Visayan pop

Visayan pop, better known as Vispop (not to be confused with the Scandinavian musical genre), is short for Visayan popular music. Despite its name, it usually refers to popular music in the Cebuano language; pop music sung in other Visayan languages is known by other terms. For instance, a separate pop music movement for Hiligaynon emerged in the late 2010s, called Ilonggo Pop. The genre is popular in the Visayas and parts of Mindanao in which Cebuano is spoken. Bisrock, an abbreviated form of Bisaya rock music, may sometimes overlap with Vispop, as with the band Oh! Caraga. Although many Cebuano-speaking artists from Mindanao consider themselves to be Vispop artists, others prefer to align themselves with the nascent Mindanao Pop or Minpop music movement.

In the early 20th century, the popularity of zarzuelas in Cebu led to a boom in original Cebuano music. Modern Cebuano music flourished until the 1970s to 1980s. From the 1980s to 1990s, Cebuano interest in local music waned. Bisrock bands briefly revived Cebuano-language music in the 2000s. In the 2010s, with the launch of the Visayan Pop Songwriting Campaign, a new crop of Vispop talents renewed the industry's hope in the genre. The genre established a fresh pop sound for modern Cebuano music. Various Vispop songs written partially in Cebuano and partially in other languages, primarily English and Tagalog, achieved mainstream success in the 2020s. In January 2023, Careless Music's Wavy Baby Festival in Cebu sparked backlash when they removed most of the Cebuano musical acts from their lineup. In light of the controversy, some individuals, such as Vincent Eco from the Vispop band The Sundown, decried the mainstream culture's perceived lack of respect towards Vispop artists.

Vispop is characterized by simple melodies and emotional, poetic lyricism. A November 2022 study by Mesiona et al. credits the balak, a traditional Cebuano art form, for the poetic qualities of the genre. Balak refers to spoken poetry, often used in courtship. Although it has largely fallen out of use among younger generations of Cebuanos, who deem the art form "cheesy", its legacy can be felt in the eloquence and sweetness of Vispop.

The term "Vispop" is simply derived from Visayan pop or Visayan popular music.^[1][2] Lorenzo "Insoy" Niñal, a member of the Visayan Pop Songwriting Campaign committee, said in 2019, "We have different languages in the Visayas. We accept that. We are sensitive to nuances, that's why it is [called] Bisaya, not Cebuano pop."^[3] In practice, however, the term Vispop is mainly used in reference to popular music written in the Cebuano language, not all Visayan languages.^[4][5][2][6]

In an interview with Kara Angan of Billboard Philippines, Boholano singer-songwriter Joseph Gara identified a "distinct Bisaya melody" common to Vispop songs. He said that the melody was simple and did not have many complicated elements. He attributed it to the loose structure of traditional Cebuano songs from which the genre evolved, noting that such songs lacked the rigid song structures of Western music.^[7] Ruben Almendras of The Freeman described Cebuano musicality as "a mixture of Asian, Spanish and Chinese influences".^[8]

A study published in December 2023 found that Cebuano lyrics in Vispop songs avoided using noun-forming suffixes, favoring noun-forming prefixes, although both inflectional morphemes exist in Cebuano. Cebuano lyrics in Vispop songs also avoided using adverb-forming affixes and negative affixes, but used verb-forming suffixes. Again, all of these morphemes exist in the language itself.^[9] Many Vispop songs, especially from the 2020s onward, use a mix of Cebuano and other languages, mainly English and Tagalog. In 2021, Maris Racal attributed her mixing of Cebuano lyrics with Tagalog to her fear that "not everyone would understand it" if she wrote a song exclusively in Cebuano.^[10] On the other hand, singer-songwriter Shoti, who is known for mixing Cebuano and English in his discography, said that he simply wants his songs to stand out from music that is wholly in either language.^[11]

Lyricism in Vispop songs, particularly in the oeuvre of Cebuano singer-songwriter Therese Villarante-Langit, has been described as poetic.^[12][13] Mesiona et al. identify contemporary Vispop lyrics' poetic qualities as the legacy of balak (spoken love poetry) culture in Cebu.^[12] In a feature about the largely Cebuano song "Day and Night" by the pop group Alamat, Acer Batislaong of Nylon Manila wrote that the Cebuano language adds "an extra touch of romance and allure" to music.^[14] Although she has not written any songs in Cebuano, the popular singer-songwriter Mrld credits the Vispop genre for molding her emotionally resonant lyricism and folksy artistry.^[15]

