There’s this obsession among local musicians for the Tagalog word paraluman, which is understandable as it is one referring to “a woman who inspires you artistically.”
Old history claims it is a favorite word among Filipino poets of the early 19th century, while the current generation’s affection for the word had to do with Ely Buendia’s clever use in an Eraserheads classic after he described someone from his childhood as looking like Paraluman – a Filipina actress with German blood named Sigrid von Giese christened with such a screen name in the 1940s.
A quick check on digital stores revealed that a number of singers have put out songs with the title “Paraluman” which should make you think there may have been a songwriting contest given the same title to work on to, not to mention there’s a band that goes by the name Paraluman.
I won’t be surprised if a couple of these artists would want to retitle their tracks to veer away from any possible mix-up confusion. Fortunately for Adie, an assuming boy-next-door breakout, it shouldn’t be a major concern since his own “Paraluman,” released just last March, has taken the cake with nearly 5.5 million Spotify streams over a three-month run. The song enjoyed being at the top of Spotify Viral 50 (in the Philippines) for weeks, and got playlisted in Trending Tracks, OPM Rising, among other prominent playlists.
“The song’s success is way beyond my imagination,” stated Adie who’s a prized catch of O/C Records.
The said label’s head and Callalily frontman Kean Cipriano quickly saw Adie›s potential when the latter submitted an entry for his band’s Open Collab songwriting competition where the winner got to collaborate with his famed group. The collaboration went beyond the contest as the young dude from Laguna was handed a recording and management deal.
Adie’s debut single “Luha” was a much-needed bright spot in the pandemic-ravaged music scene as it has gained traction of more than 700 thousand streams since it was released late last year.
For its phenomenal run, “Paraluman” benefited further from a sweet-plotted music video featuring today’s most admired cute chick Ivana Alawi and under the direction of multi-talented actress Bela Padilla. The short film has now amassed 2.7 million views on YouTube after it premiered last June 5.
Even the real inspiration behind the song, Sunshine Cruz’s daughter Angelina, offers a celebrity connection that can easily turn into click counts.
“Naniniwala ako na sa kanta talaga ang susi,” expressed Kean who joined Adie in a recent zoom presser. “One good song is one good song and kapag na-capture mo ang listeners kasi madaling maintindihan ang kwento mo, that’s it.”
Adie, who loves to draw and play basketball, cited Moira Dela Torre as a key musical influence. One can expect he gained quite a following by doing covers of hugot songs. His quick rise though must have made him reconsider stretching his preferences. “I’m willing to explore ang iba’t ibang type of songs,” he noted.