Music and Traditions
I come from a Filipino family and in Filipino culture, music is HUGE! Everyone can sing really well (that skill skipped me), but Filipinos tend to love big ballads that really showcase someone’s talent. With that said, karaoke is MAJOR for us, so at any family gathering, it definitely makes an appearance and everyone gets up to sing something. One Christmas, instead of some form of karaoke, my aunts paid a professional singer to come to our Christmas Eve party and he was great! Now he’s part of the family. When he sang though, the big ballad theme was certainly seen in what everyone in my family was requesting from him. Celine Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” was one of the first requests.
An education about Celine Dion was pushed on all the kids from a young age, so I grew up having watched many of her performances online. It didn’t matter if you were a boy or girl, in my family, you HAD TO listen to Celine Dion whether you liked it or not. I’m not complaining though, I think listening to her has made me really appreciate vocal ability.Another singer’s songs that were heavily requested, and to me, is my family’s biggest treasure, is Josh Groban. You can imagine how big Josh Groban and Celine Dion’s duet of David Foster’s “The Prayer” was for my family (I have probably seen that performance 20 times at various family gatherings). Josh Groban is really big in my family for his strong voice and beautiful songs, most especially his song that featured in the movie The Polar Express, “Believe.” That song, to me, is special to our family because me and all my cousins grew up watching that movie around Christmas, so that song showed up a lot in our childhood, and I think it's just very nostalgic for us (it's also just a really great song).
Or, a popular one for my Lolas to request is Audrey Hepburn’s “Moon River.” My heart melts whenever I see my Lola and older aunts singing along to it quietly. That song will always have a special place in my heart.
It's really common for us at family gatherings to have music playing ALWAYS as we eat together or as we play games, so whenever my Lolos and Lolas (Filipino term for grandpas and grandmas) are sitting aside watching us play games or just sitting aside happily watching the festivities, they like to ask for certain songs, and they tend to ask for songs from the Sound of Music, which is quite a foundational movie in our family, I can’t even begin to talk about the importance it hold to all of us (but to keep it short I’ll just say it's everyone’s favorite), so the beautiful song “Edelweiss” usually gets played.
Or, a popular one for my Lolas to request is Audrey Hepburn’s “Moon River.” My heart melts whenever I see my Lola and older aunts singing along to it quietly. That song will always have a special place in my heart.
Hey Allie! I love the stories you told and how all of your song choices correlates strongly with your family members! I love how the Polar Express song brings memories of watching movies with family for Christmas. I can relate to this as well but with the movie Charlie Browns Christmas- it’s my mom’s favorite! I also love the song Moon River, but i’ve only heard Frank Oceans take. Hearing the one you included is sang so differently but in ab extremely beautiful way. I love how when you hear it you imagine your aunts singing it- I think that’s a very beautiful memory!
ReplyDeleteHey Allie! I would love to know more about your culture from an outsider's perspective. As a Latino, I have always been intrigued by it, and it is one of the most beautiful ones. Honestly, I remembered hearing this song, but I never knew the name or who sang it! Thanks to you, I now know. Adding to that, I'm also terrible at singing, and I hate karaoke. I can only do it when I’m drunk, lol. For the third song, I don't know if it’s from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, a movie that I have always wanted to watch (I wonder if it’s good), and I liked the song :) It makes me miss my family, and you talking about your grandma makes me miss mine.
ReplyDeleteHeyy Allie! I really dug your post! Your take on how music ties your family together in those Filipino gatherings felt so real. I grew up with music always in the background at family get-togethers too, though our vibe was a bit different, we mixed it up with everything from school tunes to some modern hits, rather than sticking to one artist.I loved hearing about how Celine Dion and Josh Groban are total legends in your fam, and how they bring everyone together. Karaoke nights and even those special pro performances sound incredible. In my family, we didn’t have a fixed singer, but every song we played made the moment really special. Your story definitely got me thinking about how music makes every family gathering a little more unique.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these personal stories about your family !!! As a musician, I find singing to be super important but also really fun. With that being said, there will never be another Celine Dion; she is an all-time great. You said that your family doesn't care if it's a male or female singer singing the songs. With that being said, I found someone named Gabriel Enrique who does covers of popular and challenging songs, male or female, and he is outstanding. I want to do karaoke so bad but never had the oportunity.
ReplyDeleteYour family's love for music, especially big ballads and nostalgic songs, is such a beautiful tradition! While my family gatherings don’t revolve around karaoke, I can relate to how music creates lasting memories and brings people together. The way songs like Believe and Edelweiss hold deep sentimental value for your family reminds me of how certain songs instantly take us back to special moments. It’s amazing how music, whether played at a gathering or quietly sung along to, becomes a shared language of love and connection.
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