Spanish colonization of the Philippines introduced the Visayans to Western musical traditions. In the 17th century, the Spanish historian Francisco Ignacio Alcina wrote that the Visayans learned to play Spanish musical instruments with "notable skill". Spanish musical instruments such as the Spanish guitar and harp became widely used in the Visayas, supplanting indigenous instruments. The Spaniards influenced the musical styles within the region.^[16]

Modern Cebuano music first took shape in the 20th century. Its production began to flourish in the early 1900s, owing to the rise of zarzuelas (Spanish-style musical plays) written in Cebuano. In the 1920s to the 1970s, the release of songs such as "Kasadya Ning Taknaa" (lit. 'Happy is This Hour') in 1933 and "Matud Nila"(lit. 'They Say') in 1941 further bolstered modern Cebuano music.^[17] In 1938,^[17] the song "Rosas Pandan" was originally written for one such zarzuela, composed by Domingo "Minggoy" Lopez, with a libretto by Pio "Piux" Cabajar,^[a] son of Cebuano revolutionary Justo Cabajar.^[18][19] In the 1970s, Levi Celerio translated "Rosas" into Tagalog, removing the non-lexical vocables "ayay", "ayayay", "tigadong", and "tikadong" from Cabajar's original Cebuano lyrics.^[18] In an opinion piece, journalist Ruben Almendras remarked that the song lost its "oomph" and cadence as a result.^[8] Pilita Corrales first officially released the song in Tagalog. However, a Cebuano version was later released to honor Corrales' Cebuano heritage. Although the Cebuano version was officially released later than Celerio's Tagalog translation, many people now recognize "Rosas" as a Cebuano or Visayan song.^[18]

Cebuano musicians were highly sought after by Manila-based music labels such as Villar Records.^[16] Max Surban, dubbed "the King of Visayan Song", and Yoyoy Villame, who both produced songs in Cebuano, were at the height of their fame in the 1970s.^[17] In the same decade, Cebuano musicians Tony Blanco, Cacal Blanco, and Mel Libre made it to the top ten of the First Jingle Magazine Songwriting Contest. According to Libre, a Cebuano rock band called Odds & Ends pre-dated Pinoy rock.^[20] In the 1980s, the popularity of MTV, an American musical channel that exclusively played American and non-Cebuano songs, shifted music preferences among Cebuanos. Patronage towards Cebuano music declined. The 1990s saw the formation of Cebuano rock bands Local Ground and Mango Jam. However, they wrote their songs in English, not Cebuano.^[17]

In the early 2000s, Bisrock bands who sang in Cebuano grew in popularity. Local radios played their songs frequently, contributing to a brief rise in patronage towards Cebuano-language music.^[17] Missing Filemon, a band described by Nile Villa of Rappler as "one of the pillars of the Bisrock community", released their debut album in 2003.^[1] In 2009, the prolific composer Jude Gitamondoc pitched the idea of the Visayan Pop Songwriting Campaign, a contest for original compositions written in Cebuano, to Ian Zafra, Lorenzo "Insoy" Niñal, and Cattski Espina of Artists and Musicians Marketing Cooperative (Artist Ko), a creative collective based in Cebu. The inaugural contest took place in 2013, in cooperation with the Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (Filscap).^[21][22] In addition to the contest, Artist Ko offered songwriting workshops. In an interview for the event, Espina said, "I was alarmed at the realization that by default, local songwriters write in English." The festival outlined the following objectives:^[22]

1. to uplift the Cebuano language
2. to change the widespread mindset of belittling anything in the language, including music
3. to challenge the stereotype that all Cebuano music is strictly either Bisrock or comedic novelty songs, and produce more heavily pop-sounding Cebuano music

The festival helped introduce fresh Vispop talents to the region, including Kurt Fick, Lourdes Maglinte, Mandaue Nights, Jerika Teodorico,^[6] and Therese Villarante-Langit.^[b][12] These popular new Vispop artists brought "new hope" to the genre.^[6][17] Many Cebuano-speaking artists from the Mindanao region, such as the band Oh! Caraga, whose members hail from Caraga, Maris Racal from Davao, and KZ Tandingan, also from Davao, consider themselves to be Vispop artists.^[23][24][2] In the late 2010s, however, a distinct pop music movement emerged in Mindanao, simply called Mindanao Pop or Minpop, with the goal to "hyper-localize" songs to the region, although some Minpop songs still use the Cebuano language.^[25]

