I am listening to Moria Dela Torres while I am writing this piece.

Moira Dela Torre is a Filipino artist known for her voice ala lullaby and songs mostly catered to the brokenhearted. Her music is often heard in tearjerker Pinoy flicks as OST. I don't know why some people don't like her music but I get thrilled with her voice. To each his own, I guess. 

There was a time when hugot songs became a trend and everyone seems to dwell in emotional stirrings.  Hugot literally means "drawn out from", and is coined to refer to statements drawn from the inner recesses of the heart. 

I love emotional songs. I grew up listening to boybands singing love songs from boybands such as Backstreet Boys, Boyz2Men, Westlife, A1, Blue... If you're from the same generation, I bet you can add more. I say authentic because they actually mean romantic love, unlike most modern songs that speak mostly of lust and sex seasoned with incomprehensible mumble raps. 

I agree, sometimes watching music videos from the 90s-early 2000s boybands is a total cringefest, but no one can deny the emotions the lyrics brought us. It made us hopelessly romantic. It made gave us a picture of knights in shining armor, unrequited love, friends-turned-lovers, and love that goes against all odds. These love songs paint us an idea of how multi-faceted human emotions are. 

But why do we love these kinds of songs? Until now on local radio stations, countless listeners are still requesting their favorite songs to be played on the airwaves. Local top lists include mostly love songs. Though there seems to be changing tastes in the younger generation, the older generation and the general population are still into their old music preference (please don't take this as gospel truth, still speculation, not a backed up by research lol)

A cultural thing

One good reason I can think of is a cultural one. We are closely related and our family ties prove a point. We are so into each other, and we are very relational people. 

Unlike in the West where children often leave their parents as soon as they reach legal age, in the Philippines, we stay together - in fact even until our children have children of their own. This cultural behavior has its advantages and disadvantages, and its effects seep into various facets of life, mostly economic and social. We are naturally relational, so we prefer songs highlighting relationships - no matter their message. 

Our Christian/Catholic values

Our long history with the Spaniards' Catholicism and the Americans' Protestantism has solidified our faith and has placed us on the global map as a Christian nation in Asia (I know this can be argued now, but that is for another topic). As a Christian nation, we put high regard on values such as love and relationships. Add to this reason our archipelagic location, Western influences did not even bother us until the Internet. 

This is why some laws are still debatable and some legislations in the West are viewed as taboo and unfit when put into our context. Our deeply rooted "values" are in play and we can't easily get away with it because it is ingrained in our society. That explains why most Filipinos stay in abusive relationships in the hope of changing their partner for good. 

Our songs are not just good to hear. It reflects us as a society. It gives the world a picture of who we are. Music is an expression of our creativity, of our emotions, but it also gives a story of who we are as a nation.

Whew! I never thought Moira prompt me to write something like this. Lol. Kaya kita gusto e. Haha!