Original Pilipino Music
Original Pilipino Music (OPM) is a broad label for music created by Filipino artists, encompassing varied genres and languages.
Manila Sound: A Filipino pop style that blended disco, funk, and soul, prominent in the 1970s. Its success helped establish locally made pop as a commercial force.
Filipino language: The standardized national language of the Philippines, based primarily on Tagalog. Filipino-language lyrics are a prominent strand of OPM, alongside English and regional languages.
Rey Valera: A Filipino singer-songwriter known for OPM hits and contributions to Philippine popular music. His compositions became standards in Filipino pop and were recorded by many singers.
Philippine music festivals: Live events in the Philippines featuring local and international musicians across genres. Festivals bring OPM acts together and make genre-crossing collaborations visible.
Original Pilipino Music Act: A Philippine law requiring radio stations to broadcast a minimum share of original Filipino music. The law turns OPM from a cultural label into a defined broadcast-policy category.
Pinoy rock: Rock music made by Filipino artists, spanning styles from folk rock to heavy metal. Its growth broadened OPM beyond polished pop and ballads.
Tagalog popular music: Popular music performed in Tagalog, the basis of the standardized Filipino language. Many widely known OPM songs use Tagalog lyrics and local idioms.
Freddie Aguilar: A Filipino singer-songwriter best known internationally for the song “Anak.” “Anak” carried a Filipino-language OPM song to audiences around the world.
Karaoke: A form of entertainment in which people sing along to recorded music with lyrics displayed. OPM ballads and sing-along hits are staples of Filipino karaoke culture.
Western pop music: Popular music traditions associated with Europe and North America, including rock, R&B, and pop. OPM often adapts Western pop forms while expressing Filipino experiences and languages.