It’s Monday, and you know what that means: another music track to start your week!
When I was about 18 years old, I hung out with a group of mostly Filipino American men who were all great singers and loved harmonizing together at karaoke. (I guess all the parties with our parents as kids rubbed off on us a bit.) It was thanks to them that I started really paying attention to popular Filipino American musicians on YouTube, including today’s artist: Gabe Bondoc.
Gabe Bondoc is perhaps one of the most prolific Filipino American YouTube artists that gained popularity in that era, with several full-length albums alongside his numerous YouTube videos and collaborations with other FilAm artists like Melissa Polinar, Jeremy Passion, and Jesse Barrera. Like many other FilAm artists, he hails from the San Francisco Bay Area (which makes that collaboration possible!). Gabe Bondoc continues to enjoy success both locally and worldwide.
Fun (and slightly embarrassing) fact: because I made a habit of listening to this album pretty much everyday when the pandemic began (and haven’t really stopped), my Spotify Wrapped for 2021 informed me that Gabe Bondoc was my top artist for the year. But that’s not all: I was actually in the top 0.01% of Gabe Bondoc’s listeners for 2021, with a total listening time of 2,796 minutes.
So, you know, naturally I think he’s just okay. /s
Today’s track, “More,” is a fun and catchy song–upbeat enough to get me going in the morning, but not so energetic as to feel saccharine when I’m in one of those bad Monday moods.
Even more embarrassing fact: all five of my top songs for 2021 were from this album. That should tell you all you need to know!
Enjoy and have a delightful Monday!
Riffs on the Reg 