To anyone who thinks OPM (Original Pinoy Music) is dead. Think again. Last February 20, I was invited to attend OO: Originals Only event presented by Acousteoke at The Brewery. It was truly a wholesome experience for me watching all these OPM artists showcase their talents and musicality. As a musician myself, I'm happy to see that original Filipino-made music is starting to flourish again. This made me realize that local music is indeed still alive, we just have to dig deeper. 

A day after Valentine's, alt-pop singer-songwriter Migz Haleco and OPM band Agsunta serenaded us with songs from their latest albums during their back-to-back concert entitled "Valentimes 2 with Migz Haleco and Agsunta" at Teatrino in San Juan, Greenhills. Migz opened the show with "Tanga sa Pag-ibig" and by the time he emerged on to the stage, Teatrino was fit to burst. The girls in the audience wooed over his distinct husky voice and matching unbuttoned long-sleeves. Migz prepared spiels after each song that definitely hit all our emotions. He talked about the cycle of love through his songs, from being strangers, to best of friends, to falling in love, to experiencing hardships, to breaking up and back to being strangers again. Aside from the hugots, he also demonstrated his versatile vocals by singing his version of "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol and "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran. Immediately after, he introduced his co-Jambayan member Inigo Pascual and jammed to Niall Horan's song "Slow Hands."



Subsequent to Inigo's solo performance of "Despacito", Migz once again came out of the stage in his red coat and strong appeal. Watching him perform took me back to the days he was just doing covers on Soundcloud and making videos on Youtube. Fast forward to 2018, who would have thought that he will come this far in the music industry? I've watched him perform in some of his regular gigs, and I can say that he has been consistent in exceeding everyone's expectation from his quality songs, to guitar riffs and to his overall performance. He knows how to connect with the audience and that's something not all artist can achieve. Dubbed as John Mayer of the Philippines, most of Migz Haleco's songs in the album allowed his emphatic guitar work to the center stage. I've always been impressed by his dexterity and how his strumming fingers can move independently to create the harmonics and keep the rhythm. It was shown when he performed two of his original compositions "Pare Tama Na" and "Pag Ika'y Nagmahal" to cap off the night. That part was an awe-striking moment indeed that I almost got teary-eyed. As someone with a humble personality and astounding talent, it is without a doubt Migz Haleco's career will skyrocket in no time. His album THIS is now available on all digital stores worldwide: iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon.

You can follow Migz Haleco on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to know more about his gig schedules, new updates and more!

The first time I heard about Agsunta was when they performed "Kundiman" by Silent Sanctuary on Wish FM. From there, I knew they were going to make a name in the industry and true enough, they did. With their self-titled debut album "AGSUNTA", they just proved that they are not just another cover band. The group, composed of Jireh Singson, Stephen Arevalo, Mikel Arevalo and Josh Planas showcased their original works during their concert at Teatrino. After Migz Haleco's performance it was Agsunta's turn to take on the stage.




What I admire most about this band is that they have the ability to capture people's heart immediately. Like Migz, they know how to engage and connect well with the audience through their music. Aside from Agsunta's original compositions, they also performed their own rendition of "Ikaw Lang Ang Aking Mahal" by VST and co. and "Hayaan Mo Sila" by Ex-Batallion. The highlight of the night, for me, was when they introduced one of their special guests Zhalia and performed my all-time favorite OPM song "Dati" by Sam Concepcion, Tippy Dos Santos and Quest. After Zhalia and Agsunta's heart-stopping performance, Jireh Singson the band's front man along with Ylona Garcia sang a duet of "Migraine" by Moonstar88.


After their astounding performance and inspiring spiels in between, the band finally concluded the night with their latest single "Di Ba Halata." In hindsight, Agsunta's love and appreciation for OPM (Original Pinoy Music) really brought out their patriotic spirit and it really stood out. Each member of the band balance each other and their energy throughout the show was consistently high from start to finish. On top of that, their original compositions were well-crafted and built on good fundamentals for their Filipino listeners. I'm looking forward to see what's coming next for this OPM band! Agsunta's self-titled debut album is out now on all digital stores: iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon. Check it out!

Get to know more about Agsunta by following them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.