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This Gen Z musician is on a mission to popularize Philippine ERock 

by Izel Abanilla

THERE’s another side to rock music that a rising young musician wants more people in the Philippines to enjoy. 

It’s the emotional kind of rock, or ERock.  

That is the kind of music that 19-year-old rising OPM artist John Red Santiago is making, and he wants its unique vibe to become mainstream in the country. 

ERock is a genre that interprets emotional songs in a rock way. ERock, however, stands in contrast to related tunes like punk and heavy metal because the latter concentrate more on blasty interpretations rather than the emotional message of a song. 

In countries like the US, several ERock acts have become very successful, such as My Chemical Romance, Paramore and Dashboard Confessional.

Locally, Santiago is bent on popularizing the real beauty of ERock among Filipinos  while also seeking to bring light to the experience of bullied individuals through his song. 

“Actually itong ERock, ang pinaglalaban lang nito is ma-express kung ano yung genre na ‘to and masabi sa tao na hindi lahat ng rock ay bastos or hindi lahat ng rock is masamang influence sa ibang tao,” Santiago told republicasia.

This kind of rock is not all noise, he said. 

“Yung like sigaw sigaw ganon. May mga sigaw na akala nila walang kwenta or walang sense yung word na sinasabi sa song and parang dini-discriminate din nila dahil sa make up, sa galaw, sa suot, na ‘ay adik yan, ay baka gumagamit’,” he added. 

He noted that ERock singers also endure discrimination because of the way they interpret the music and how they look. Usually, ERock singers sport gloomy fashion in the form of black coordinates adorned with metal accessories like skull rings or thorned necklaces, and dark make-up.

Because of this, Santiago is seeking to make everyone, especially the young ones, understand that this genre is a good one. 

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The song Kalasag

To showcase the interesting vibe of ERock, Santiago released the song Kalasag, an inspirational song that encourages you to  persevere and be your own hero. 

The song is about being bullied and discriminated against, and then doing something to protect yourself against these.  

“Dito sa song na ‘to, sinasabi sayo na ikaw ang shield eh, ikaw ang shield ng buhay mo and huwag kang susuko kung ano man marinig mo sa kanila. Kung sabihan ka nilang ‘eh ganyan ka lang naman eh, hanggang dyan ka lang’ huwag kang makikinig sa kanila. Parang ikaw yung shield, ikaw yung kalasag ng buhay mo,” he said. 

The manager’s story 

The song is backed by an interesting story. 

Santiago’s manager Ina Munoz who wrote the song worked as a caregiver and experienced discrimination herself. She came up with the lyrics when she was overseas and a friend asked her to write one for a short film that was set to compete in Dubai. 

“Maraming beses na rin po kase akong nasabihan na ‘you’re just Ina Munoz compared with the other composers na sikat na’,” Munoz recalled. 

“Sabi ko I don’t care about them, because I have my own path. I am young, I can write as many songs as I can,” she added. 

The song basically tells anyone who struggles emotionally that more than fitting in, you can actually shine on your own. The song Kalasag reminds everyoen that the only thing you need to hear is the voice inside of you, and everyone else’s does not matter. 

“Gusto ko ipakita sa mga kabataan na regardless kung ano ang sinasabi sa inyo ng ibang tao, whoever, as long as you have the initiative with you, you’re the shield of your life and your dream,” she said.

“Walang ibang magtuturo sayo o magdedemand sayo na o eto ka dapat, ito ka lang. Walang ganun kasi nasasayo yan if you want to continue or stop you’re dream,” she added.

What’s ahead for Red? 

Along with making it big in the music scene, Santiago is also bent on completing his college degree. He is currently busy juggling his school and his music career. 

Currently a first year Information Technology student, he wants to prove that if you’re driven, you can make things happen. 

From a simple dreamer then, his aspirations are now slowly being realized. Now out on YouTube, his song Kalasag has been raking in good comments from netizens. 

Many comments on his song are praises for the inspirational message of his rock song. 

He has also made appearances on various online platforms as well as radio and television. Santiago is signed under Stardom Music Production. 

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