Bamboo insists: No favoritism on 'Voice PH'

MANILA – Rocker Francisco “Bamboo” Mañalac reiterated that he does not play favorites in choosing which contestant would advance in his team in “The Voice of the Philippines.” Mañalac drew flak in the past weeks after he chose Makati-based singer Lee Grane over Marikina-born band vocalist Dan Billano, and when he picked acoustic singer Paolo Onesa over the father-and-son duo of Mark and Willy Cordovales to advance in the Battle Round of the hit reality talent competition. In an interview with ABS-CBN News on Wednesday, Mañalac said he is always a coach first to all of his team members and favoritism has no place in Kamp Kawayan. “Like I always say, people are confusing you as a judge as a coach. I always say I am a coach first. It’s about making an artistic connection with someone. It’s about having an artistic connection with someone. Importante iyon, hindi puwedeng black and white lang,” he said. Mañalac said if there’s one person who knows his team members, it would be him because he spends a lot of time with them during rehearsals. While it is hard for him as a coach to pit his members against each other, Mañalac said it is always his aim to let them shine individually. “I spend a lot of time with my guys, I love my team. I’ll fight for all 13. Yes, may hard choice kami kaya nga mahirap eh. You put both singers in a position na they’ll both shine. At the end of the day, ang goal ko lang naman is pareho silang lumipad,” he said. “To get to a decision, iba na iyon. It’s a tough thing to do. Pero again, coach first ako. I have to say, the 13 artists I have on my team, I will continue to coach them. It does not end there for them. That’s why I’m on this show,” he added.

Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/08/08/13/bamboo-insists-no-favoritism-voice-ph

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Bamboo makes a surprising 'Voice PH' choice

MANILA, Philippines – Rocker Bamboo Manalac went against his fellow coaches when he picked acoustic singer Paolo Onesa over the father-and-son duo of Mark and Willy Cordovales as the Battle Round of “The Voice of the Philippines” continued on Sunday. Onesa was obviously surprised when Manalac chose him after their performance of the Apo Hiking Society’s “Panalangin,” especially after coaches Lea Salonga and apl.de.ap chose the Cordovales duo. “Naaliw ako sa mga galaw ng mag-ama,” apl.de.ap said. Musician Joey Ayala, who is helping Manalac, even acknowledged that the Cordovaleses have the advantage because of their “natural harmonies.” But Manalac eventually chose Onesa, which he declared as one of the dark horses in the hit TV talent competition. “I believe in you,” he told the contestant. “Just believe in yourself.”

Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/08/04/13/bamboo-makes-surprising-voice-ph-choice

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Bamboo says he will never go into acting: “That will never happen with me. Sorry’

Aside from being one of the judges of the premiere season of The Voice of the Philippines, singer Bamboo has also been busy with his August 17 concert at the Araneta Coliseum with Yeng Constantino entitled By Request. Bamboo shared that their show has a very unique concept because they will be performing songs requested by their fans online. “I think that’s the fun part. I always do major shows but what excites me about this whole project is yung buong set list is made by the fans. Every single song. I refuse to do any song that I’ve done unless they request it and they put a twist to it so I expect to be doing covers. If I’m going to do originals, there has to be a bit of a twist, may bago dapat. I encourage people to sort of be creative also. I think that’s the kind of landscape we sort of live in these days, na ang sarap ngayon. Napaka-reactive natin ngayon eh. we do something tapos yung reaction ng tao makukuha mo na kagad which is amazing,” he shared. With over 180,000 followers on Twitter, Bamboo said he has already compiled a long list of song requests for the show. “I have 120 pages full of requests because I save everything on Twitter. And that was just for the first question pa lang and I think we’re going to be giving a series of questions every week. This list was for when we fed them one question pa lang on what rock song they want us to sing. May nakuha na akong iba dun. I’ll just filter that and move on to the next one,” he said. Unlike his contemporaries in the music industry like Rico Blanco and Marc Abaya who have both branched out into acting, Bamboo said he does not see himself crossing over to that field. “That will never happen with me, sorry (laughs). I guess I know what I’m good at, I know what I’m comfortable with. I’ll never say never but I’m almost 99.9% sure. Maybe for a film, I’ve done a film with Rivermaya but still we were singing as a group, no acting involved, that sort of thing. In The Voice of the Philippines, all natural for me because we aren’t acting at all. It’s just me being me, all genuine 100% and that’s all I expect for myself. But to be someone else, I don’t know. I have to have a director I can trust for film. For TV I don’t know, I can’t handle the hours. I enjoy what I do too much which is singing, performing and songwriting. That’s what I live and breathe for and having my own time,” he explained. Dubbed as the “Philippine Prince of Rock” Bamboo said there has never been a shortage of offers for him to try out acting, but he always chose to prioritize his music. “Of course there’s been offers. It’s always been there but I’ve always said no and I’ve even gotten scripts for certain things and I guess when the right thing comes along and if I feel I’m mature enough that I can handle it then why not but right not now, today 99.9%. but I doubt it because I love what I do. Ngayon pa lang I’m so swamped. I’m doing so much already so I can’t imagine finding time to do anything else. And when I do something I want to be 100% in. Ayokong daanan lang yan eh. I’m not that kind of guy. I’m not that kind of artist. I don’t want a paycheck. I want something that’s going to fulfill me so yun ang importante sa akin,” he explained.

