Gary Valenciano recalls how Danny Javier gave him the song that put him on the OPM map

Did you know that Danny Javier gave Gary Valenciano the iconic song "Di Na Natuto"?

The late APO Hiking Society member is credited as the writer of the hit track, and almost four decades later, Gary is still grateful.

Following the news of Danny's passing, Gary said, "It’s like a part of my history has died too."

"Danny once came up to me believing that this one particular song would do wonders for my career," he said in his tribute posted on Instagram. "I was fairly new in the music industry and I knew nothing about songs that would tickle a young audience’s heart. He knew."

 

 

 

 

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Gary recalled that in 1985, Danny came up to him and offered a song that didn't make it to APO's next musical project.

"So there I was in Cinema Audio recording studio, ready to record a song that basically put me on the map of Original Pilipino Music. The song catapulted my career to levels that brought me so much closer to the masses because it ended up becoming my first Tagalog recording," Gary said.

"It became such a big hit that it still remains to be one of the songs that I hear people requesting for during my live concerts today," he added.

Gary thanked Danny, who he called his "ka-birthday" and his "friend," and said that saying thank you is not enough.

"You were always fully aware of how much that song impacted my career," he said. "But you will never know how much your contribution and belief in what I could do with it, has impacted my life."

Danny’s death was confirmed by his family in a Facebook post. He was 75 years old and passed away from “complications due to his prolonged illnesses.”

In 2020, Danny revealed in a Facebook post that he has "underlying health concerns with the heart, lungs, and kidneys." —JCB, GMA News