TOP SONGS: JANUARY 27, 2018

This week sees a new number one as Camila Cabello's Havana vaults into the top spot. Last week's No. 1 Mic Drop falls to No. 3 for BTS. Highest debut goes to Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Future as they collaborate to give "End Game". Here are the rest of the Top 30 songs for this week.



2017 TOP PINOY MALE ARTIST

Male Pinoy music artists have also done well in 2017 with a lot of fresh new faces making waves and gaining a lot of following. These are the guys that ruled the Pinoy music world in 2017.

1. IÑIGO PASCUAL

Dahil Sa 'Yo was released in 2016 but began gaining more traction at the charts and radio stations in 2017. This solidified his status as one of the best new singers in the industry. He also was part of the Himig Handog song "Ekstensyon" and lend her voice to the Asian version of the song "Remember Me" from the animated gem "Coco". 2017 saw him go out the shadows of his dad Piolo and made a name of his own.

2. DARYL ONG

Daryl Ong may have not won his edition of The Voice but he has become a household name in R&B in the country. He is one of the most sought after guys in the music industry and his "Stay" keeps on playing to our ears touching our hearts so dearly.

3. DARREN ESPANTO

Darren Espanto is one of the few vocalists with a wide vocal range. He re-released his Be With Me album with a Deluxe Edition in 2017 and collaborated with Jed Madella in the song "I'll Be There". Global social media has been so welcoming with Darren as well becoming one of the most frequently viewed singers in the net.

4. JAMES REID

James seemingly has it all - handsome, a great actor, a good dancer and also a good singer. He first got our attention with Pinoy Big Brother and has appeared in hit shows and movies through the years after that. In 2017, he released his 3rd studio album "Palm Dreams" which spawned 3 hits in the past year - "Cool Down", "Turning Up" and "The Life".

5. MICHAEL PANGILINAN

Michael released his album in 2016 but it continued its success in 2017 much so with his song "Hanggang Kailan". Michael won the MOR Pinoy Music Awards as Male Artist of the Year. Michael occasionally dabs into acting in TV and guest appeareances in several TV shows as well. 2017 was great and we can't wait to see more of him in 2018.

6. JASON DY

Ever since Jason Dy won the 2nd season of The Voice Philippines, he has become successful in the music front. Being a regular of ASAP and doing several shows here and abroad, his star started to shine even brighter in 2017. Jason Dy (Deluxe) continued its impressive run from 2016 and gave songs like Pano Na Lang and Nothing Like Pag-Ibig.

7. DANIEL PADILLA

Daniel is known more for his acting but he also does singing from time to time. The other half of the Kathniel power love team, he is one of the hottest young stars of his generation. With 2 films in 2017 - The Revengers Squad and the rom-com Can't Help Falling In Love plus a hit TV series La Luna Sangre, he still finds time with music. DJ Greatest Hits was a smash hit for Daniel.

8. CHRISTIAN BAUTISTA

Christian Bautista released a brand new album in 2017 "Kapit" which delivered us great songs like the title track "Kapit". The album also produced great songs like Musika. This was Christian's 7th studio album. And although he is not as visible from his previous days with Kapamilya, he still maintains a great music career and a TV career with GMA network.

9. ERIK SANTOS

Erik Santos was in the music industry since 2003 when he won Star In A Million. He continues to be one of the best singers of ABS-CBN and is a regular judge of Tawag ng Tanghalan. He does several shows in 2017 and goes on guestings on several concerts like the one from Angeline Quinto.

10. TJ MONTERDE

Aside from his great music, we all know TJ because of his relationship with KZ Tandingan. TJ is one of the freshest finds in Pinoy's music landscape. He gave us hits like Dating Tayo and Tulad Mo. With the past 2 years being great for TJ, we are all looking forward for more in 2018.

