Ogie Alcasid's music sparks surge on streaming

PM icon Ogie Alcasid faced a challenging journey in expanding his listener base on Spotify, starting with a modest count of around 500,000 average monthly listeners.

- ROBERT REQUINTINA

OGIE Alcasid (Facebook)

Yet, through perseverance and passion, he has witnessed a remarkable resurgence in his popularity, with his numbers soaring to an impressive 3.2 million.

In a heartfelt reflection, Ogie expressed his deep appreciation for Viva artist Rob Deniel, who delivered a stunning rendition of his beloved 1989 ballad "Nandito Ako" at a Wish 107.5 event two months ago, leaving audiences in awe with his emotive performance.

Ogie, 58, believed the surge in music listeners came when they either listened to his version or Rob's rendition, whose cover has been viewed more than 37 million times on Spotify as of Sept. 21.

"They have no choice. It's either they listen to Rob's cover or my version. And thankfully, they liked my version, too. Kasi kung hindi nila gusto yun hindi na umakyat yung number sa Spotify. (Because if they don't like it, the number of streams on Spotify won't increase.) Now I get to listen to my young voice: my 21-year-old voice. I sing with more air now," Ogie said.

The OPM president stated that netizens described Rob's rendition as yearning, while his own interpretation reflects assurance. "I am educated to interpret the song for them."

The 58-year-old singer said the song is being given a fresh arrangement by Bobby Velasco, his new musical director. "I told him I want something orchestral with strings. It sounds so good. It's going to be my next release."