GMA Brandtalk
Tracking
Archives
Filtered By: Publicaffairs
Public Affairs
Music throwback: Whatever happened to the Pinoy boyband behind the 90s hit song ‘Nanghihinayang’?
"Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho" is a weekly news magazine show hosted by Jessica Soho, one of the most awarded broadcast journalists in the Philippines. For more information, follow the show on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Back in the '90s and early 2000s, Original Pilipino Music (OPM) was big. Local singers and bands were very popular; some were even considered superstars. Their shows were always jampacked with people. Their cassette tapes and CDs were usually sold out.
Then came the onslaught of piracy, and the thriving industry was rocked by the illegal reproduction and distribution of music.
Record labels weren’t the only ones affected, but also the artists themselves. Some survived and are still in the limelight, but many of them had no choice but to lie low or take a different path.
One of these is popular 90s boyband Jeremiah, whose members share the story of their rise and fall in “Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho.”
Composed of four members—Froilan Calixto, Piwee Polintan, Olan Crizaldo and Symon Soler—Jeremiah rose to fame in 1998 with their first single “Nanghihinayang.” It topped the music charts for almost 20 weeks.
“Ang maganda sa song, pang-brokenhearted siya,” Froilan said during the interview. “Somehow, naka-relate ang maraming tao. Nare-relate nila ‘yung song to a certain time na parang ‘ex ko ‘yan ah.’”
The group’s first album, “Heart and Soul of Jeremiah,” went gold only one month after its release. This led to more projects, including an international tour. They were also given the opportunity to sing the theme songs of several locally produced movies.
Things changed for the boyband in 2003 upon returning from their Japan and US concert tour. Piwee admitted that their career was affected by piracy and competition from international artists.
“Sa madaling salita, nagbago kasi ‘yung trend. Mas [lumaganap] na rin ‘yung piracy,” he said.
The group continued to perform in bars for a couple of years until disbanding in 2005.
Speaking for the group, Piwee said that while he and his Jeremiah bandmates know that their time in the spotlight is long over, the bond among them will always stay the same. “Sa mga nagtatanong kung nasaan na ang Jeremiah, maaaring magkakahiwalay na kami ng lugar pero Jeremiah is still here,” he said.
Life after the limelight
Today, only Froilan and Piwee out of the four Jeremiah members are still in the Philippines.
Froilan continued to pursue a singing career after Jeremiah disbanded. Later, with his family's encouragement, he decided to finish his degree at Colegio de San Juan de Letran.
“Tinitignan ko ‘yung mga building sa Makati. Sabi ko, saan kaya ako tatanggapin dito, eh 2nd year college lang [ang tinapos ko]. Sabi ko, hindi puwede ‘to,” Froilan said.
After graduating from college, he managed several family businesses, including a gas station and a funeral home.
Life has been harder for Piwee, who was diagnosed with stage 4 tonsil cancer in 2007. “Of all places, sa lalamunan pa,” he said. “Siguro ito talaga ‘yung mga challenge sa akin ng Panginoon.”
Piwee, who found happiness in singing, was scared of the possibility of losing his voice to the disease.
After three operations and countless chemotherapy sessions, Piwee was finally declared cancer-free in 2011. There were some changes to his voice and also in his physical appearance, but that didn’t stop Piwee from coming back to his first love — singing.
“Ibang klase ng mga tugtog na ‘yung kinakanta ko, sobrang matured. ‘Yung standard jazz,” he added.
The other two members of Jeremiah are now in the US. Olan is working as a member of an airline's ground crew in Chicago, while Symon is a marketing and business development executive in Los Angeles.
Fame was just a bonus
Most of them were just in their late teens at the height of Jeremiah’s popularity. Now, said Froilan, when looking back on that time he feels thankful instead of regretting the might-have-beens.
“Nakuntento na rin kami na kung ano ‘yung naabot ng grupo noon, ipagpasalamat na lang natin na naranasan natin ‘yan,” he said. “‘Yung sumikat ka, parang bonus na lang ‘yun.”
How do they feel when people remember Jeremiah when they think about the 90s? “Nakakatuwa, nakakataba ng puso. Kumbaga, nakakapagpabalik ng alaala ng mga pinagsamahan namin,” Froilan said.
Recently, Froilan and Piwee reformed as Jeremiah Band—a full-fledged pop band with new members. Whenever Olan and Symon return to the Philippines, the four also make sure to get together and perform. In fact, they are planning a major reunion concert next year.
