News & Events
Music for your Soul
Walang kasama Nagkakape Sa kusina So goes the soulful beginnings of Nahulog, the latest hit from OPM band Hija. Recently breaking into the local Filipino rock scene, Hija has been wooing its audiences with blues-based music tinged with soul, rock, jazz and alternative sounds. With Chesca Arnaldo on vocals, Reiman Gesmundo on guitars, Roni Paguta on bass and Mecky Mecua drumming up the beats, the rock group has come a long way from its birth in 2002. Back then, having a band was only an idea floating around in the heads of Reiman, Roni and Mecky. But as fate would have it, the three guys would meet at a music store and hit it off. Years later, Mecky would join them. As would Chesca—the unica hija among the three boys, and the inspiration for the band’s name. Collectively known as Hija, these four musicians have found a distinct voice reflective of their individual experiences. Their music and lyrics combine to leave their audience with feelings of wistfulness and of melancholy, but never without hope. As the band members would say, “no problem can’t be solved.” Consider the band’s lack of formal training. Because of it, Hija’s members take it upon themselves to go above and beyond the demands of band practice. Together or alone, they all research and study to understand their music and become better performers. They dive into the creative process, learn about their genre’s history, experiment with playing styles and listen to artists they feel they could learn a lot from. All this, Hija manages to do, along with the brunt of their day jobs. Between working at a broadcasting company, teaching at a university or running businesses, Chesca, Reiman, Roni and Mecky find time to do that thing they love. They make music. |
