Filipino boy group Alamat drops music video for ‘Porque’
Filipino multilingual sing-rap-dance boy group Alamat has released the music video for their latest single Porque, a take on the popular Chavacano-Tagalog hit originally sung by Maldita.
The eight-member Filipino boy group celebrates Filipino culture by singing in Chavacano, the Spanish-based creole language spoken in Zamboanga City in Mindanao, one of the many ethnic languages of the Philippines.
Alamat, meaning “legend” in English, consists of members all coming from different parts of the country, who sing, dance and rap, not just in the standard Filipino language, Tagalog, but also in their respective languages from their hometowns.
The group is composed of Taneo from Kalinga, Mo from Zambales, Jao from Pampanga, R-Ji from Eastern Samar, Valfer from Negros Occidental, Gami from Bohol, Tomas from Albay and Alas from Davao City.
Out of the 120 Philippine languages in the country, the members sing and rap in Tagalog, Ilocano, Bisaya, Bicolano, Waray-Waray, Kapampangan, and Hiligaynon.
A departure from their previous upbeat singles, Porque is a slower R&B jam that combines modern sounds with traditional Filipino instruments. The latest track features string instruments strumming under a lo-fi hip hop beat, which, when fused together, creates a unique chill vibe.
Why the Rizal reference for @Official_ALAMAT's porque MV? Since Chavacano is a Spanish creole language we thought Rizal's time would fit the concept well. We imagined porque to be a song Rizal would sing to his fiancée Leonor Rivera after learning she got married to someone else pic.twitter.com/PvmAvq4BGd
— Jason Paul Laxamana (@jplaxamana) October 25, 2021
In the music video, the boys wear costumes designed by HapiHabi, called the Kundiman set, which makes use of Yakan tennun, woven by the Yakans of Zamboanga (where Chavacano is spoken) and Basilan. The look and style channels the romance of the Rizal era, according to talent manager Jason Paul Laxamana.
These HapiHabi-designed outfits, called the Kundiman set, make use of Yakan tennun, woven by the Yakans of Zamboanga (where Chavacano is spoken) and Basilan.
— ALAMAT ᜀᜎᜋᜆ᜔ (@Official_ALAMAT) October 23, 2021
Watch the #ALAMATporqueMV,' in which these outfits are featured. https://t.co/W5orpTXcmS
PORQUE WEEKEND STREAM ? pic.twitter.com/G9SczWj2c7
The music video has already garnered 100,000 views on YouTube just days after its release. Porque is also streaming on Spotify and other music streaming platforms.
100,000 'porque' YouTube MV views unlocked! The reward: Dance Performance version of the #ALAMATporqueMV (premiering Oct 26, 6PM): https://t.co/rYhDqYfDfN
Meanwhile, pls continue to stream porque on Spotify and other platforms.
M/V: https://t.co/W5orpTXcmS#porqueMV100Kviews pic.twitter.com/1yLTSr1kc6— ALAMAT ᜀᜎᜋᜆ᜔ (@Official_ALAMAT) October 25, 2021
With the popularity of Korean pop music globally, the boy band launched by Viva Records, channels their Pinoy roots proudly in their music. The music videos offer diverse representation in terms of regional music and culture, mixing modern hip-hop and rap with traditional folk dances like maglalatik and tinikling.
The unique P-pop group has released a total of five singles so far since they made their debut on Feb. 14, 2021 with the catchy earworm “kbye,” which broke the million-stream mark on YouTube. Shortly after their debut, Alamat placed No. 2 on the Billboard’s Next Big Sound chart, making them the fastest Filipino act to appear on the global chart.
Their powerful second single, "kasmala" (word play on the Tagalog word "malakas" which means strong) was released in July this year. The music video touched upon issues of colonialism, discrimination, and Anti-Asian hate while championing the Pinoy spirit. It also featured modern takes on distinctly Pinoy fashion and style aesthetics.
This year, Alamat also released the OST song "Sandigan" for the historical fantasy comic book, Anitu.
Alamat also released a collaboration video for "Tibay 'Yan" with Inigo Pascual for Coke Studio Philippines.