The following guys also did well in the past year:

11. Sam Mangubat 12. Mark Carpio 13. Bamboo

14. Ogie Alcasid 15. Jed Madella 16. Kay Cal

17. Sam Concepcion 18. Martin Nievera 19. Gary Valenciano

20. Alden Richards 21. Piolo Pascual 22. Markki Stroem

23. Khalil Ramos 24. JayR 25. Elmo Magalona

2017 TOP PINOY FEMALE ARTIST

Filipina singers are regarded as one of the best singers in the world and this is given more proof with 2017 being one of the bigger years for Filipinas here and abroad. Here are my Top Pinoy Female Artists of 2017.

1. MOIRA DELA TORRE

Moira first burst into the scene as a contestant of The Voice Philippines where she was eliminated in the battle rounds. But she enjoyed much success at the tail end of 2016 and all through out 2017. Her eponymous theme to "Camp Sawi", Malaya is an instant hit among listeners and had her a cult following. She followed it up with hits one after the other with Sundo, Torete and Titibo-Tibo.

2. JONA

Her big move to Kapamilya was one of the better decisions of her career. With this she instantly become a household name and was frequently providing voices for teleserye theme songs most notably Pusong Ligaw. She made it big as well with her song "Maghihintay Ako" which was a sure-fire hit with everyone hopeless romantic Pinoy.

3. KZ TANDINGAN

KZ is an artist of exceptional talent and she did not shy away from any chance of reinventing herself and her music. Her album Soul Supremacy was a hit in 2017 together her cover of "Two Less Lonely People in the World" which became a hit and was used in the film "Kita Kita:.

4. SARAH GERONIMO

Sarah G. is the ultimate Pop Star of Philippine Music. After a big 2016 with her "The Great Unknown" album she continued it in 2017 with hits like Kaibigan Mo. She also returned to The Voice Philippines as one of the coaches and later that year starred with John Lloyd Cruz for their 4th movie together with Finally Found Someone.

5. MORISSETTE AMON

One of social media and streaming apps most beloved artist in 2017 is Morissette. She was part of several tours and shows and frequently the buzz of social media with her great Youtube performances. She had one hit song in the past year "Hinahanap Pa Rin".

6. YENG CONSTANTINO

Poprock royalty Yeng Constantino is simply one of the best in the music industry. Yeng boasts of great talent in both singing and songwriting. She is a frequent judge of Tawag ng Tanghalan and did a collaboration with Sarah Geronimo in 2017 entitled Kaibigan Mo.

7. REGINE VELASQUEZ

Her R3.0 concert was a major success which further solidifies her status as one of the best in the music industry. Regine is 30 years in the industry and there is nothing stopping her. In December 2007, Velasquez was honored with a star on the Philippine Walk of Fame.

8. KYLA

When taking about R&B, you are sure not to forget Kyla. Her soothing voice makes her one of the better sounding artists of her generation. She is busy with shows and TV appearances in It's Showtime serving as a regular judge in the Tawag ng Tanghalan segment.

9. ANGELINE QUINTO

Angeline released her 6th studio album @loveangelinequinto in 2017. Being one of the regular judges in I Can See Your Voice and Tawag ng Tanghalan, Angeline continues to her busy slate in 2017. She won Female Concert Performer of the Year (Royals) at the 2017 Box Office Entertainment Awards.

10. KATRINA VELARDE

One of the most viewed performances at the Wish 107.5 bus is that of singer Katrina Velarde. She belted out with ease the Michael Bolton hit "Go The Distance" and everyone went notice. Well known for her powerful chops, Katrina is bound for more success in the coming year.

Here are the other ladies that ruled the local music scene in 2017.

11. Julie San Jose 12. Lani Misalucha 13. Juris

14. Zia Quizon 15. Lea Salonga 16. Sitti

17. Kaye Brosas 18. Jake Zyrus 19. Nina

20. Toni Gonzaga 21. Yumi 22. Jessa Zaragosa

23. Marion Aunor 24. Donnalyn Bartolome 25. Aiza Seguerra

2017 TOP WOMEN IN SPORTS

2017 also was a big year for women in sports. Tennis in particular had a big year as 5 out of Top 10 in his list are all tennis superstars. Here are the Top 10 ladies of 2017 in the world of sports.

