Meet Alamat, The P-Pop Group Who Performs in Seven Philippine Languages

Believe it or not, we have over a hundred languages (yes, they’re not dialects) in our country. However, it’s not much of a surprise that many, if not most, Filipinos don’t know much beyond what is considered our official languages, English and Filipino (which is pretty much a standardized version of Tagalog). Our schooling and mainstream media such as TV, radio, and film often revolve just around these languages, which more than likely contribute to why we barely know much about the rest.

This is exactly why it’s very refreshing to have a local boy group whose main selling point is their ability to perform in different local languages! Ladies and gentlemen, meet Alamat!

Who is Alamat?

Alamat is a nine-member boy group launched by Viva Records that officially debuted last Valentine’s. What makes this group stand out from the rest is that the members hail from different cities and provinces from all over the Philippines. The group is made up of Tomas (Albay), Mo (Zambales), Taneo (Kalinga), Valfer (Negros Occidental), Kin (Quezon City), R-Ji (Eastern Samar), Gami (Bohol), Alas (Davao City), and Jao (Pampanga).

Given their different backgrounds, Alamat is able to bring something new to OPM: the ability to perform in several Philippine languages. Aside from Filipino, the members can sing in Ilocano, Kapampangan, Bicolano, Waray-Waray, Hiligaynon, and Bisaya.

K-Pop Influence with a Filipino Flair

As with many P-Pop groups, Alamat takes heavy inspiration from K-Pop. While the inspiration might be taken from elsewhere, everything else about Alamat screams pride, love, and appreciation for everything Filipino. It’s not just the fact that they can sing in multiple Philippine languages. Even their costumes are well thought of and reflect their heritage.

The Perfect Blend

If it’s still not that easy to fathom how K-Pop and our local cultural heritage can come together perfectly, all you need to do is to listen to their music and watch their videos. Their debut single, kbye, has all the visual elements that are easily associated with K-Pop. But once you listen to the song, you know full well it’s Filipino at its best.

Some members have even released individual rap members in their local languages! Valfer, who is from Bacolod City, released Proud Ilonggo while Davao-born Alas’ rap piece is titled Mindanao.

You can support Alamat by following them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and streaming their music performances on their official YouTube and Spotify.  

━━ Written By  Bella Javier
━━  Art By ALAMAT

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