The year 2020 is wrapping up but that doesn’t mean that the quest for discovering great music stops because despite countless obstacles and several setbacks, this year still showed that no pandemic could hinder the rich and rising Original Pilipino Music (OPM) to keep on flourishing.
In case you’ve missed it, here are some of the song releases from ABS-CBN Music that topped the charts, fueled inspiration, and owned Pinoys’ hearts in 2020:
1. “Paubaya” by Moira Dela Torre
This heart-wrenching single only dropped last October but has already amassed over 14.1 million streams on Spotify, over 40.5 million combined views on YouTube and Facebook, and has sparked courage among its listeners to share their sad but inspiring love stories on social media.
With beyond 2.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Moira was again named as the digital music platform’s most streamed female local artist in the Philippines for 2020—a feat she has held since 2018.
2. “Make It With You” by Ben&Ben
Local folk-pop band Ben&Ben never fails to capture the hearts of Filipinos, but its version of Bread’s “Make It With You”—released under Star Music and used as the theme song of the eponymous teleserye starring LizQuen—undoubtedly ruled 2020.
Garnering an impressive 52.9 million streams to date on Spotify, it was the second most streamed local song and the third most streamed song in the Philippines for 2020.
3. “Balang Araw” by Inigo Pascual
Being optimistic has been tough this year, but Inigo’s hope-filled track about believing in love’s perfect timing captivated listeners. “Balang Araw’s” heartwarming lyrics combined with its encouraging melody was enough to charm over 200,000 combined viewers and listeners on YouTube.
4. “Sana Tayo Na” by Darren Espanto and Jayda
The collaboration of two of the country’s most talented young singers may have caught their fans by surprise, but the success of their lovely track was predictable. At present, it boasts of over 634,000 Spotify streams, and its music video, which Darren and Jayda shot separately in Canada and the Philippines respectively, now has 1.1 million views on YouTube.
5. “Sabihin Mo Na Lang Kasi” by Zephanie
“Idol PH” grand winner Zephanie certainly owned 2020, given that aside from fulfilling her dream of being one of Himig’s interpreters, her music releases have also been embraced and loved by listeners. A great example is her single “Sabihin Mo Na Lang Kasi,” a melodramatic acoustic that highlighted her soft vocals which currently has over 461,000 streams on Spotify and combined YouTube views of more than 629,000.
6. “Chevy Cruze” by Miguel Odron
Released early this year, another “Idol PH” alum scored a hit with his debut single under ABS-CBN Music International titled “Chevy Cruze,” and that’s no other than Miguel Odron. Fans all over the world clearly resonated with his self-penned song born from a very personal experience, which has earned over 850,000 streams as of writing and has been streamed most in Thailand, USA, Indonesia, Singapore, Canada, Australia, and Japan, aside from the Philippines.
7. “Hindi Na Nga” by Sam Mangubat ft. KIKX
This empowering anthem off songwriter-producer KIKX’s “After Dark ‘The Final Hour’” EP is one that surely spoke to many who were struggling to let go of a lover that they once had, that’s why it’s a no brainer that it got more than 820,000 streams on Spotify alone, and 100,000 combined views on YouTube.
8. "HEAL" by Southeast Asian female artists
Perhaps one of the most profound projects initiated by ABS-CBN Music this 2020, "HEAL" brought not only inspiration but also aided Filipinos through #PantawidNgPagIbig during a trying time. The song, which united Filipino pride Jayda, Jona, Kyla, KZ Tandingan, Lesha, Moira Dela Torre, and Xela with Indonesian singers Rinni Wulandari and Yura Yunita, Malaysian artists DOLLA and Shalma Eliana, Singaporean talents Haneri and Haven, and Thai artist Valentina Ploy has currently racked up over 430,000 streams on Spotify since its release last September, and recorded more than 80,000 combined views on YouTube.
9. "RISE" by Eric Bellinger, Inigo Pascual, Sam Concepcion, Moophs, Zee Avi, and Vince Nantes
Another groundbreaking collaboration, Tarsier Records' "RISE" birthed the teamup of Asian and American artists for a cross-cultural track that aims to encourage people to band together in overcoming life's many adversities. An animated music video of the song honoring 2020's biggest heroes has also been released and the single has so far earned 430,000 streams on Spotify.
Bring these songs with you in welcoming the upcoming New Year by listening to them on various digital music streaming services. For updates, like Star Music on Facebook (www.facebook.com/starmusicph) and follow it on Twitter and Instagram (@StarMusicPH).