The allure of Michael Jackson’s act largely rested on the way he danced or choreographed his performances. But that facet of his enigma takes the backseat when scrutiny is directed towards his first-rate music. The King of Pop deserved his title because he so valued strong melodies he’d rather call “killer tunes.”
Dancer and singer Ken San Jose, a promising 17-year-old performer, probably understood that side of MJ that both his songs released in digital stores possess really strong chorus hooks. That alone separates him from others trying to flirt with girl-fans by grooving to forgettable upbeat songs.
“I listen a lot to the likes of Michael Jackson, Chris Brown, and Bruno Mars. I guess by saying these names you already got the idea of what my style is,” Ken recently pointed out to a small pool of media and bloggers inside the Cornerstone Studio in Quezon City.
His sophomore track, “A Chance To Hold,” was released under Cornerstone Music. As expected, the song hit Spotify’s New Music Friday Philippines upon release and quickly reached thousands of plays. The song, a follow-up to the equally hook-powered “Lose Control,” is a collaboration between him and the Academy of Rock Singapore.
He said of his early 2020 track, “I immediately fell in love with the song and I’m very proud of it.”
The fact he was a World Of Dance Junior Division champion makes him a dancer by claim to fame. His moves could have made up well for whatever weakness he may have. But this kid knew the importance of good quality music, same as his legendary idol whose dance steps were as iconic as his tunes were. Songs like “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” and “Thriller” had their respective dance steps to go with that could have been viral dance challenges if showcased today.
Ken has the making of delivering that kind of one-two punch if he keeps his streak of good dancing and high-recall melodies.
“I’m so blessed doing what I love to do. I was singing first before I danced and I was lucky enough to be part of a wave that benefited from viral dance videos,” said the L.A.-born online dance sensation who went back to his Manila roots at 15.
Ken is set to collaborate with esteemed songwriter Jungee Marcelo who linked up his parents towards family and obviously a trusted friend. That’s another strong proof this guy knows how to differentiate a dance studio from a recording booth.
“I want to be a well-rounded artist and learn more like be able to fluently speak in Tagalog,” he pointed out, adding that consistency is the key to making things work. “In uploading videos online, you have to be consistently original. You have to be you.”
There is no doubt Ken’s star is on the rise. Besides, he has a couple of good songs to dance his way up to.