The decade of 1990 is perhaps one of the golden eras of Philippine Music. It was the last decade when we got our cassette tape or CD-walkman to listen to our favorite OPM icons. And yes, it is the decade when we saw the soaring success of the most enduring Filipino talents in the Philippine music scene, particularly the OPM bands that became crowd favorites.
Surely 1990s music is very nostalgic. And to pique that wonderful nostalgia, here’s a list of our all time favorite Fiipino bands from the 1990s.
1. AfterImage
Best Hit Single: Next in Line & Habang may Buhay
AfterImage is one of the pioneers in the golden age of OPM bands in the 90s. Fronted by singer songwriter Wency Cornejo, AfterImage popularized songs with lyrics that exude hope and courage–a theme mostly left untouched by other OPM Bands.
They’re the the OPM band behind the timeless and critically acclaimed song, “Next in Line.” This hit single is disputably the one that cemented their name in the music industry. And since became the quintessential graduation song of Filipino 90’s kids. They also popularized songs like “Habang may Buhay,” “Believe” and “Mangarap Ka.” The lyrics and melody of which still ring a bell to this year.
2. South Border
Best Hit Single: Kahit Kailan, Ikaw Nga, Rainbow
Hailing from Davao in the south, South Border has never failed to make everyone fall in love with their kilig-inducing songs. South Border was one of our most loved source for Filipino RnB music. Though they’ve changed frontmen through the years, their music remains distinctively soulful.
The band is most widely known for their first hit single, Kahit Kailan which was variously awarded the 1996 Song of the Year. And there’s no dispute that we all love their hit songs “Rainbow”, “Ikaw Nga” and “Too Crazy”. Even up to now, their 20 years of music still dominates the airwaves.
3. Freestyle
Best Hit Single: Before I let You Go & So Slow
Another soulful RnB band which also debuted in Davao, Freestyle is everyone’s favorite band when in search for relatable and soulful OPM music. Frontmen Top Suzara and Jinky Vidal were the perfect vocal pair when the Philippine music scene’s in love with RnB and Soul music in mid-90s.
This 6-piece band gave us the 1998 hit single “Before I let You go” which captured and broke our hearts. Since its release it never failed to appear in anyone’s karaoke sessions and has been everybody’s breakup song. Freestyle is also behind the hit songs, “So Slow” and “One Hello”.
4. Introvoys
Best Hit Single: Line to Heaven
Founded by drummer Paco Arespacochaga in 1986, Introvoys came into the limelight during early to mid 1990s. The band debuted to mainstream music with their album “Back to the Roots” released in 1991. Their single, “However Which Way” instantly rose to the hit chart and became number one in the Metro. Three more songs from the album paved the way for the band to capture the heart of many Filipinos
But the most enduring hit song from the band is, “Line to Heaven.” Released in 1993, This song gave them their ultimate success. Written by the frontman, Paco, it is said that the lyrics were an ode to his parents whom he lost tragically. Thus the song goes, “If I ever have a line to heaven I swear, I’d call you there.”
5. Rivermaya
Best Hit Single: Ulan, 214, Elisi
The band that brought us two of the most iconic voices in the recent OPM history, Rivermaya is indisputably one of the most successful and sought after alternative rock bands in the Philippines. It was formed in 1993 with Bamboo Mañalac as the vocalist, Rico Blanco on the keyboard, Perf de Castro on guitar, Marc Escueta on drums and Nathan Azarcon on bass.
Rivermaya’s first album easily became a hit and went golden then later, triple platinum. This album gave us the songs Ulan, 214 and Awit ng Kabataan. Their success continued through their second, and third album. But after Bamboo decided to withdrew from the band in 1998, Rico Blanco later on took up his role as the vocalist. With Rico as their frontman, Rivermaya continued to soar high in the music industry, releasing 6 more albums with Rico as the vocalist until his departure in 2007.
