Filipino balladeer Christian Bautista remains one of the staple names in the local music scene after rising to fame as a grand finalist on ABS-CBN’s reality singing competition Star in a Million. Now more than two decades into his career, the singer has built a name not only in the Philippines but also abroad.
As OPM continues to thrive and cross borders, Christian expressed his delight at witnessing how every generation of artists — from the veterans to rising stars — has contributed to elevating and nurturing Filipino music.
“It’s a beautiful time, it's another golden age whether you are new or veteran na. Everyone has an opportunity to shine. Everyone is helping each other out so I'm so happy in this era that we are in na talagang we are proving to ourselves and the world how beautiful Filipino music is,” he told PUSH ABS-CBN.
Christian recently released his new single, “Sa’yo Lamang,” a collaboration between him, his team, and South Korean artist-producer Ziv under Sony Music Entertainment.
Speaking about the project, the singer underscored the value of collaboration in today’s music scene: “I think it's important to really love and respect each other, to work well together to create something beautiful always.”
Christian also shared his desire to work with today’s leading P-pop and OPM acts, including the nation’s girl group BINI and the Kings of P-pop SB19.
“Talagang I’m so proud of what they have achieved here and internationally,” he said, noting how both groups have become global representatives of Filipino music.
Beyond local collaborations, Christian said he remains open to working with more artists, both in the Philippines and overseas.
“We are always happy to collaborate. That's been our mission for the past few years na talagang whoever would like to create music with us and collaborate with us,” the singer stated.
He went on: “It's so cool na the OPM ngayon is like another golden age. SexBomb selling out, and sila TJ (Monterde) and KZ (Tandingan), really just a good time for Filipino music.”
Christian also recalled a time when there was a strong push to uplift OPM amid the big number of international acts performing in the country. He shared that it was fun seeing that Filipino artists are now making their mark in the local and international stages.
“It's just a beautiful thing na music should be really shared no matter what generation whether your new or matagal na and to collaborate to the world because the Philippines is always ready for the world,” he expressed.
Meanwhile, Christian is set to stage his concert along with fellow singer and friend, Mark Bautista on March 6 at the New Frontier Theater.
“I will be singing ‘Sa’yo Lamang’ sa concert namin ni Mark Bautista… and talagang I'm so excited pa for other songs that we will sing there and other songs that I will release that are connected to 'Sa’yo Lamang,'” he said.