When’s the last time you discovered a new artist that you like? Perhaps you’ve been listening to the same artists for the longest time, then you’re definitely missing out.
Music can easily go viral these days, and yes, some of them are good, but you haven’t really heard of good music if you only listen to songs that trend online. In case you didn’t know, TikTok is not the only place where you can find new songs. There are tons of underrated artists out there that haven’t gone viral yet, but they sure know how to make amazing music! All you have to do is explore and broaden your musical horizons. Because once you listen to more diverse music, you'll no longer settle for mediocre tunes again.
Good thing PARCINQ knows just the right artist that would elevate your music taste!
Miguel Odron Brimming with talent and promise is Miguel Odron, a singer-songwriter raised in Manila. You might recognize him as one of the finalists of ”Idol Philippines” season 1, or maybe his first single “Chevy Cruze” left you an impression. But regardless of whether you’ve heard about him or not, expect to hear more from Miguel as he is just starting to make his way into the mainstream–right where he belongs.
Aside from his soothing vocals, Miguel puts a piece of his heart into every song that he creates, imbuing intense emotion in every lyric that he writes. His lyricism combined with the easy-flowing beats of his songs brings a fresh soundscape to the OPM scene.
What drew you to the music industry? How do you describe your creative process? For me, I’ve always just loved creating music, and obviously, I need the industry to be able to do that. There are a lot of things that I don’t like about the music industry, but I think what I’m enjoying now more than before is that I’m seeing a lot of originality and creativity. And all different kinds of people are being embraced more in the music scene, so I think that’s the most exciting thing about the music industry now. How do I describe my creative process? For me, it involves a lot of suffering because my songs are not the most lighthearted songs, but I think it involves a lot of living life and isolating and processing. So, my music to me isn’t just an expression of my musical ideas, it’s also like a healing process. So as I live my life, writing and singing goes hand in hand with what I do in my life.
Who’s your biggest musical influence? This is not usually the answer that I give. But for today, I really gotta say, my stepfather, Doni Hagen. He used to be a drummer–he’s still a drummer. He used to play for The Bar-Kays, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, and George Michael. So growing up in a household where he’s around and he’s always playing different kinds of music and kind of encouraging me to find my own sound; he really made me feel like this was a possible thing for me. Because I also grew up with a Filipino mom so, if you have a Filipino mom, the first hint of something unconventional, lawyer, doctor, or like a STEM degree, it’s like “Shut it down! We’re not gonna have that in the house.” But I think my stepfather made me feel like it was a path that was possible for me.
For those who just discovered your music, what song do you recommend them to listen to? That’s a hard one ‘cause everybody loves something different from my catalog, but I would say listen to ‘Chevy Cruze’ first. I feel like that’s the one I’m most proud of, I feel like that’s the one that’s more sonically me. If you're into something more senti, go for ‘Weed’ or ‘Still’. And then this is not my song, but I made a cover of ‘Lost In Love’, that’s my own production and I’m also really proud of that.
Are there any music genres you’d like to explore in your future music? Right now, I’m listening to a lot of Latin, Salsa, Bachata–those kinds of things. So I’m curious to see how that injects itself into the music I’m making in the future.
If you could go back in time to tell your 16-year-old self something, what would you say? “Chill, it’s okay. The world is not gonna end if you don't get it right now. Everything that you’re experiencing right now is meant for you to experience, so that you’re ready for when it happens. So, just chill and you’re exactly where you need to be.”
There's nothing like a refreshing getaway to clear your head and recharge. But where is the perfect destination for you? There’s this mountain top in Batangas called Gulugod Baboy. And I think it’s probably one of the most beautiful places on earth. So if I have the chance to go there, I’ll go. You can kind of see Manila, Taal, the ocean- you can see everything.
The world is a big place with so much to see. When you explore, do you ever find yourself getting inspired by your surroundings? How does that affect your creativity as an artist?
I think where I’m at and the place that I'm writing from, definitely affects how I write and how I produce. For example, Lost In Love. I did that in Siargao, so there’s an island vibe that injected itself into Lost In Love without me intending for it to happen. But I don't know, it’s not really something that I really think about that much. But it's curious to see it happen like when I hear the final product. “Oh I wrote that there, that makes sense.”
As an artist who’s loud and proud, what message would you like to give to someone who’s a part of the LGBTQ community and also dreams to become an artist in the future?
“Be brave. Be you. I think the world is changing and I think we are seeing a lot more faces that we haven't seen before, represented. And I think it's important for you to just be yourself and really listen to your own cues and try not to confine yourself into an idea of how you should be because of who you are. Just be yourself. Chase what you want to do, do you want to do, and be who you want to be.”
How was your photoshoot experience with PARCINQ? Wow. Like grabe, ang galing nilang lahat. And it's so crazy to be working with such a team na parang is so expressive about their ideas and parang allows me to also express my own. Grabe ang galing. All you need to do is look at the photos to know how the experience was.
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Photography by Rxandy Capinpin
Styling by Bryan Laroza
Grooming by Lars Cabanacan
Words by Shane Sy
Interview by Maryanne Roldan
Art by Joe Andy
Featuring Miguel Odron