Although it was already a given that Justin Beiber’s World Tour concert in Manila was one of the most awaited events of the season. The fact that Justin’s concert provided a venue to showcase another Filipino talent, Legaci, made young Pinoy girls’ shrieks louder, and their applause, even more forceful.
Upon his arrival in Manila last May 11, the teen sensation expressed how elated he was to be doing a concert in the country with the “talented,” all-Filipino group, Legaci, as his back-up singers for the rest of his World Tour concert.
Showing modesty amid his apparent trending status, the young heartthrob said that he “admires” the talent of Legaci that is why he likes to give the former their own spot number during his concerts to show people their skills. He went on and said during the press conference that Legaci were “cool guys,” and wrote over his Twitter account that “it’s all about @legacimusic 2nite. MANILA!!”
During the concert, Justin did introduce Legaci, taking the opportunity to share with fans something he had in common with the band: having been discovered on Youtube doing renditions of popular songs.
Legaci took center stage and greeted their kababayans, mentioning that they have “never been more proud” to say that they are all Filipinos. The quartet then followed it up with a soothing a capella medley of pop songs that included Usher’s Oh My Gosh and DJ’s Got Us Falling In Love, Train’s Hey Soul Sister, Taio Cruz’s Dynamite, Katy Perry’s Firework, and Bruno Mars’s Grenade, which all got the fans jumping up and singing along.
With their many renditions, it was Legaci’s cover of Baby by Justin Beiber, that got the attention of Beiber’s manager, Scooter Braun, who called and offered them to perform along with one of his famous discovery—Justin Beiber. After receiving the call, Legaci was sent to New York to join Justin live on MTV and on New York’s top pop radio station Z100. Mr. Braun is also currently working with Legaci on a record deal.
In an interview with the New York Times, Mr. Braun revealed that picking up a band from Youtube played a big role on why he has chosen Legaci, who are originally based in Northern California, and is composed of members: Chris Abad, 28, Delfin Lazaro, 28, Micah Tolentino, 30, and Dominic Manuel, 28.
Braun said that he “absolutely loved” Legaci’s performance and that he “really wanted someone to be in the band who was from Youtube, so that Justin could give something back to the community that gave so much to him.”
The break was really a dream come true for the band, which have to go through a series of trials to get to where they are today.
During their early days as artists, Legaci performed in parties, cultural events, and competitions all over California. They also released several albums: Little Black Book in 2006 and Sessions (EP) in 2007.
The band also had their fair share of negative responses when they decided to try out on different American talent shows like American Idol, America’s Got Talent, MTV’s Top Pop Group, and The Sing Off. After a series of being let down, Legaci members have become aware on how hard it was for Asian-Americans to get a break in the American entertainment industry despite having the talent for music.
Legaci refused to be disheartened. They then turned to Youtube for their voices to be heard—which turned out to be the best decision they have ever made. It was through Youtube that Legaci was able to flaunt their knack for music that they owe much to their Filipino roots.
Believing that Pinoy culture is all about performing, Chris Abad said that their Filipino parents have inculcated music into their lives even when they were still young. He further mentioned that “in the Philippines, there’s a cover band in every restaurant, in every club. Everybody knows how to play the guitar.”
With hopes for Asian-Americans to one day be accepted by the American mainstream, Legaci is fulfilling their dreams a step at a time not only by being exposed on tour with Justin, but also appearing with him on television shows as well like Saturday Night Live (SNL), The View, The Today Show, and on Show Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Grateful for the opportunity given to them by Justin’s management team, Micah Tolentino said in the same interview that even if the people will only recognize them as Justin Beiber’s backup singers, they are still “proud to be out there, to show the world that Asian-Americans are talented.”
(www.asianjournal.com)
(OCIE May 13-19, 2011 RedCarpet pg.2)
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