Tag Archives: career choices

Singer Career Step by Step in the Philippines

How to launch a singer career step by step in the Philippines? Sometimes when you thought you already know what to do, you would still put up a checklist that would guide you. Was it really that hard to launch a singer career? It often lies on the kind of passion you pour into it.

So you discovered that you can carry a tune. You are not tone deaf. And everyone around you is impressed at how your voice matched the music. And no matter how loud the karaoke machine is, you’re still in tune. How to launch a singer career step by step in the Philippines then?

Singer Career Step by Step in the Philippines
Screenshot from Musical Online’s YouTube channel

– Join a band for a singer career step by step in the Philippines

It sounded like a cliche on getting a singer career step by step in the Philippines. But I should know since I have been in a band myself. In case you didn’t know, years ago I was the lead vocalist for a Spanish rock band. It’s called Memento Mori. And we performed cover versions of mainstream hits like Metallica’s For Whom The Bell Tolls and Judas Priest’s Breaking The Law.

It got me into gigs I don’t usually get into. It also served as an opportunity to prove my versatility as an artist. My orientation may have been bel canto opera. But I enjoy other genres too. It inspired me strongly enough to front a band heavily influenced by rock music. I got to entertain fellow rock fans. And I get to do what I love most – singing.

Singer Career Step by Step in the Philippines
Screenshot from my YouTube channel

– Join a singing contest for singer career step by step in the Philippines

There are several singers and entertainers now that join contests not only to win. The exposure alone got them gigs that secured a singer career step by step in the Philippines. The main difference though with joining a band is that you get to strike out on your own. It also serves as an opening to be discovered. Singing in a different genre that more people can identify and relate to (like Top 40 Hits) gets the public’s attention.

But don’t do it for the sake of “relevance”. If you have been watching enough episodes of some singing contests like American Idol and The Voice, you know that some auditionees failed due to wrong song choice. Shift that situation to launching a singer career step by step in the Philippines and not everyone gets a second chance like in the Idol franchise. So sticking to your strengths would still be highly recommended. You wanted to prove that you can sing well? Sing songs from a genre that you are really good at.

I managed to get into a singing contest at Fisher Mall and get good reviews. I sang 2 songs that are available for you to enjoy. One is “The Impossible Dream”. The other is “This is the Moment”. Both songs are part of my standard playlist because I can sing both of them well. That is one of the crucial tips that you need to remember. You want to be remembered for a particular genre or repertoire, right?

Singer Career Step by Step in the Philippines
Image from my Facebook Fan Page

– Recordings for a singer career step by step in the Philippines

Be it a cover of a song or an original composition, having a clip to show around still works. I have an original composition, Wellfire’s “Hold Me”, on my Soundcloud account. Think of it as building your portfolio to have a singer career step by step in the Philippines. How can you explain best the proliferation of YouTube channels and stand alone websites of professional singers? Gigs and exposure work. But for future talent scouts, they would need documented proof of your talent too.

This brings me to other performances that I got cast into. Being a theater actor, I got cast in productions that showcased 2 of my talents. Add the bel canto training that I received early in my budding career. And you realize why I got cast into perhaps the longest running Filipino opera ever – Noli Me Tangere. Good thing some excerpts were uploaded on YouTube for everyone to see. It’s one of the strongest vocal performances so far in my career. And it served as the best reference for talent scouts everywhere that needed to see proof of my talent.

Singer Career Step by Step in the Philippines
Screenshot from Musicals Online’s YouTube channel

Finding success in a singer career step by step in the Philippines meant getting to earn from doing what you love. Don’t be easily discouraged when you don’t win contests. Capitalize on the exposure. Take advantage of the opportunity to record your own performances. It often serves 2 purposes. One is to observe where you need to improve. Two is to upload it online to market yourself for events that need performers.

Hopefully this article was of help to you. Chances are there are more tips to come. To get updated real-time with the latest articles, please like my official Facebook page, Kuya Manzano Fan Club. Follow me on Twitter @kuyamanzano too. Gracias!

What Career to Choose?

New year, new discoveries and new decisions to make. Making money is still a factor in most decisions made. At some point though, money should not be the end-all be-all of the decisions that you have been taking in life.

What Career to Choose?

Until now, sad to say, some folks still consider “following your passions” as a bad advice to follow. It reminded me of some students years ago that took up nursing courses because it’s where the money trail is. Yeah, for a time it was a sensible career move because medical personnel are often in demand abroad especially in the Middle East and in some parts of Europe. But then again the Philippines ended up with a surplus of nursing graduates that can’t pass the board exams and would end up taking just any job available.

Was it worth it to choose a course in college not based on your passions but based on what was then perceived as the profitable option? I can only say “Yes” if the person who decided can see himself doing nursing jobs for the next 10 years. And it did not dawn upon them that such an inconvenience would arise because they are so focused on the “now”, not “10 years from now”. In this age of instant gratification, some students actually wake up months later realizing it’s not the career that they wish to follow. Unfortunately, some realizations stay as lip service – always mentioned but never fulfilled.

It’s the kind of question that applies even to other college students and young urban professionals that discovered their passions but could not do anything beyond the discovery. Why? What’s stopping them? The possibility of not earning as much from it?

My friend had a friend that decided to swim against the current. She took a risk, ditched the idea of enrolling in a nursing course even if the money trail is still there at the time that she graduated from college and enrolled in a journalism course. The risk turned out to be worth it as she ended up having a decent career in local broadcast journalism. She got a job that’s related to her course and managed to follow her passion.

Now that is the tricky part about following your passion. You only realize that the risk was worth it months or years after plunging into it. But it’s unfair to give credit to luck. You worked hard for it too. And when you’re having fun doing something that you are passionate about, it feels less like work and more like a labor of love. It’s the kind of euphoria that artists and musicians don’t get from a 9-to-5 kind of job behind the cubicle.

Following your passions does not always have to mean not earning from it. It’s still a skill after all. Most aspiring writers found a way to revive their writing careers with the help of contractual writing jobs online. Of course the pay is not always lofty in the beginning but it’s how to learn to earn from your talents. It just takes a few months before some learn how to price their works (usually priced at a minimum of 500 words) and move on to writing even eBooks. Once they have saved enough for themselves, they learn how to put up their own websites and start earning from the ad placements. Well, some use their websites to sell their writing talents and end up landing writing jobs with some major publications. And it all started with the kind of courage that would ignore all skepticism and negative talk surrounding the person. In the end, all that is left for them to say is “I told you so”.

What Career to Choose?

Don’t worry. You don’t have to give up your day job just to follow your passions and start earning from it eventually. Most started accepting such gigs part-time anyway. Having something passionate to do can be very cathartic to individuals suffering from stress. The moment they discovered a way to earn from it, that’s when plans to go full-time begin ending with the cliche “This is always what I have wanted to do”.

Just remember. Saying “I want to do this” is different from “I do this”. You don’t always get to do what you want until you finally do it. It’s just like how different “I want to be a producer” from “I’m gonna be a producer” if you recall that line from the hit musical “The Producers“. Now since you have gone this far reading my advice, why don’t you click “Like” on my official Facebook page as well? Follow me on Twitter too @kuyamanzano. Much appreciated.