Two homegrown Dumaguete talents have brought home an Awit Award, one of the highest honors in the Philippine music industry.
Dumagueteño singer Kyle Juliano, 22, and songwriter Raffy Cabristante, 25, won an Awit Award for Best Regional Recording for the song “Ay’na Ko’g Labda.”
The song was produced by veteran musician Ito Rapadas, vocalist of the OPM band Neocolours and songwriter of the group’s classic hit “Tuloy Pa Rin.”
“Ay’na Ko’g Labda” was released on September 2018 as part of Juliano’s debut extended play (EP) under major record label Universal Records Philippines.
Held at the New Frontier Theater in Quezon City on October 10, the 32nd Awit Awards ceremony was organized by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI) and is considered Filipino pop music’s counterpart of the Grammy Awards.
The Awit Award-winning song, spiced with witty lyrics in Cebuano and a bit of English, talks about finally moving on after a failed relationship.
“Basically, the story is about a guy who is constantly being wooed by his ex-girlfriend who finally regrets breaking up with him. But the guy has had enough, so he just says, ‘Ay’na ko’g labda,’” Cabristante explained.
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He added that the song originally started as a joke and was inspired by real-life experiences.
Aside from “Ay’na Ko’g Labda,” Juliano is also known for his other songs “Crashing” and “Malapit Pa Rin,” also written by Cabristante.
Since signing to Universal in 2017, Juliano’s songs have become favorites on radio and on music streaming platform Spotify, earning him the moniker as the record label’s “Spotify Sensation.”
Before flying to Manila to pursue his singing career, Juliano studied Electrical Engineering at Silliman University (SU). During his stay in Silliman, he was named Silliman Idol in 2014.
Cabristante, meanwhile, graduated in 2014 with a degree in Mass Communication from SU, magna cum laude. He is currently taking up his master’s degree in journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University. (PR)
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