By Issa Romeral
Photo from myspace.com/imgabe
In this day and age, technology is often used to promote ourselves and our talents. Gabe Bondoc is no exception. A young Filipino based in California, Bondoc is currently one of the most subscribed musicians on the ever-popular video streaming Website, YouTube. With a fanbase of 130,000 – give or take a few more – he is taking the World Wide Web by storm, taking his heritage along with him.
Blessed with the talents of singing and playing the guitar, he currently has 20 original compositions posted on his YouTube page. He has also released a Gabe Bondoc EP which included both originals and remakes of his favorite songs. An active member of several social networking sites, it would seem that he is very determined to reach his goal of making it in the music industry. Aside from his channel, he also has accounts in Twitter, Tumblr, and MySpace where he posts more personal texts straight from guitar-friendly fingers.
While still unsigned, the young musician is quite active in developing his music. Just recently, he played a show with fellow US-based Filipinos, Danny Noriega and former American Idol contestant, Ramiel Malubay. The show, which was to benefit the Philippines and earthquake victims from Haiti was held in Miramar, Florida last March 20.
With his charm and talents put together, Bondoc is obviously on the road to making it big someday. Listening to his music alone can support this. Citing John Mayer and Corinne Bailey Rae as his two inspirations, he always gives classic favorites a fresh twist by incorporating his unique style into the songs he remakes. In three and a half years, he has created a signature for himself, creating a positive and inspiring image of Filipinos for the world to enjoy.
Indeed, there is still much to be seen for Bondoc who's only starting on his way to the top. With his clear determination, coupled with actual skill, much can be expected from the young, up-and-coming artist. Surely, it's only a matter of time before he makes his commercial debut. And when that happens, he'll be raising the Philippine flag and its colors of blue, red, and yellow with him.
