Singer
His Rivermaya days put him as a rock god with hits after hits, becoming a band with one of the biggest-selling albums in the country. In 1998, after doing four albums with Rivermaya, Bamboo decided to leave the band and stay in the United States – away from the spotlight that loves him.
It took almost five years before Bamboo returned to the music scene, forming a new band he named after himself in 2003 with his former Rivermaya bandmate Nathan Azarcon. He was lovingly welcomed by his adoring fans although it took quite a time – and a patriotic song, “Noypi” – before Bamboo was freed from the Rivermaya tag.
With hit songs such as “Noypi”, “Hallelujah”, “Tatsulok”, “Truth”, “Much Has Been Said”, “Mr. Clay”, “Hudas” “Peace Man” and “Probinsiyana”, Bamboo’s presence in the music scene is a force to reckon.
On His Own
After being in a band for almost two decades, Bamboo followed his gut and decided to be on his own. He released his solo album, “No Water No Moon” under Polyeast Records in 2011 which gave him a gold record award in 2013 prompting him to release a repackaged album that includes a song he produced and written, “Carousel.”
“It (Carousel) speaks of inspiration and finding oneself by going back. As the refrain starts ‘remember before….rush hour…’ and that once you do open that door it’s a hard thing to close. And that ‘home’ for me isn’t a place but it’s me finding meaning in what I do what drives me to dare, be confident and continuing to look for that spark… and that is home,” Bamboo said.
He wrote “Carousel” as a way of showing his appreciation to his fans who stick with him through all these years. Because of his rocker image, many thought that he is a snob, an adjective usually associated with rockstars, but in person, he’s affable, down to earth and downright charming.
His solo album, which includes the songs “Morning Rose”, “Questions”, “Ikot ng Mundo”, “In This Life” and “In the Shadow”, marks a new beginning for Bamboo who brandishes a certain kind of maturity as a musician. It also gave him a taste of victory as he was awarded “Best Performance by a Male Recording Artist” for his song “Questions” in the 25th Awit Awards.
From being a musician to becoming the TV star, commercial endorser and “The Voice of the Philippines” coach that he is today, Bamboo is very comfortable with his spot in the industry.
