Fast-rising singer-songwriter Bullet Dumas positioned himself for a bright future after successfully staging a solo gig at the Music Museum.
He is among the few indie acts ably penetrating the mainstream route with world music inclination which you can’t expect masses to quickly embrace.
But clearly it is the main strength of Bullet’s act that is why even in its initial surge, he already won acclaim from A-listers in the biz, including now-National Artist Ryan Cayabyab, Joey Ayala, Noel Cabangon and Gary Valenciano.
That one-night-only show titled Usisa was viewed as a showcase of Bullet’s craftsmanship that similarly attracted the attention of even the perfectionists who attended that star-filled Elements National Music Camp back in 2010.
“From there, nagsimulang dumami ang gigs ko, although I have to approach production managers for mere exposure. Kailangan ko patunayan ang value ko sa audience,” Bullet shared.
With the backing of Stages Sessions (the concert production arm of Stages talent management agency), the solo concert that Bullet directed himself was one that surely paid off, especially with songs like Ninuno and Tugtog gaining traction online. As of this writing he has nearly 31,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
Bullet poetically communicated, “Kapag nakikinig ako ng music, hinahanap ko yung sincerity at pagiging genuine nya.”
Something in the way he plays or tunes his guitar or sings his lyrics makes him an instant draw. For his concert he put into the mix his backing boys comprising of guitarist John Apura, keyboardist Jesper Mercado, percussionist Jacques Duffort, drummer Mark Villaba, and bassist Yuna Reguerra.
Simply said, spectators were treated by Bullet with a show delivered with rhythms and rhymes out of the ordinary.
Meanwhile, finalists in the upcoming Grand Finals night of A Song of Praise (ASOP) Music Festival (Year 7) are obviously eyeing the level of recognition someone like Bullet is getting from the artist community at least. Besides, ASOP, as resident judge Mon Del Rosario put it, is “a songwriting school aired on TV.”
A strong package of inspirational hymns are offered by the songwriters vying for the coveted grand winner-bragging right that comes along with half a million peso cash prize, tax-free.
Finalist Rommel Gojo, who penned his piece “Di Na ‘Ko Aawit” after a family tragedy, noted, “Bagamat may pagsubok akong pinagdaanan, pinatutunayan pa din ng Diyos na hindi nya ako nakakalimutan.”
Five of the twelve finalists, including Rommel, are returnees in this year’s competition. The other four are Oliver Narag (2015), LJ Manzano (2016), Emmanuel Lipio Jr. (2017), and Joyner Dizon (2017).
Notable interpreters include Daryl Ong, Gian Magdangal, Mark Carpio, and Marcelito Pomoy.
The seventh finale edition of the UNTV-airing songwriting competition happens on Nov. 11 (Sunday), 7:00 p.m. at the New Frontier Theater, Araneta Center Cubao, Quezon City.
Created by established media personality Daniel Razon, the ASOP Music Festival has committed itself to encouraging amateur and professional songwriters, particularly, as he said, “in praising our Almighty God through music.”
(For more information about ASOP Music Festival, visit its official website at https://www.asoptv.com.)