1. SERENA WILLIAMS
Serena Williams is a legend and she is not yet done with her tennis career. Early 2017 saw Serena win her 23rd Grand Slam at the Australian Open making her 2nd on the list behind Margaret Court who is with 24. She also has 14 Grand Slam Women's Doubles and 2 Mixed Doubles titles. She took her time off the game and on September 1, 2017, Williams gave birth to a girl named Alexis Olympia Ohanian.

2. DANICA PATRICK
Considered to be a pioneer for women in motorsports by the media, Patrick's achievements allowed her to break the gender barrier in a industry that is predominately male, and has been influential to many girls who have participated in auto racing. Danica is still known for her victory at the 2008 Indy Japan 300. Despite not winning any titles at NASCAR she made the race much more interesting and finishing the tour at 28th in 2017.

3. LOGAN TOM
American volleyball star Logan Tom is one of the more prominent figures in the sport. She is the best and most recognized player in the USA team despite not able to lift a gold medal at the Olympics and Worlds. The 2 silver medals at the Olympics and 1 silver at the World still prove a very great achievement as she continues to lead US into tournaments.

4. SIMONA HALEP
Simona Halep from Romania She became the seventh player to reach the No. 1 ranking without having won a Grand Slam Tournament. Her career was highlighted by a finals appearance at the French Open where she was defeated by Jelena Ostapenko. Halep is one if the stars to watch for this coming 2018.

5. RONDA ROUSEY
This MMA superstar is perhaps the most dominant and talked about fighter as of late. Her personal triumphs together with some of her life issues in the past has kept her a regular on news and buss headlines. In 2017, Rousey is ranked the #4 female bantamweight fighter in the world according to the UFC.

6. NATALIA PEREIRA

Brazil has always been one of volleyball's powerhouses and in recent years one player stand out from their team - Natalia Pereira. One of the power hitters in the game, Natalia has quite an impressive resume to boot with 2012 Olympics gold as her best achievement. In 2017, she won the 2017 FIVB World Grand Prix gold medal and the Most Valuable Player and Best Outside Spiker individual awards.

7. VENUS WILLIAMS

Venus Williams may be aged 37 years old but nothing is stopping her. She made a big leap back at the rankings finishing 2017 at No. 5 overall. Venus was a 2-time Grand Slam finalist in 2017 finishing runner-up at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon. She topped the money list in 2017 for women's tennis.

8. MICHELLE WIE

Golf superstar Michelle Wei may not be as highly ranked as her other opponents but she remains to be one of the most talked about ladies in the sport. At age 10, she became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA Amateur Championships. She had her best in 2017 as she tied for 3rd at the Women's British Open.

9. CAROLINE WOZNIACKI

Ending 2017 at ranked No. 3 in the world, she finished a season of comebacks with a victory at the WTA Finals. She made big leaps after a lackluster 2016 although up until now she still holds the distinction of one of the few ladies to be No. 1 in tennis without having won a Grand Slam. Here's hoping she can change it this 2018.

10. MARIA SHARAPOVA

15 months after her suspension from the sport, Maria Sharapova returns to the tour with a lot of noise. While some people loved to see her comeback, some were more critical of accepting her anew. And the issues with some tournaments granting her widlcards, she was again headlining the sports news all for the wrong reasons. But she has proven her worth once more winning her first title in a while at Tianjin Open. She finished the year at No. 60.


Here are the rest of wonderful ladies that did well in the past year:
11. Tandara Caixeta 12. Zhu Ting 13. Shiela Castro
14. Lexi Thompson 15. Natalis Gulbis 16. Lolo Jones
17. Blair O'Neal 18. Alex Morgan 19. Skylar Diggins
20. Katerina Gamova 21. Hope Solo 22. Anastasia Ashley
23. Ashlyn Harris 24. Whitney Miller 25. Jessica Ennis



2017 TOP MEN OF SPORTS

Sports in 2017 was filled with a lot of highlights from every field there is. While some of the more prominent sports figures have already retired from their respective sports they still continue in helping the sports community in simple ways they could. 2017 was indeed a big year and here are the Top Men from the year that was.

1. LEBRON JAMES

Cleveland Cavalier's main man Lebron James is definitely the toast of NBA and his accomplishments are more to speak of him as a basketball player. He is a 3 time NBA champion, 3 time Finals MVP, 4 time MVP, 14 time All Star and 2 time NBA All-Star Game MVP. His huge salary together with endorsements like Nike makes him one of richest sports figure in the past year. It is either you love him or hate him but for me there is nothing not to love about Lebron. He makes the sport much more interesting.

2. RAFAEL NADAL

Vamos. Rafael Nadal is definitely one of the best tennis stars of today. He added more glory to his illustrious career with his 15th and 16th Grand Slam in 2017 winning the US Open and of course taking his 10th French Open in what we all know as "La Decima". He ended the year as No.1 in the Men's game and with recent form he is sure to still be in the mix this 2018.

3. STEPHEN CURRY

Steph is one of highly regarded NBA stars of this generation. This 2 time NBA Champion, 2 time MVP and 5 time NBA All Star has become one of the more cheered fans in the sports. He also represented USA twice at the World Championships and at both occasions helped in winning the gold. This GSW star is saying there's more in the years to come. Endorsements like Under Armour has kept him in the modeling world as well.

4. TOM DALEY

British diver Tom Daley is here both for his achievements in sports as well as his colorful life. His most recent medal came at the FINA World Championships where he grabbed the gold at the 10m platform event. He is often the toast of the media as well as one of the few "out" gay sports personalities there is. And we can't help to mention his relationship with American screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.

5. CRISTIANO RONALDO

Another football superstar, Ronaldo is definitely one name people would not miss when discussing of greats in their field of sports. This Portuguese hunk is also one of the more in demand models in the field of sports with several endorsements and magazine covers here and there.

6. DAVID BECKHAM

Football star David Beckham was not just a major influencer in his sport but is also one of the most established models and entrepreneurs of this era. Beckham is one of the best players in England and all over the world. And with a marriage as high profiled as him with Victoria Beckham, he is sure to stay. And his humanitarian efforts in UNICEF makes him more loved by everyone.

7. LEWIS HAMILTON

2017 was another great year for Lewis. The British Formula 1 driver won his 4th World Championships. He remains to be with the Mercedes team and is arguably the best driver currently at his sport. This 2018, he will try to win his 5th title to move him further ahead of the rest of the field.

8. KOBE BRYANT

It was one year already since Kobe left basketball but his presence and influence in the sport remains strong as ever. He is still doing rounds on several events and endorsements and continues to be one of the well regarded basketball players in NBA and the world.

9. BLAKE GRIFFIN

Despite not doing so well in 2017, Blake continues to topbill sports magazines. This slam dunk phenom continues to play for the Clippers and continues to have flock of fans all over the world.

10. JOSEPH SCHOOLING

Singapore's top swimmer stunned the whole world when he won 2016 100 m butterfly edging out legend Michael Phelps in the process. 2017 was a bit of a down for him in the FINA World Championships as he placed only 3rd. He went back dominating SEA Games to continue his supreme at the biennial meet.

