Singer-songwriter Paolo Sandejas will feature as the only foreign performer on the final day of a Golden Melody Festival showcase event on Sunday, where he will perform original Pilipino music (OPM) from his native Philippines, according to media reports.
The three-day Showcase concert, part of the Golden Melody Festival, kicked off Friday at Kaohsiung’s Backstage Live music venue, featuring 11 artists and bands from Taiwan and abroad who were given the opportunity to showcase their music to fans, as well as top music executives and professionals.
Sunday’s show will feature Sandejas giving a pre-recorded online performance, in addition to live performances by two other Taiwanese groups, six-piece band OVDS and indie band Sweet John.
Taiwanese rap star Leo Wang (Leo ?), who nabbed the Golden Melody Award for Best Male Vocalist (Mandarin) in 2019, was also supposed to perform on Sunday but his performance has been canceled after he tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Golden Melody Festival.
Sandejas said it was an amazing feeling to finally share his brand of music with the rest of the Asian music scene, according to POP!, INQUIRER.net’s pop culture channel, in the Philippines.
He said it was a chance to represent original Pilipino music (OPM) which refers to any musical composition originally created by a Filipino, POP! said.
“While it’s definitely a lot of pressure for me to represent the Philippines and OPM as a young artist, I’m really motivated to showcase how the OPM scene has grown and diversified over the years. Despite the pressure, I couldn’t be more excited!” Sandejas was quoted by POP! as saying.
Sandejas said people should look forward to enjoying some laid-back indie tunes in his “intimate virtual performance” and he also looked forward to performing his original songs live in Taiwan if given a chance after the Golden Melody Festival, according to POP!
Before dropping his debut EP “Purple Afternoon” in 2020, Sandejas had already released several singles such as “My Girl,” “After Hours,” and his own versions of Michael Jackson’s “Rock with You” and “Sway,” according to the Golden Melody Festival website.
In 2022, he released official music videos of his singles “Dad Jeans” and “Different Shade of Blue” which attracted a lot of listeners on Spotify this year with over 632,000 plays and counting, the Golden Melody Festival website said.
The 2022 Golden Melody Festival, being held from June 24 to June 26, aims to facilitate cross-industry and cross-border collaboration through a series of events including international conferences, master workshops, showcases, business-matching, and networking events.
The festival precedes the Golden Melody Awards, which will be held on July 2 at Kaohsiung Arena.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel