Danny Tan's Throwback #241
Finally! Here's the video of the FULL SHOW of the 1st ABU-Golden Kite World Song Festival 1989 where my composition, EASY TO LOVE YOU (lyrics by the great director and writer, Mr. Joey Javier Reyes) won the Grand Prize held in Kuala Lumpur on October 1, 1989, my first song to win in any competition both locally and internationally. This was the only time the Philippines won the Grand Prize in all editions of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasters Union Song Contest, the Golden Kite World Song Festival and the ABU-Golden Kite World Song Festival! Ms. IVY VIOLAN fearlessly sang her heart out, as if her life depended on it! She was just magnificent that night! Please watch until the end for the announcement of all winners and Ivy, flawlessly and tearfully, singing the song again!
BACKSTORY: Verni Varga was my original choice to sing Easy To Love You. Mr. Tony Barreiro, Mr. Bobby Barreiro and Ms. Marla Teopaco suggested Ms. Ivy Violan, a veteran and a consistent winner of numerous international competitions. Without hesitation, I concurred. I have worked with her years prior as arranger of her song entry in the 1985 ABU Song Contest in Singapore where she won Best Interpreter. I had unsuccessfully entered the song in the Metro Manila Popular Song Festival numerous times. During Finals Night, I wasn't too sure I would win because I was worried about the song form of Easy To Love You and its unflattering record as an entry of song contests. After winning the Grand Prize, I intimated this concern to one of the judges (I think it was the British guy, the Chairman of the Board of Judges) who approached to congratulate me. His response was that it was precisely the unique song form which won me the ultimate prize!
TRIVIA: Australia took the 2nd Prize in this contest. The next year, the Philippines (represented by Ivy and myself) won the Grand Prize and Australia placing second (again!) at the International Midnight Sun Song Festival in Lahti, Finland with the same song, EASY TO LOVE YOU! I also won the BEST ARRANGEMENT OF A FINNISH SONG (for Chilly Winds), the first time a Filipino won as Best Arranger in an international competition!
The ABU-GOLDEN KITE WORLD SONG FESTIVAL
The 1st and 2nd Golden Kite World Song Festival were held in Malaysia in November 1984 and January 1986. Singapore hosted the Asia-Pacific Broadcasters Union (ABU) Popular Song Contest in 1985, Auckland, New Zealand in 1986 and Malaysia in 1987. In 1989, organizers merged the two competitions and named the new song contest as the ABU - Golden Kite World Song Festival.
WINNERS:
BEST SONG
GRAND PRIZE - EASY TO LOVE YOU
Music & Arrangement: Danny Tan
Lyrics: Joey Javier Reyes
Interpreter: Ivy Violan
2nd PRIZE - AUSTRALIA
3rd PRIZE - MALAYSIA
BEST INTERPRETER
1st PLACE - INDONESIA
2nd PLACE - PHILIPPINES (Ivy Violan)
3rd PLACE - REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Thank you, MR. ALEXYZ ARCILLA, for this video!
After losing my original VHS tape of this competition (it was not returned by the production assistants of TINIG NG TAGUMPAY, a musical special I was working on for Ms. Wilma Galvante and Director Al Quinn), I almost lost hope in finding any existing copy. Fortunately, a fellow musician (Alexyz Arcilla) informed me that he had a "taped-on-air" VHS copy of the entire show. For the past several months, he painstakingly sifted through his music video collection and unselfishly sent me the actual VHS copy!