Here are the rest of the sportsmen that made waves in 2017:

11. Sebastian Vettel     12. Kevin Durant     13. Roger Federer

14. Novak Djokovic     15. Michael Phelps     16. Kohei Uchemura

17. Rory McIllroy     18. Dwayne Wade     19. Russel Westbrook

20. Kevin Love     21. Lionel Messi     22. Usain Bolt

23. Manny Pacquiao     24. Paul Ruggeri     25. Phil Dalhauser

26. Jake Dalton     27. Floyd Mayweather     28. James Harden

29. Aaron Gordon     30. Bruce Irons     31. James Magnussen

32. Rich Froning     33. Chris Weidman     34. Mike Trout

35. Maxim Trankov 

    

2017 TOP PINOY GROUPS

2017 was a slow year for groups in the music industry but there were still some that managed to steal some success in the past year. Here are my Top Pinoy Groups in 2017.

1. SUD

SUD was in the music industry since 1992 but critical and commercial success was overflowing in 2017. Their eponymous tune "Sila" became a household tune at the radios and streaming apps. Sub Ballecer and his crew made people see how talented they were giving us a well penned song that wins a lot of our hearts.

2. HALE

It was 2004 when we fell in love with this group led by Champ Lui Pio and they gave one hit after the other. But like most groups in the biz, they disbanded in 2010 and all members ventured into their individual interests. It was not until 2015 that the team went back together and their 2017 song "Alon" which was used in the movie Siargao made us see that they are really back.

3. BOYBANDPH

These quintet was a product of the reality show Pinoy Band Superstars. The group is composed of Ford Valencia, Joao Constancia, Niel Murillo, Russell Reyes, and Tristan Ramirez. 2017 saw them release their hits "Unli" and "Somebody". They also joined recent Kapamilya Jona in one great collaboration "Til The End of Time".

4. SILENT SANCTUARY

Releasing their 6th studio album in 2017 Malayo Na Tayo, the band has certainly shown how far they come. Even up to these days the group are a relevant fixture in the OPM Music Industry. Since 2001 and up until now, the band is making music and we are not complaining.

5. ITCHYWORMS

Itchyworms have not released any new albums but with their front man Jugs Jugueta very visible at the noontime show It's Showtime they have managed to keep a following. In 2017 they have continuously toured the country and continues to play great music. And Jugs is just a musical genius that is one of OPM's gems. 

6. TAKEN BY CARS

Sarah Marco and her band Taken By Cars is one of the few bands that manage to thrive the indie route. 2017 saw them release a new studio album, "Plagues" which is a great set of wonderfully written pieces like Floods, Nomad and the title track Plagues. TBC fills the void left by the past bands led by female acts.

7. 4TH IMPACT
4th Impact is composed of sisters Almira, Irene, Mylene, and Celina Cercado. The group rose to popularity after competing in the 12th X-Factor UK where they finished 5th. Their catchy tune "Unleash The Diva" was their first big hit of their career and is soon to lend their singing chops via the theme song of the upcoming movie Ang Dalawang Mrs. Reyes.

8. ROCKSTEDDY

Teddy Corpuz is the other half of the duo Jugs and Teddy doing their hosting jobs in "It's Showtime". Even without new albums in the past year, Rocksteddy kept themselves busy with event and provincial shows all throughout the year.

9. 1:43

1:43 has been in several member changes through the years. 2017 saw 4 brand new members in emerging actor and singer Art Artienda, Filipino-American model and dancer Jason Allen, and Filipino-Canadian dancer and model Wayne Avellano; and Filipino-Chinese model Ced Miranda. The new group released their comeback single "Trapik Tralala," a cover of an APO Hiking Society and released their 2nd comeback single titled "Pasensya Na" later that year.

10. HASHTAGS

Perhaps attributing their success to their exposure in "It's Showtime", Hashtags is an all male dance group that got introduced in 2015. While the team tried their luck at singing they focused more on the dancing part and the individual member's acting careers.

The rest of the groups that made some noise in the past year are as below:

11. Spongecola

12. Ben & Ben

13. Ezra Band

14. Parokya Ni Edgar

15. The Juans