Music and ME
by Iñigo C. Pieraz on July 28, 2009
It’s pretty easy to miss Miguel Escueta (BS CTM ’06) in a crowd.
He walks into the room without any fanfare or air of pretension. Wearing a regular yellow t-shirt, faded jeans, and sneakers, he looks like your average happy-go-lucky yuppie. Yet the words “average” and “happy-go-lucky” are perhaps the last adjectives you’d use to describe him and his eventful career.
As a professional singer and songwriter, Escueta has released two albums, I Am ME and I Am ME: Amplified. After bagging Best Alternative Solo Artist at the first Philippine Radio Music Awards, his career proves that talent, persistence and bit of luck can go a long way.
Taking notice
Becoming a musician full-time, and actually making a living out of it, is something that a lot of struggling artists strive for. For some, it takes years–even decades–to get the attention of a major record label.
“It took me eight months,” says Escueta. He laughs and quickly adds that it took a lot of hard work and dedication. For struggling independent musicians, this means having to hire a manager, constantly performing at gigs and recording music demos. “You keep gigging and gigging and one of them is bound to pick you up,” he says.
Still, Escueta admits that there was an element of luck involved as well. “I just happened to hit the jackpot early,” he says.
Evolution
Growing up, however, Escueta never envisioned himself as a singer. Although music had always been a hobby during his high school years in Southridge, it took a backseat to sports. “Basketball had always been my first love,” he says. In his senior year, he served as both captain of the basketball team and student council president.
In college, Escueta began to take music seriously. Parokya Ni Edgar and the Goo Goo Dolls were his music idols. “I picked up the guitar because of the song ‘Harana,’” he says. He honed his skill as an artist by constantly performing at different gigs and writing his own songs, until people began to sit up and take notice.
ME and ME: Amplified
Hitting the jackpot early meant inking a high-profile record deal with MCA Music, one of the biggest music industry players in the Philippines today. According to Escueta, he was one of the first artists to sign with the label.
His debut album, I Am ME was released in 2007, with the ballad “Falling Away” as its first single. It was met with commercial acclaim and garnered positive reviews.
A few months ago, a repackaged version of his debut album was released. Dubbed I Am ME: Amplified, the album includes a bonus CD, which contains five new songs and six videos.
Escueta explains that the repackaged version is different because three new singles were released from it–“Balik Simula,” “Blue Monday,” and “Handa.” He says, “In a way, it felt like an entirely new album.”
The Philippine Radio Music Awards
Escueta reached another milestone in his career when he won Best Alternative Solo Artist at the first Philippine Radio Music Awards on June 9. The Philippine Radio Music Awards aims to recognize the contribution of different Filipino artists and bands to the local music scene.
The list of nominees was determined via online voting, while the eventual winners were determined by a respected set of radio executives. “It was an honor just to be nominated alongside artists like Rico Blanco and Kitchie Nadal,” he says sincerely.
Recalling the moment when he was announced as the winner, Escueta says that it was a total surprise for him and his band. “I was like ‘What? Are you serious?’”
More than winning, however, he says he’s glad that his music is finally reaching a wider audience. “It definitely feels good to know all [the] hard work somehow [paid] off and that more people are appreciating and following my music,” says Escueta.
Road ahead
Currently, Escueta and his band are working on their third album to be released later this year or early 2010. It will have more of a rock feel to it, something he admits was missing from his debut album.
MCA Philippines will be using music download sites, such as iTunes and Fliptunes, to drum up interest in the album even before it hits store shelves. Because of the digital release, Escueta says that his music will now be made available worldwide.
After his recent success, his goal now is to reach an international audience. “I really want to be able to do this for as long as i can. If I reach that goal then I can see myself doing this for a long time. There’s a large market to conquer out there,” he says.
Photos by Mark Jason C. Mariposa