In 2017, the Filipino-American artist Karencitta released the single "Cebuana", a dance pop song with lyrics written in a mix of Cebuano and English. The song had a transformative impact on the Vispop genre.^[26] The 2020s saw a significant increase of Vispop hits in mainstream Philippine music, most of which are written in a mix of Cebuano and other languages, primarily English and Tagalog. In September 2021, Maris Racal released a pop-rock single about heartbreak titled "Asa Naman" (lit. 'Where'), which featured verses in Tagalog and choruses in Cebuano. She explained that Rico Blanco, her partner at the time, encouraged her to write a full song in Cebuano. However, she was "worried that not everyone would understand it", so she decided to write the song partially in Tagalog.^[10] The song won "Best Regional Recording" at the 35th Awit Awards in 2022. In her partly Cebuano acceptance speech, Racal said, "We all know that when we write songs, we should write our truth, and part of my truth is that I'm born in Tagum, Davao. I grew up Bisaya!" She encouraged musicians to stop being afraid of writing songs in Philippine languages beyond Tagalog.^[27] Also in September 2021, Felip made his solo debut "Palayo" (lit. 'Walk Away'), a Vispop song about ending a toxic relationship.^[26]

In 2022, the English chorus of the song "LDR" by Jared Almendras, better known as Shoti, went viral on social media across the globe. In an August 2024 interview with Juno Reyes of Rappler, Shoti shared that he was shocked to hear the audience singing along to the Cebuano lyrics as well when he performed the song in Manila, assuming that they were only familiar with the English chorus that went viral. He said, "I'm always gonna be putting Bisaya and English together in all my songs."^[11]

In October 2022, Gitamondoc alluded to "Manila organizers[...] gearing up their machinery to stage multiple music festivals during Sinulog Week", and urged Cebuanos to stand by the Visayan Pop Songwriting Campaign despite their lack of "clout" and funding. He wrote, "We will not be forever relegated to the sidelines. We will not be a mere afterthought in a scheme to please the locals. We will not remain just front acts to Manila's main event."^[28] On December 6, 2022, Careless Music announced that it would stage the Wavy Baby Festival in Cebu amid Sinulog festivities in January 2023.^[29] The festival was marketed as "the first of its kind" for Sinulog. Kara Angan of Rappler noted that the Cebuano music acts were billed at the bottom of Wavy Baby's promotional poster, below foreign and Manila-based acts.^[28] The festival sparked backlash on social media when they removed most of the Cebuano music acts from the lineup. Vincent Eco from The Sundown, one of the Cebuano bands whose performances were canceled, was quoted as saying, "Yet again, [brands] will hold concerts in Cebu but Cebu bands were made disposable."^[30]

James Reid, co-founder of Careless, issued an apology to Cebuano music acts The Wonggoys, Three Legged Men, The Sundown, and Sepia Times on Instagram. He said, "Thank you for allowing us to come to your hometown and throw this amazing experience. I promise to make it up to you." The company released a separate statement, saying that they personally reached out to the Cebuano acts involved. Eventscape Manila, one of the festival's producers, issued another statement blaming the removal of Cebuano acts from the lineup on inclement weather and logistical difficulties.^[30] Writing for Rappler, Kara Angan criticized Wavy Baby for "capitaliz[ing] on [Cebuanos'] cultural festival yet remov[ing] a platform for Cebuanos to showcase their experiences through music". Angan suggested that the incident illustrates how the cultural, economic, and social divide between Manila and the Visayas and Mindanao regions manifests in all aspects, even music.^[28]

In June 2023, the multilingual P-Pop boy group Alamat released "Day and Night", with lyrics in Cebuano, English, and Tagalog.^[14] The song was co-written by the famed Vispop singer-songwriter Villarante-Langit.^[31] In August 2023, Maymay Entrata released "Tsada Mahigugma". The title is a Cebuano phrase that translates to "It feels great to be in love", and is prominently featured throughout the song. Billboard Philippines included it in their end-of-year "Top Filipino Releases of 2023" list, a curated list of reader picks.^[32] In January 2024, Cebuano actor-singers Juan Karlos Labajo and Kyle Echarri released "Kasing Kasing" (lit. 'Heart'), a Vispop ballad that is fully in Cebuano. Labajo and Echarri initially planned to write the song in Tagalog, but decided to write it in their native language instead. They shared that they felt Cebuano music lacked representation in the Philippines' mainstream music industry. In an interview, Echarri said, "We wanted to show how Bisaya people are with our language with how we express our emotions[...]," adding that the two hoped to normalize using Cebuano in songs.^[33][34]