Bayang Barrios: folk music for millennials
Bayang Barrios needs no introduction.
But for millennials, she might.
Bayang is an acclaimed singer-songwriter, a Manobo discovered at age 19 by Joey Ayala and recruited as a singer and dancer for his group Ang Bagong Lumad.
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A voice that will reduce you to tears
Her vocals remain one of the most distinctive ever: strong and heartfelt and capable of reducing you to tears without your knowing it.
Her fifth and most recent album entitled “Malaya” features covers of contemporaries she calls her musical idols. These include the iconic folk group Asin, singer-songwriter Gary Granada and Joey Ayala.
It is her attempt at giving props to songs that meant so much to her and which she would now like to re-introduce to a younger audience.
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Old songs for a new audience
Asin’s “Gising na Kaibigan,” Bayang’s personal favorite since her high school days in Mindanao, sounds like she’s rousing either her dormant muse or the sleeping giant in OPM.
Bayang revises Gary Granada’s “Iiisa” into a light rock duet with the songwriter himself.
She transforms Joey Ayala’s “Bata Batuta” into a poignant ode to street children and offers a lullaby for the working man in “Pahinga Muna.” She also sends “Ipagbunyi sa Mundo” to an ethnic/world music joyride then takes hubby Mike Villegas’ “Naghahari” to a trip around the reggae pop sphere.
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Bayang goes DIY
The album itself is Bayang’s full immersion in the DIY ethos. She’s the main performer, producer and its chief marketing and promotions person. She says she designed the album cover herself.
She relates, “It’s already tough raising the money to produce the album. I would use part of the proceeds from my irregular shows to convene the musicians for recording sessions. So it took two years to make.”
When I interviewed her at the Conspiracy Bar in Quezon City, the staff was busy inserting sleeves on CD copies of the album. On another table lay the poster for the album to be installed in outlets of a leading music store.
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Call to action on Facebook
This is the usual way indie releases are sold: in venues where the artist gigs.
Luckily, Bayang’s new album is also sold on iTunes.
She recalls, “While producing 'Malaya,' people came up to me asking if I needed any anything. When the album came out, I posted on FB something like, ‘Mga
kapitbahay, ang hirap pala mag-promote ng sarili mo!’ Almost immediately, the press responded and I told them to at least review the album for its merits. Promotion na rin yun!”
The album had a successful launch at ‘70s Bistro where most of the respected names in the alternative music scene attended to show their support.
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Support from original artists and session musicians
Also supportive were the artists whose songs she covered and the musicians that played on the album.
Songwriters were gracious enough to lend their masterpieces to Bayang for, well, a song. And sessionistas were more than willing to put their time and talent for less than the usual compensation for their services.
Those who helped out during the recording of the album included some of the best OPM musicians in town such as Kakoy Legaspi, Louie Talan, Sammy Asuncion, Wendell Garcia and Rommel de la Cruz.
Bayang Barrios’s “Malaya” is available on iTunes.