To the new generation of Pinoy musicians, the members of Jeremiah have a simple reminder: “Kaluluwa ng bansa natin ‘yung music. Dapat magtulungan,” Piwee said. — BM, GMA News
Related articles:
'Til death do us part: The viral wedding video that brought us all to tears
‘Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho’ interview with Richard Gutierrez, Sarah Lahbati and baby Zion
'Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho' interview: Jamich, magkasamang hinaharap ang sakit na cancer
_______________________________________________________________________________
Back in the '90s and early 2000s, Original Pilipino Music (OPM) was big. Local singers and bands were very popular; some were even considered superstars. Their shows were always jampacked with people. Their cassette tapes and CDs were usually sold out.
Then came the onslaught of piracy, and the thriving industry was rocked by the illegal reproduction and distribution of music.
Record labels weren’t the only ones affected, but also the artists themselves. Some survived and are still in the limelight, but many of them had no choice but to lie low or take a different path.
One of these is popular 90s boyband Jeremiah, whose members share the story of their rise and fall in “Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho.”
Composed of four members—Froilan Calixto, Piwee Polintan, Olan Crizaldo and Symon Soler—Jeremiah rose to fame in 1998 with their first single “Nanghihinayang.” It topped the music charts for almost 20 weeks.
“Ang maganda sa song, pang-brokenhearted siya,” Froilan said during the interview. “Somehow, naka-relate ang maraming tao. Nare-relate nila ‘yung song to a certain time na parang ‘ex ko ‘yan ah.’”
The group’s first album, “Heart and Soul of Jeremiah,” went gold only one month after its release. This led to more projects, including an international tour. They were also given the opportunity to sing the theme songs of several locally produced movies.
Things changed for the boyband in 2003 upon returning from their Japan and US concert tour. Piwee admitted that their career was affected by piracy and competition from international artists.
“Sa madaling salita, nagbago kasi ‘yung trend. Mas [lumaganap] na rin ‘yung piracy,” he said.
The group continued to perform in bars for a couple of years until disbanding in 2005.
Speaking for the group, Piwee said that while he and his Jeremiah bandmates know that their time in the spotlight is long over, the bond among them will always stay the same. “Sa mga nagtatanong kung nasaan na ang Jeremiah, maaaring magkakahiwalay na kami ng lugar pero Jeremiah is still here,” he said.
Life after the limelight
Today, only Froilan and Piwee out of the four Jeremiah members are still in the Philippines.
Froilan continued to pursue a singing career after Jeremiah disbanded. Later, with his family's encouragement, he decided to finish his degree at Colegio de San Juan de Letran.
“Tinitignan ko ‘yung mga building sa Makati. Sabi ko, saan kaya ako tatanggapin dito, eh 2nd year college lang [ang tinapos ko]. Sabi ko, hindi puwede ‘to,” Froilan said.
After graduating from college, he managed several family businesses, including a gas station and a funeral home.
Piwee, now a father of six, was diagnosed with stage 4 tonsil cancer in 2007.
Piwee, who found happiness in singing, was scared of the possibility of losing his voice to the disease.
After three operations and countless chemotherapy sessions, Piwee was finally declared cancer-free in 2011. There were some changes to his voice and also in his physical appearance, but that didn’t stop Piwee from coming back to his first love — singing.
“Ibang klase ng mga tugtog na ‘yung kinakanta ko, sobrang matured. ‘Yung standard jazz,” he added.
The other two members of Jeremiah are now in the US. Olan is working as a member of an airline's ground crew in Chicago, while Symon is a marketing and business development executive in Los Angeles.
Fame was just a bonus
Most of them were just in their late teens at the height of Jeremiah’s popularity. Now, said Froilan, when looking back on that time he feels thankful instead of regretting the might-have-beens.
“Nakuntento na rin kami na kung ano ‘yung naabot ng grupo noon, ipagpasalamat na lang natin na naranasan natin ‘yan,” he said. “‘Yung sumikat ka, parang bonus na lang ‘yun.”
Recently, Froilan and Piwee reformed as Jeremiah Band—a full-fledged pop band with new members.
Recently, Froilan and Piwee reformed as Jeremiah Band—a full-fledged pop band with new members. Whenever Olan and Symon return to the Philippines, the four also make sure to get together and perform. In fact, they are planning a major reunion concert next year.
To the new generation of Pinoy musicians, the members of Jeremiah have a simple reminder: “Kaluluwa ng bansa natin ‘yung music. Dapat magtulungan,” Piwee said. — BM, GMA News
Related articles:
'Til death do us part: The viral wedding video that brought us all to tears
‘Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho’ interview with Richard Gutierrez, Sarah Lahbati and baby Zion
'Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho' interview: Jamich, magkasamang hinaharap ang sakit na cancer
