From having live gigs every day to online gigs at home, acoustic band MYMP proves that their adaptability, resilience and talent goes a long way.
First formed in 1996, MYMP (short for Make Your Momma Proud) experienced many changes throughout their lifespan. From members leaving to label changes to genre changes, they remained resilient and prolific in the music scene. Now MYMP is back with their “lockdown pandemic single” called “Blue Kiss.”
According to lead guitarist Chin Alcantara, the song was a product of their need to continue playing even when live gigs stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. MYMP, however, was fortunate to record and do the final mix of “Blue Kiss” before the COVID-19 pandemic took over and a lockdown ensued.
“A kiss is a positive thing and one of the best expressions of affection, but because of the pandemic, our ways of expressing affection have been limited. Touching and kissing are not allowed except for family members or friends living in the same house with you. The title Blue Kiss relates to our current situation because we can only dream about kissing our friends and loved ones. For now, we can only send virtual hugs and kisses,” Chin noted.
“It’s our coping mechanism to create music and content, we’d actually go crazy if we didn’t. It’s crazy that we went from playing almost every day to not playing at all. We were restless and in denial for the first two months of lockdown. Fortunately, we are able to do a lot of virtual performances on Facebook and YouTube,” he added.
The duo also found a lot of encouragement with the noticeable surge in their streams, which Chin and new vocalist Carmella Ravanilla attributed to people being able to spend more time at home.
“People actually have more time to listen to online now. Those who previously could not watch our live shows and gigs are given a chance to watch even if they’re in a different country or province now that we’re online,” said Alcantara.
Carmela joined MYMP in 2019 following her sensational stint in “Idol Philippines.” Since then, he found herself adjusting to performing almost every single day for months.
“At first, I was in shock, like “I’m the vocalist?” It wasn’t until we did out of town live shows when I was able to adjust and my confidence grew,” she shared.
Carmela brings with her a more country sound in addition that also allows her to put her own personal stamp on MYMP’s staples. When asked why this was so, Alcantara stated that they choose their songs based on who will be singing it. Given her “different” vocal timbre that has an uncanny similarity to American band Lady A’s Hillary Scott, the band had to quickly adapt to fit her tone.
In addition to Chin and Carmella, MYMP is also helped in the studio and during live performances by bandmates Aaron Cadaing on bassist, Benj Bamba on drums and Rodnie Resos on keyboards and vocals.
“No matter what song or repertoire we make, as long as it has a nice message and has a nice melody, our process in arranging and choosing songs are still the same. Nothing changes,” he said.
“Blue Kiss” is now available on all streaming platforms nationwide.
Watch the official music video here: