There’s nothing that brings people together more than the immense power of music.
At the Araneta Coliseum last Sunday evening, many of the Filipino music industry’s most prominent figures came together for the tenth iteration of the annual Wish Music Awards to celebrate the wealth of musical releases that were released last 2024. Several highlights took place throughout the night, from Kings of P-pop SB19 dominating the show with various awards for their solo and group endeavors, to the Nation’s Girl Group BINI sweeping up awards for all they were nominated for. Even other popular acts like Cup Of Joe, Dionela, Yeng Constantino, Arthur Nery, Dilaw, Zack Tabudlo, Al James, Jay R, and the Black Eyed Peas’ Apl.de.Ap went home with several prestigious awards.
Yet in addition to celebrating the standout songs, albums, and artists that shaped a remarkable year for the local music scene, the evening also presented a rich variety of performances, reflecting the full spectrum of OPM and proving that the genre is more alive than ever. The night kicked off with a vibrant performance from Maki, who performed his chart-topping single “Dilaw” to a swooning crowd that sang along to almost every lyric of the track. It was an excellent display of Maki’s signature charisma and rising star power, which was made all the more impressive upon the realization that it was his first time taking the stage at this famed awards show.
The first cluster of winners was then announced, with Dionela, Jay R, FELIP, Noel Cabangon, and BINI among the names celebrated by the crowd for their respective genre wins. And almost as if it were celebrating their win just a few minutes back, both Dionela and Jay R performed their Wish R&B Song of the Year winning collaboration “sining” to an enthralled crowd — showcasing their impressive talents that was complemented by the perfect harmonization of their soulful vocal prowess.
Next up announced were the winners for the other genre awards, with Josh Cullen, SB19, Gloc-9, Arthur Nery, and Stell taking home well-deserved wins in their respective categories. Viva’s signature crooner Rob Deniel then took the stage to perform his beloved chart-topping hit, “Miss, Miss” for the audience, which was then followed up by beloved balladeer Moira dela Torre — who performed not just one song, but two — including the classic “Malaya” and her recently released confessional single “I’m Okay.”
Industry legends like Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, Ogie Alcasid, and the Black Eyed Peas’ Apl.de.Ap were then honored with awards such as the Wishclusive Elite Circle Awardee, KDR Icon Award for Music and Philanthropy, and the KDR Icon Award of Musical Excellence awards respectively. This section of the night was then capped off by another performance by Rob Deniel –– who performed a heartfelt medley of Alcasid’s hits, “Ikaw Sana” and “Nandito Ako.”
The night then focused on the Wishclusive set of awardees, each of whom was honored for their stellar performances on Wish’s signature roadshow. Artists like Jay R, Dilaw, Loonie, and SB19 were awarded for their standout performances in their respective genres of R&B, Alternative/Rock, Hip-hop, and Ballads — while Toneejay and Regine Velasquez-Alcasid took to the stage to perform “7/11” and “Wherever You Are” in their sets of the night.
Soon after, Yeng Constantino, Al James, Zack Tabudlo, Cup of Joe, and BINI were honored for their Wishclusive performances in the Contemporary R&B, Collaboration, Contemporary Folk, and Pop categories, with each of their wins capped off with a celebratory performance from real-life OPM couple TJ Monterde and KZ Tandingan who performed “Palagi” and “Toyo” for the massive crowd of the coliseum.
As the night then celebrated Spotify’s KALYE campaign, renowned hip-hop figures like Hev Abi and gins&melodies were honored for their contributions to the genre as the platform’s winners for the KALYE Artist of the Year and KALYE Song of the Year for “Babaero.” In celebration of his accomplishments, Hev Abi then took to the stage to perform a trifecta of his hit tracks –– which included inspired renditions to “Migpasayelo”, “Antagonista”, and “Para Sa Streets.”
G22 then performed their empowering collaboration single with Acer, titled “Limitless”, which demonstrated their fiercely feminine energy as one of P-pop’s most promising acts. The final set of awardees for the night included nods to Stell, BINI, and PABLO for their respective wins for the Wisher’s Choice award, the Wish Breakthrough Artist award, Wish Group of the Year award, and the Wish Artist of the Year award.
To cap off the exhilarating (yet exciting) nature of the night, SB19’s Justin then performed his upcoming collaboration single with folk-pop musician Dwta “Sampung Mga Daliri”, which made for a phenomenal debut live performance to the song that only made the show’s closing segment even more impactful than ever.
It’s not every day that the brightest stars in the industry gather in one place, let alone share the same stage across such a wide range of genres. True to its mission of supporting Filipino music, the 10th Wish Music Awards stayed true to form by uniting an eclectic mix of artists and bands, honoring the biggest names in the local scene. Despite the long duration of the show testing the endurance of the audience, the evening remained as unforgettable as ever.
As the 10th Wish Music Awards came to a close, what ultimately stood out was that music is undeniably a powerful tool that connects us all together — which is why we’re already looking forward to the next gathering of this kind this 2025.
Photographs by Mayks Go and Easel Manes.