(SPOT.ph) It all started with a series of tweets from Rhap Salazar, saying, "I hate seeing artists lip-syncing on TV. 'Yong iba, nagkaka-album pa."
The singer, who first won Little Big Star in 2004 among other musical achievements, tweeted his comments on July 5. Soon, it snowballed into something much bigger, forcing him to clarify he wasn't referring to James Reid and Nadine Lustre. Other artists also gave their two cents on the matter, including Gab Valenciano, who took to Facebook to air his opinion:
His dad, Gary Valenciano, also defended Rhap's earlier statement. The latter explained, "If you see kung ano 'yong pinagdadaanan talaga ng mga singers, nakakaawa rin. Talagang marunong kumanta, pero hindi masyadong napapansin dahil nabibigyan talaga ng priority, 'yong visually nakikita."
He continued, "For me kasi, people are entertained. At the end of the day, marami ang na-e-entertain talaga. Pero sa palagay ko, and I’m saying this from a professional standpoint. Bigyan mo ang isang non-actor na mag-act dahil may hit song or kilala siya, hindi magiging kasing-epektibo ng isang tunay na actor or actress na talagang mag-a-acting sa harapan ng mga tao."
When asked about how "non-singers" had more opportunities to release an album, Lea Salonga said that there was a "demand" because of fans, saying, "Kung ako isang producer at alam ko kung ano ang mas bebenta, doon ako sa mas bebenta." She added, however, "Sana itulak din the people who can actually sing."
On the other hand, Vice Ganda took a different stand on the matter. In an interview on DZMM, the comedian said, "Sa pagtupad ng mga pangarap natin, hindi naman natin sinabi sa mga totoong singer na hindi na kayo puwedeng gumawa, kayo na lang. Wala naman kaming ipinagkait, kinuha lang rin natin 'yong karapatan natin."
He also encouraged his fellow performers to keep the OPM industry alive, saying, "Gumawa tayo ng totoo at legit at gumawa rin tayo ng mga kanta na bumebenta."
