queen of Bossa Nova for her very relaxing voice that fitted well the soothing sound of Bossa Nova.
It is safe to say that Sitti launched Bossa Nova in the Philippines successfully. Though she defied the norms in the country’s music industry Sitti nonetheless introduced a new musical genre that would hopefully be appreciated more by Filipinos.
Good thing Sitti went against the flow. - TERESA CAMILLE NONES
Information Sources:
http://www.pep.ph/guide/1151/Sitti-Navarro-brings-bossa-nova-to-a-wider-market-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitti_Navarro
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bossa_nova
Photograph Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitti_Navarro
No comments:
Post a Comment