It would be hard to believe if it were somebody else, but there’s no denying that Rico Blanco is the true master of local music as the singer/songwriter shows no signs of slowing down, and proves that 2009 is still his year and his year only.
Backtrack to the third quarter of 2008: Rico Blanco, former Rivermaya frontman/guitarist/songwriter, releases Your Universe under Warner Music Philippines to a legion of hungry music fans who were in dire anticipation for his newest songs. The album, which instantly spawned two hits, namely the stadium size rock anthem “Yugto” and the infectious pop gem “Your Universe,” garnered both critical acclaim and a warm acceptance not only from fans, but also from fellow peers of Blanco in the music industry as well. “Yugto,” spent more that two weeks at number one on pop radio station MAX FM, while the rock crowd was obviously rejoicing as it spent a whopping five weeks in the charts of the country’s premier rock radio station NU107. As soon as Blanco’s second single “Your Universe” hit the airwaves, Blanco outdid himself with the radio charts as the single spent three weeks at number one on NU107, and spend more that ten weeks on the charts of more radio stations, specifically JAM 88.3, RX 93.1, Monster Radio (which in turn, named him the “RX OPM Solo Artist of the Year”), Magic 89.9 and MAX FM.
Proving to skeptics that success wasn’t only determined by chart positions and on-air requests, Blanco then began a flurry of performance dates all over the nation, proving his hardworking performance ethic to be one of his unmatched strengths as musician. Blanco was tapped with the show-opener honors for all prestigious events of the previous year: Events like the 2008 MyxMo, the 2008 Staying Alive MTV Music Summit, the 2008 Awit Awards and the NU Rock Awards last year where he went home with the “Vocalist of the Year” honors. All insisted Blanco was the perfect way to start a gigantic show, as the musician did not let down and even topped his previous performances with a consistently evolving live show. Shortly after, he was blessed with a more unique honor as he became MTV’s official UNAIDS spokesperson, a title which has been bestowed upon few artists in the recent years. Meanwhile, amidst his busy performance schedule, Blanco amazingly managed to lord over even the local print media as he became cover artist of MYX Magazine and again, bagged the much-coveted slot in the October 2008 issue of PULP Magazine, currently the country’s biggest and most widely read music publication in the country.
Now if you think that’s already more than the proverbial mouthful, then be ready for what Blanco has in store this ’09. As we speak, Blanco is already covering every side and corner of the archipelago with successful stints and performances at the biggest shows and venues, and is as busy as ever – recently bagging the award for “Best New Artist” at the 2009 Myx Music Awards held at the Meralco Theater. With the awards pilling up, the honors consistently coming in and the shows still pulling in a massive new market to join the guard of longtime supporters, it’s no doubt that Rico Blanco still remains as the leader of the pack of homgrown yet world-class talent. Brace yourselves for the universe of possibilities and successes only one Rico Blanco can deliver.
Astounding. Inspiring. Unbelievable. It may be all that, but honestly, it’s all in a day’s work for this Master of the Universe.
