In this first part of a two-part pilot, we kick things off with one of the biggest questions we love to ask (and brag about): Are Pinoys just naturally good at singing?

Spoiler alert: it’s deeper than just karaoke and pageants.

Join me, Phil Andrew, as we trace the roots of Filipino musicality all the way back to our pre-colonial ancestors (yep, even before karaoke was a national sport). We’ll talk epic chants, rituals, babaylans, and the very Pinoy art of emotional storytelling through music.

Whether you’re a belter, a bathroom balladeer, or just karaoke-adjacent, this episode unpacks why music feels like it’s in our bones—and maybe, just maybe, it is.

SOURCES:

https://nextshark.com/why-filipinos-are-so-good-at-singing

https://adobochronicles.com/2014/04/23/stanford-university-researchers-discover-music-gene-among-filipinos/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9136123/

https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/hudhud-chants-of-the-ifugao-00015#

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/ullalim-the-epic-of-love-of-the-maducayan/

https://thecordillerareview.upb.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/4-TCR-IV-2_Saboy_Voicing-Ethnicity-Traditional-Referentiality-the-Ullalim-and-Kalinga-Ethnopop.pdf

https://www.aswangproject.com/sugidanon/

https://www.aswangproject.com/kudaman-summary/

https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/darangen-epic-of-the-maranao-people-of-lake-lanao-00159#

https://sulugardenfoundation.org/music/

https://jacklegpreacher.com/filipinoharp/manobo/Philippine_Music_at_the_Frontiers/Song.html

https://ibaloyreflections.blogspot.com/2012/07/bah-diw-she-kasal.html

https://www.reddit.com/r/FilipinoHistory/comments/xse30z/reason_why_filipinos_are_good_singers_from_an/

https://thetagbanua.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-tagbanua-race.html