Source: http://push.abs-cbn.com/features/9630/bamboo-says-he-will-never-go-into-acting-that-will-never-happen-with-me-sorry/

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Voice PH: Meet Team Bamboo's pretty girls

MANILA -- "Bamboo Manalac has eyes on the back of his head," became a running joke among the coaches in the latter part of the Blind Auditions of "The Voice of the Philippines." As in the global format of the hit reality talent search, coaches cannot see the auditioning artists in the first phase of the competition. But Manalac, somehow, ended up turning his chair for female hopefuls who his fellow coaches referred to as "pretty." While not all of them picked the 35-year-old rock icon as their coach, Manalac nonetheless recruited eight ladies who can impress with both their talent and looks. Pretty girls Among these "pretty girls" is (1) Deb Victa, a 21-year-old account manager who impressed Manalac to become his first recruit. She is joined in the same team by (2) Isa Fabregas, a 24-year-old marketing assistant and theater actress. Professional singer (3) Lee Grane, 28, whose name became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter after her Blind Auditions performance, is also part of Team Bamboo; as is (4) Angelique Alcantara, a 17-year-old student from Samal Island. Manalac also found "pretty" team members in Bacolod City's (5) Angelica Prado, 24, who balances time between being a band singer and a college student; and Batangas-born (6) Nicole Parada, a 23-year-old telephone banker. Music student (7) Talia Reyes, 21, and pre-schol art teacher (8) Denise Saguan, 35, complete Manalac's stable of female artists. Boys in, too Not to be outdone in talent are Team Bamboo's male bets to win "The Voice" title. Myk Perez (9), a 22-year-old singer from Palawan, and the father-and-son duo (10) Willy and Mark Cordovales, were among the first male recruits of Manalac. Completing the rock icon's team of 13 members are (11) Paolo Onesa, a 19-year-old student from Zamboanga City; (12) JP Duka, a 28-year-old radio DJ from Davao City; and (13) Dan Pillo, a 30-year-old band vocalist from Marikina City. Starting Sunday, July 28, Manalac is bringing his recruited artists -- female and male -- to the Battle Rounds of "The Voice of the Philippines." Two to three artists from the same team will be pitted against each other by their coach to trim down the number of members by half. The artist in each pairing or grouping who will best impress Manalac will move on to the Live Shows.

Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/07/27/13/voice-ph-meet-team-bamboos-pretty-girls

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Will Bamboo record an album with Yeng?

MANILA - "The Voice of the Philippines" coach Bamboo Mañalac said he is open to the idea of recording an album with pop-rock singer Yeng Constantino. Mañalac is set to share the stage with Constantino in a show billed as "By Request" at the Araneta Coliseum on August 17. In an interview during a press conference for their upcoming concert, Mañalac said he would love to record an album with Constantino, but quickly added that it "has to come naturally." "Ako rin [gusto ko]. Why not? Yeah, I mean, I always say keep it organic, keep it natural. Kung may masulat siya, kung may masulat ako, and we say na 'o, bagay siya,' why not? It has to come naturally... medyo [dapat] hulog ng langit," he said. Constantino agreed, saying that their music will come "at the right time." "Mararamdaman 'yon. Tapos right timing, right song. Kapag nilabas mo 'yon, alam mo lang. Agree ako sa kanya, na hindi siya something na ipipilit. Kung ako ang tatanungin, gusto ko 'yon," said Constantino, who is the first winner of the "Pinoy Dream Academy" reality singing contest. In their upcoming concert "By Request," Mañalac and Constantino will be performing songs suggested by their social media followers.

Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/07/26/13/will-bamboo-record-album-yeng

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How Yeng-Bamboo concert materialized

MANILA – Singer Yeng Constantino revealed she never thought she would one day share the stage of the Araneta Coliseum with “The Voice of the Philippines” coach Bamboo Manalac. In an interview with entertainment website Push.com.ph, Constantino said Manalac is among her idols in the music industry. “Ang gusto ko sa kanya, rehearsal pa lang performance level na. Walang rehearsal sa kanya. Hindi siya 'yung parang pag nag-re-rehearse tapos kakantakantahin lang niya 'yung song. Kakantahin niya yun kung paano niya kakantahin ng live,” she said. “Sobrang galing niya. Gusto ko talaga pagkanta niya, ino-own niya talaga 'yung song. Talagang version ni Bamboo 'yun. Hindi ka ma-ko-confuse na sinong nag-cover niyan? Alam mo na siya,” she added. According to Constantino, the idea for them to stage a concert together came up after they rehearsed “Here Comes the Rain” for “ASAP 18.” “Nung rehearsal namin nun sobrang natameme ako nung kumanta si Bamboo kasi sobrang galing niya. 'Yung presentation ni Sir Bamboo parang kakainin ka kung wala kang sapat na lakas ng loob o 'yung presence mo hindi rin ganun kalakas, kakainin ka talaga,” she admitted. The first “Pinoy Dream Academy” winner added she had to overcome her nerves to keep up with Manalac. As their concert nears, Constantino said she is slowly feeling the pressure about performing at the Big Dome. “Siguro may part ng heart ko nana-pe-pressure pero I just want to leave it sa management and promotion team. Kasi kung pati 'yun iisipin namin, ang dami na namin iniisip like 'yung line-up ng mga songs, 'yung pag-mo-monitor ng mga request ng mga tao sa Twitter and kung isama pa namin 'yun baka sumabog na 'yung mga puso namin sa kaba,” she explained. Constantino and Manalac’s concert titled “By Request” is set to be held on August 17. They will be performing songs suggested by their social media followers.

Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/07/24/13/how-yeng-bamboo-concert-materialized

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What Bamboo is looking for in 'The Voice'

MANILA – Rocker Francisco “Bamboo” Manalac, one of the coaches of “The Voice of the Philippines,” believes the upcoming singing competition “stands out” from other talent searches. In an interview with “The Buzz” on Sunday, Manalac said he is very proud to be part of the show’s judges because he will be able to take part in honing a singer who could possibly be the country’s next superstar. “It’s an experience. Marami nang dumaang singing competitions diyan. But ‘The Voice’ is truly a stand out because it looks for artistry. You have to have that quality and that voice,” he said. Aside from Mañalac, also sitting as coaches are Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, singer-actress Sarah Geronimo and Apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas. “Iba-iba 'yung mga taste namin. I look for a specific tone and a certain quality, how they attack the song. They have to connect to the lyrics. A lot of people can sing here. But it’s different when you hear the singer connect, that’s something special. 'Yun ang hinahanap ko,” he said. According to “The Buzz” co-host Toni Gonzaga, who also hosts "The Voice of the Philippines," the rocker was moved to tears after hearing the “beautiful voice” of a contestant. “Napakahirap na out of the hundreds of singers, pipili lang kayo ng konti. I can’t act eh, I just do my thing lang. Whatever you see, that’s from the heart,” Manalac about the incident. Asked if it is possible for a singer to fake an emotion, he said: “It is possible. I’ve been doing it for a long time. At some point, there are days na you have it. Minsan you don’t have it, you’re in somewhere else but you have to deliver.” “The audience doesn’t know what’s happening in your life. It’s all about the song, that’s the bottom line. Even if I don’t feel it, I have to make them understand it,” he said. "The Voice of the Philippines" is set to air on ABS-CBN on June 15. It will be hosted by celebrity sisters Toni and Alex Gonzaga and former "Pinoy Big Brother" housemate Robi Domingo.

Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/06/09/13/what-bamboo-looking-voice

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Sarah Geronimo dismisses possibility of being linked to Bamboo Manalac

The Voice of The Philippines coaches Sarah Geronimo and Bamboo Manalac rocked the ABS-CBN summer trade event as they performed powerful renditions of “Just Give Me A Reason” and “Iris” aside from their solo numbers. Despite being known for their respective genres in music, they blended so well together on stage. “Iba naman yung aming genre. Mga music naman kami. Iba kasi talaga yung energy ni Bamboo. Sobrang contagious. Nakakahiya na maging statwa ka kapag katabi mo siya,” she said in an interview with Push.com.ph, SIR, and The Buzz at the NBC Tent. The two did a similar duet on ASAP last Sunday, May 5, and Sarah said that she’s open to doing more collaborations with Bamboo. When asked how she feels about the possibility of being romantically linked to her fellow coach, Sarah was quick to say that she respects the fact that he’s already a family man. “Hindi [ako natatakot ma-link sa kanya]. Bakit naman? Wala naman dapat ika-link. Diyos ko, may asawa po yung tao. Huwag naman [isali] yung personal na buhay ni Coach Bamboo,” she added. If anything, Sarah said she enjoys the friendly rivalry among her fellow coaches during the blind auditions for The Voice of The Philippines. “Alam mo ang ganda ng working relationship namin, yung rapport naming mga coaches. Nakakatawa si Ms. Lea (Salonga), yung approach niya strict na cool pa rin. Tsaka naenjoy ko rin yung mga lokohan. Kailangan kasi i-hard sell mo sarili mo sa gusto mong auditionees.” Although being tough and competitive proved to be challenging for the Popstar Princess, she said she’s determined to be the best coach for her team members. “Oo, kailangan eh. Hindi naman ako ganon ka-competitive. Nahirapan ako dun pero kailangan talaga. Hindi ko naman ito future, future ito ng ibang tao. Lahat ng teams maraming may mga malalaking potential na maging [singing sensations].” Sarah sad that she can’t wait for viewers to see the exciting happenings in the show. “Ang dami kong natutunan mula sa auditionees. Napaka-emotional at victorious din sa mga naging part ng team. Very excited kami sa magiging career nila na maguumpisa dito.”

Source: http://push.abs-cbn.com/features/9318/sarah-geronimo-dismisses-possibility-of-being-linked-to-bamboo-manalac/

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