Before anything else, I'd like to say hi to everyone and I'm happy to be a part of PhilMusic.com!
I hope that I can use this forum as a way of making everyone know about my debut album as well as my shows
AND also to ask advice and help regarding some technical knowhow on sequencing, mixing and sound production!
Thank you so much and Mabuhay ang OPM!
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Taken from Mr. Ricky Lo's Article:
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=595217&publicationSubCategoryId=70Listen to his eponymous debut album released by Viva Records and you will know what I mean.
“Marvin has a different attack to every song,” said Viva boss Vic del Rosario. “Each number sounds so clearly different from the others because of his heartfelt approach.”
Some critics described his voice as “golden.”
Turning “gold” within two weeks of its release, the 12-track album is composed of 10 covers (among them Panaginip, the carrier single; Hard To Say I’m Sorry; Maybe; Have I Told You Lately; Harana; Can’t Help Falling in Love; the dance revival Let’s Hang On; and Worst That Could Happen by Jimmy Webb which has been given Filipino lyrics a few decades ago and was recorded by Hajji Alejandro as Panakip Butas) and two originals (It Doesn’t Get Easier by Hong Kong Disneyland’s musical director Ronnie Fortich and Captivated by Marvin himself).
The easy-listening CD is produced by Eugene Villaluz who is also the voice coach, with STAR columnist (Sounds Familiar) Baby Gil and MG Mozo as supervising producers, and Marvin’s parents Mary and Marvin Ong as associate producers with also Baby Gil.
An only child, Marvin is not a spoiled brat.
“He’s a good son,” said Marvin's dad who is a Noranian. “I couldn’t sing but I try to carry a tune.”
“I also don’t sing,” said mom Mary, “but we are a music-loving family.”
“I love listening to songs on my lola’s radio,” said Marvin. “That’s also how I fell in love with singing.”
His parents advised Marvin to finish college first before he concentrated on singing/acting. So Marvin did, graduating with a CommArts degree from Ateneo. Proving the maxim true that once an actor always an actor, Marvin was soon back where he loves most — theater. He accepted his first musical role as a professional singer/actor as the orphan Tobias in Repertory Philippines’ Sweeney Todd which won for him Philstage’s Gawad Buhay trophy for Best Featured Male Actor in a Musical. His next assignment, as Juan in PETA’s Si Juan Tamad, ang Diablo at ang Limang Milyong Boto, was also a commercial and critical success. In-between rehearsals and performances, Marvin managed to work on his debut album.
The one singer whom Marvin looks up to is, you guessed it, Jose Mari Chan.
“His songs are timeless. I admire him all the more because he also writes songs. I do write songs, too. The song Captivated on my album is my own composition. I wrote it when I was in high school. When we were drawing up the list of songs for the album, I said, ‘Why don’t we include one song that I wrote?’ So we did.”
Eric Clapton wrote his classic song Tears in Heaven while mourning the death of his little son who fell to his death from the window of a New York high rise where Clapton and his now-ex home companion lived. Asked in what mood does he write his best songs, whether when he’s sad or happy or, like Clapton, nursing a broken heart, Marvin said, “It doesn’t matter. A passing scene could inspire me, even a gentle rain on a lazy afternoon.”
At 20, has he ever been in love?
“Yes, I have. I was in high school then. I was so captivated by a girl that I was inspired to write a song. That’s how Captivated came to be.”
What could have been a beautiful romance was nipped in the bud when classes ended.
I wonder how the girl would feel if she listened to the song or if she ever knew that a classic-in-the-making was written for her.
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Taken from Ms. Baby Gil's article:
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=601034&publicationSubCategoryId=70There is a new voice in the airlanes these days. He is the guy who sings Panaginip and his name is Marvin Ong. Still looking very much like a young boy, nice and unaffected, he has the light appealing tones that Filipinos like to hear from their balladeers. He shows big promise as a recording artist and at a time when the local music industry can certainly use a big kick towards the right album direction, it always feels good to find talented newcomers like Marvin.
He released his first album, also titled Marvin Ong, a few weeks ago. The CD is a sentimental hodgepodge of ballads that many will enjoy. It has almost everything from old pop like Can’t Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley to a light OPM rocker like Harana by Parokya ni Edgar. Even the first single Panaginip, originally recorded by Manila Sound pioneer Hot Dog, comes from a different time.
It is Marvin’s effortless singing that brings everything together. Truth to tell, I really find it amazing that somebody so young can approach these diverse and mostly time-tested materials with so much feeling and confidence.
Also included are Hard To Say I’m Sorry by Chicago, Have I Told You Lately by Rod Stewart, Maybe by Burt Bacharach, I Need To Be In Love by the Carpenters, Let’s Hang On by Barry Manilow, Worst That Could Happen by the Brooklyn Bridge, and If by David Gates. There are two new songs. It Doesn’t Get Any Easier an original by the Hong Kong based Ronnie Fortich and Marvin’s debut as a songwriter, Captivated.
Although this is his first venture into recording, Marvin is no stranger to performing. It was at the age of nine, while studying at Xavier School that his singing talent was discovered. From then on he was a constant fixture in campus programs and concerts. These stints later included even performances abroad, when he was assigned to represent the country in various music festivals.
His big professional break came when he was cast as the orphan boy Tobias in the Repertory Philippines production of the Stephen Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd. Marvin turned out to be a natural on stage. He was so good that he was awarded the Gawad Buhay trophy for Best Featured Male Actor in a musical by Philstage. His next stage outing was just as successful and earned him more raves. He played the lead role of Juan in the PETA musical Si Juan Tamad, Ang Diablo At Ang Limang Milyong Boto, which ran for several weeks.
Marvin had almost completed his Communication Arts studies at Ateneo University at that time and with that had already been given his parents blessings to go fulltime into singing. That was also when he decided to go to work on his album. The results are out and the CD is good. So it looks like Marvin will also conquer the world of recording just like what he did with the legitimate stage.
Marvin has shot his video for Panaginip and hopefully, he will also join the artists in this list of the most popular music videos from MYX music channel.
