MANILA – Carat Philippines, which created both Fusion: The Official Philippine Music Festival and Alab: The Independent Musician Rising Awards, sets the bar higher in the advocacy for Original Pinoy Music (OPM) by bringing the media agency’s first TV series Alab documentary, which will air on May 7 and 14, 2017 on TV 5.
The two-part documentary gives a glimpse into the independent music scene and culture, the rich music that the country has, and the budding talents waiting to be heard and discovered by the nation.
“We in Carat are committed to pulling off this high-level platform in order to raise the profile of talented artists, infuse new blood into the OPM industry, and introduce exceptional, original songs to music lovers everywhere. I am ecstatic to be part of this journey with our talented independent musicians, stoke the fires of their imaginations, and reignite the local music scene! Pag-alabin ang musikang Pilipino, Pasiklabin ang sining ng musikerong Pilipino!” states Gladys Basinillo, Carat CEO and Alab’s visionary Executive Producer.
The series follows the narrative of three talented independent artists who aspired to break into the OPM scene, and how they mustered their courage to join 256 other artists (solo and group) to be on top in the first season of Alab. Among these pool of talents, pop band Sileph was proclaimed Grand Champion. Highlights of the series features the experience of the finalists as they get mentored and groomed by music industry personalities Marcus Davis and Jim Paredes; performances in music enclaves like Saguijo and at a pop-up stage in Burgos Eats Taguig, while getting exposed to other notable artists, media partners and stockholders. It sets them on the road to Fusion Forward 2017, the culminating event where they will be billed alongside other professional artists.
“Naging avenue din kasi [ang Alab] para mas mag-grow din kami. Iyong level of commitment namin. Kinailangan naming magcommit ng oras, ng effort. Hindi lang iyong outside na tumugtog kami pero iyong growth namin as individuals, and as a group,” says Alab Grand Champion Sileph.
More updates on the series are available in fb.com/alabrisingawards. The Carat Philippines initiative is in partnership with TV5, and supported by Hapee Toothpaste and Max’s Restaurant. Alab aims to support independent musicians by providing them an avenue to be heard and discovered, and linking together talents, organizations, and corporations.