'70s OPM artists to reunite for concert in Singapore | The Final Word - video Dailymotion

CNN Philippines

Acts like the New Minstrels helped define the OPM genre back in the seventies. Three of the artists behind the group are reuniting for a concert in singapore!  Babes Conde, Ding Mercado and Louie Reyes tell us about "Babes and friends together again."  Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/  Follow our social media pages:  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnnphilippines/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines

Transcript

00:00 acts like the new minstrels helped define the opium genre back in the 70s and 80s.

00:05 Three of the artists from that group are reuniting for a concert on Saturday in Singapore.

00:11 Babes Conde, Louie Reyes, and Bing Mercado, Pinoy Prides, tell us about Babes and Friends together again.

00:18 Joining us now from the city-state, hello to all of you! Thank you so much for joining us on The Final Word.

00:28 Babes, let me start off with you. Babes, let me start off with you. How long has it been since you

00:33 performed together with Ding and with Louie? That was in 2007 at the Esplanade Concert Hall.

00:43 That was 2007. How many years? Wow, that was 16 years ago. I remember I watched that concert when

00:48 I was still living in Singapore and it still had our dear friend, the late Eugene Villaluz.

00:55 Yes, I miss him. He is really missed. Louie, let me ask you, new minstrels music is timeless

01:04 and reviving familiar and favorite evergreens from the 70s and 80s never really goes out of style.

01:10 Of course. The music of the minstrels I think is classic. Timeless. Timeless. Yeah, I know.

01:20 And everybody else can relate to it. Even the young generation can relate to it, I hope.

01:25 You hope. So, which songs, Babes, Louie, which song or songs gave the new minstrels its first

01:34 big break in the 70s? Buhat. It has to be Buhat because it revived Filipino music.

01:43 Don't you think so? Yes, of course. And we never thought that it would

01:49 be that way because it was an old, old, old song. And we were doing the club singing,

01:54 R&B and jazz and what have you at Disco. O-Town. Yes. And then suddenly we came up with a record

02:01 featuring Buhat and it clicked. And that started our OPM recording, Kundimans. With Zillia Records.

02:10 With Zillia Records, of course. My God, you've had so many hits like Umagang Kay Ganda, Nothing I

02:14 Want More, I Don't Love You Anymore, Ikaw Ako Tayo Magkakapatid. So, Louie, what does it feel like

02:20 when new minstrels' legendary hits have been re-recorded,

02:23 revived, played and sung in videoke sessions over the last four decades?

02:28 Very proud and very flattered that they still like it up to this day.

02:33 But should I say that nothing like the original?

02:40 That's why Babes Konde organized this concert in Singapore so they can hear all these original

02:49 new minstrels' hits from the original voices themselves. Babes.

02:54 Nice. Because we never say die. Can you fly over, Rico, to watch us?

03:00 I wish. I wish. When is the concert, Babes?

03:05 Today.

03:08 Okay, so the show is on Saturday at 8 o'clock Singtel.

03:11 Singtel Waterfront at Esplanade.

03:14 Wow. What they call the durian dome in Singapore, the Esplanade. So, tell us, Louie, I mean,

03:28 you've had a lot of timeless hits. Are these kinds of songs still relevant today, especially

03:34 for millennials? Yes. Our songs really talk about romance and love and everything. That is

03:44 always around. I mean, we can never be without love, right? So, we're very confident that they

03:49 will stay. And, Ding, I think even... Yeah, go ahead, Ding. Okay, even the language, even the

03:59 lyrics of our songs are, I think, very identifiable to the young people. It's more romantic, I suppose.

04:07 Correct me if I'm wrong, Rico. Yes, definitely. More romantic. As they call it here,

04:13 may hugot, no? May hugot. It has soul. Yeah, exactly. That's correct. That's hard. Yeah.

04:19 So, Babe, you've been living in Singapore now for quite a number of years. How would you compare

04:27 the music of the new minstrels of the '70s and '80s to the music of today?

04:31 I would still prefer the music of the '70s and the '80s because there's just something so...

04:39 It brings out your feeling. It brings out your memories. Nostalgia is a very powerful thing when

04:49 you listen to music. And that's why people remember when they hear songs, they learn from

04:55 the '70s and the '80s. It's actually therapy. That's right. It's therapy. Yes. And somehow,

05:03 most of the classic songs we've done are being revived all the time. So, that means,

05:09 that goes to show that all these songs are really... Yeah. It's more effective. It's more state power.

05:19 And my song, "Umagang Kaya Kada," is 40 years old. Wow. 40 years old. But you know what I love

05:25 about the three of you? I mean, it's not only just the music, but the strong friendship. Look at Louie

05:33 flying in all the way from the US. And then you have Ding flying in from Manila to Singapore to

05:39 perform with you, Babes. Yes. We love each other, Rico. And the new minstrels are extended family.

05:48 Right. Right. Right. We are family. Just family. And should I say that's the difference between us

05:54 and the circus? Yes. With a circus band. Yes. You can quote us on that. All right. A lot of

06:02 Filipinos right now are watching here and in Singapore. What kind of songs, which songs of

06:08 the new minstrels can we expect from Babes and Friends Together Again? Well, there's a song

06:16 composed by Topi Lozano, "I Don't Love You Anymore." No, that was Butch Monserrat. Butch Monserrat,

06:23 yes. "I Don't Love You Anymore," which will be sung by Ding Mercado and myself.

06:28 Ding Mercado, Louie Ocampo, and Babes Conde, OPM icons, thank you so much for joining us in the

06:36 final word. And all the best with your sold-out concert in Singapore at the Esplanade Theater.

'70s OPM artists to reunite for concert in Singapore | The Final Word

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended