Johnoy Danao: Music is its own reward
Indie musician Johnoy Danao shoots two birds with one stone. He indulges his passion while promoting another: love of country.
Johnoy's songs are in Filipino for two reasons. First, he expresses himself best in his mother tongue. Second, he hopes that one day, when foreigners do sit up and notice, they will also ask the inevitable: What do the lyrics mean?
It happened with Freddie Aguilar's "Anak," which has been translated into a couple of foreign languages and continues to play all over the world.
Johnoy is crossing his fingers could happen to him as well. And when it does, he'll be ready with the translation and the chance to promote the Filipino language to the farthest corners of the globe.
The Masbate native's feel-good composition, "Ulan," is reminiscent of the Apo's "Pumapatak na Naman ang Ulan." "Aking Giliw," which a very much in love Johnoy wrote for his inamorata, is as personal as personal can be.
The close-to-the heart angle is one reason Johnoy will not rant and rave if his all-original album doesn't zoom straight to the charts as fans would want it to. Personal satisfaction, he says is more important. Public approval is fine with him. But it's not the be-all and end-all of his career.
"I'm not here for the bright lights," he says. "Music is my life."
And because this is so, Johnoy would rather focus on his music, not on himself.
This is also why Johnoy would rather release his album via his own indie label, WombWorks. He can call the shots -- cut out the personal intrigues and needless promo gimmicks and focus on good old music Juan dela Cruz can sing along to.
The public doesn't seem to mind. It has crowned Johnoy as "the Philippines' Best-Kept Secret" because of his popular online podcasts. Johnoy and Mo Twister's "Good Times, Acoustic" podcast became number one, six episodes after it piloted last March.
Success hardly affected the soft-spoken Johnoy, who went to the Yahoo! Philippines office in a plain white shirt and a pair of dark maong pants. He could have faded into the background had it not been for that cool, suave voice that rose and fell to the tune of "Ulan" and the soothing sound of his guitar. That voice can also yodel like a singer is expected to — with melody and all.
But Johnoy won't change his simple, low-key ways the way other artists do once they hit the jackpot in the big city. His busy schedule may keep him from going back to his roots, but Johnoy's heart will always seek out his beloved Masbate.
"It was there where I first heard the folk songs that form part of my musical influences," he relates. When he went to Manila to study college in UP Diliman, Johnoy discovered the likes of Eraserheads and Coldplay, and added them to his growing list of influences. James Taylor also played a big part in shaping Johnoy's music.
This means that like a chameleon, Johnoy can assume any music persona he wants and be comfortable with it. More important, he'll be happy doing it.
Happiness begets happiness. Johnoy's joy will infect his audience as well. And that, he — and any artist will tell you — is something the highest sales records and the most glaring klieg lights — can't buy.
