LIKE THE Oppa Gangnam Style, the local music industry also has its share of widespread epidemic sa awiting kinanta (at take note, pagmamay-ari) ni Aimee (pronounced “ey-mee”) Torres na Pusong Bato. In fact, ang dating nasa ikapitong puwesto sa billboards has now placed third, kaya paano pa kaya kung ang unang kumanta nito ay siyang na-kabili ng rights to the song?
With a strong recall, mapa-bata, matanda, sosyal at jologs literally know the popular ditty by heart, but not necessarily by heart made of stone.
Admittedly, noong una’y baduy na baduy kami sa kantang ito, or was it because the first who sang it was Renato “Alon” de la Rosa? But Aimee gave it a different lilt and interpretation, idagdag pa ang kanyang hand and body movements that suit every line of the song.
Ngunit habang lumalaon, kakambal ng ‘di-matatawarang kasikatan ng awiting ito ang mga linyang tumatagos sa puso ng sinumang kumanta nito. Unconsciously these days, we find ourselves singing its chorus with loose lyrics.
But there’s more to Pusong Bato.
Higit sa lahat, nais ialay ni Aimee ang awiting ito sa apat na anak ng kanyang nasirang asawa not to be too hard on her. After all nga naman, Aimee—who was then active in showbiz—had to give up her career in the name of love and marriage.
Inalagaan niya ang noo’y maysakit na asawa until he passed away in 2007, if only for this ay dalangin ni Aimee na lumambot naman ang pusong bato ng mga kabataang ‘yon. Sa kanyang kuwelang live guesting sa Startalk nitong Sabado, maluha-luhang katwiran niya, “Pareho lang tayong nawalan ng mahal sa buhay.”
Bago rito’y napansin na namin ang pagiging artikulada ni Aimee. Accompanied by her parents to the GMA studio, nalaman namin that Aimee finished her primary and secondary schools at Sta. Isabel College and pursued a degree in MassCom at the Lyceum of the Philippines.
Matapos isalang sa panayam nina Joey de Leon at Lolit Solis, we went up to Aimee para sabihin sa kanya that instantly, she earned our admiration.
TAONG 2011 pa when TV5 made an omnibus AVP of its biggest, brightest and newest programs for 2012 at a Christmas party for the press. Isa rito ay ang Kanta Pilipinas which, back then, had no final choice para mag-host nito yet obviously, ang magiging soon-to-be Kapatid na si Sharon Cuneta would be the captain of the ship, so to speak.
All indications, after all, would not point to any other singing search host than Sharon whose last show on ABS-CBN was also along the same genre (that produced Angeline Quinto). And Sharon being the only—we suppose—Kapatid star na isang established singer, Kanta Pilipinas is, no doubt, right up her alley.
But don’t look now, the hosting job did not land on her lap kundi sa dating dyowa ng kanyang anak na si KC Concepcion na si Rico Blanco!
Medyo nalulungkot lang kami for Sharon who, we suppose, had expectations with her newfound home higher than what she pinned noong nasa ABS-CBN pa siya. Despite her millions-worth contract, parang hindi naman namin naramdaman ang kanyang pagiging “pirated” talent ng TV5 show, what with her celebrity talk show in an alanganing time slot notwithstanding.
Samantala, Kanta Pilipinas promises to be national in scope, embarking on a quest for the next generation’s singers that the entire nation can reckon with. Magsisilbing hurado sa search na ito si Maestro Ryan Cayabyab at si Lani Misalucha.
Pepperoni
by Ronnie Carrasco III
