1:43—K-Pop looks, OPM sound
By Maridol Ranoa-Bismark
For Yahoo! Southeast Asia
Don't let their looks deceive you.
1:43, which is made up of Anjo Resurreccion, Yuki Sakamoto, Gold Aquino, and Kim Nicolas may look like they're ready to break into a K-Pop song.
However, the boys of 1:43—the band behind "PINK (Pag-ibig Na Kaya?)" and "Sa Puso Ko'y Ikaw"—are all-Filipino. Make that "P-Pop."
The band's debut CD, "Time for Love," ranked No. 2 in Odyssey's Bestselling OPM Album list last April and No. 5 in AstroChart's Bestselling OPM Album rosters.
Kim himself can't believe that they've gotten this far in—for lack of a better term—record time. He said, "Parang noon lang I was a dancer. I was with my friends going to classes. Tapos wow! Kumakanta na ako!"
The secret lies in their packaging. Their manager Chris Cahilig realized how strong K-Pop's impact was on Pinoys. "It's unbelievable! Filipinos don't understand [their songs' lyrics] but they still patronize them!" Chris pointed out.
Thus, Chris asked himself: Why not come up with a group that looks K-Pop, then have them sing OPM?
Chris drew on his arsenal of media packaging tools. First, he dressed up the quartet. "It's not glossy like K-Pop. I shied away from shimmer and put on more color," he revealed.
People's curiosity gave way to loyalty when fans—girls especially—found out that the boys were actually local talents.
On July 22 and 23, 1;43 joins fellow MCA Music artists in "Music Comes Alive" at Eastwood Central Plaza and Venice Piazza, McKinley Hill, respectively. Both events start at 8 p.m.