6. Truefaith
Best Hit Single: Perfect, Huwag na lang Kaya
Named after New Order’s 1987 hit song “True Ftaih”, the band debuted in 1992 from a New Wave music genre but later on blended jazz and pop rock influences. Their 1993 song “Perfect” was their breakthrough in the OPM scene. It quickly hit number one in the Metro and topped hit charts in various radio stations. This big hit paved the way for a warm reception of their 1995 Album “Build” which became their biggest break in the Philippine music scene.
And in 2000, the band was nominated for MTV Music Awards’ Asian Viewers Choice. Though they did not bag the trophy, this gave them even greater and wider exposure. This year they also released The Best of Truefaith, 1993-2000 which became a huge success.
7. Eraserheads
Eraserheads is no doubt one of the most successful and most influential Pinoy bands in the OPM History. This is certainly the reason why they’re named the Beatles of the Philippines. They formed in 1989 at the University of the Philippines with Ely Buendia as vocalist, Marcus Adoro for the lead guitar, Buddy Zabala for the bass and Raymund Marasigan for the drums. And just as any other greats in the industry, they started small and were even rejected by record labels until BMG records picked up their demo songs for the first album, Ultraelectromagneticpop.
This album marked the start of the Eraserheads mania. It gave us iconic singles like Toyang, Ligaya, Pare ko and Tindahan ni Aling Nena. This mania went on to help them reach a Diamond status in their albums. To date, their 1996 album Cutterpillow sold an approximately 400,000 records and is considered the best-selling album ever in Philippine OPM history.
8. Barbie’s Cradle
Best Hit Single: Torpe, Tabing Ilog
One of the most well-recognized female vocals in the OPM is that of Barbie Almalbis. Her enchantingly sweet voice backed by a pop rock ensemble made her band, Barbie’s Cradle a favorite of most Filipino listeners. The trio, Barbie on guitar and vocals, Franklin Benitez on on drums and Ricci Gurango on bass, then named Hungry Young Poets made a mark on the OPM industry with their hit single Torpa and Firewoman.
Later on, the band reorganized and was named Barbie’s Cradle and released their self-titled album in 1999 with tracks including Limang Dipang Tao, The Dance and Tabing Ilog which became the soundtrack of a series with the same name. they produced critically acclaimed album from 1999 to 2001 until Barbie went for a solo career in 2005.
9. Moonstar88
Best Hit Single: Torete, Sulat, Migraine
Another female voice that entered the then man-dominated rock music scene was Moonstar88. This band did not fail however to capture the hearts of million Filipinos with their remarkable and LSS-worthy songs. They were formed in 1999 with Acel Bisa on the guitar and as the vocalist, Tech Marcelo on guitar, Herbert Hernandez on guitar, William Pineda on drums and Paolo Bernaldo on bass. In 2001 they released their first album Popcorn which was very well received Filipino listeners.
From this album we had songs like “Torete, “Sa Langit” and “Panaginip” which became an all enduring OPM song through the years. Their popularity went on and songs like Sulat, and Panalangin dominated the music airwaves around the country. But in 2004 Acel left the band for a solo career. Maysh Baay took over and continued the soaring success of the band with songs like Migraine and a revival of APO’s Panalangin. Good to know, the bands is still active to this date.
10. Side A
Best Hit Single: Forevermore, Hold On, Set You Free
Who have never fell in love with the song Forevermore by Side A? Perhaps no one. Forevermore was Side-A’s ticket to international fame. This hit single and “Tell Me” from their By Your Side album was released internationally in 1995. Forevermore will then be covered by international pop artist, David Archuleta.
With Side A’s soft mellow rock they captured the hearts of Filipino fans across the world. The band started in late 1980s and later on hit a massive success in the OPM scene in the 1990s starting with their White Album in 1991 which went on triple platinum. The band gave us a long list of wonderfully eargasmic songs which never get out of date e.g “Hold on”, “Tuloy pa rin Ako”, “Set You Free” and more.
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Sure there are more OPM bands to add to this list. Do you have your favorite band that we failed to mention? Share it to us by commenting below.
