The Himig Handog songwriting competition is best known for its yearly offering of new original love songs.
Its 11th edition, however, did away with its signature theme. This to better make room and showcase the diversity of work of aspiring Filipino composers—some of whom drew inspiration from this trying year for their entries.
“We dropped the theme. It’s not strictly about love songs this time. That’s why, this year, we have songs about how tough it is to be poor [in this time of pandemic]. There’s more variety,” said ABS-CBN Music creative director Jonathan Manalo, who produced the compilation album of Himig Handog 2020 finalists.
But the most important thing remains. “…
Keep on reading: 11th edition of Himig Handog no longer just about love songs—and here’s why