Filipina Soul

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a teaser post about a guest here at Filipina Soul. Now, I can reveal who it is! It’s Rannie Raymundo!

Rannie has graciously allowed me to interview him so our readers here at FS can get to know him better. As I found out in my research and through the interview, there’s a lot to discover about this multi-talented performer.

Filipina Soul: When people hear the name “Rannie Raymundo”, they usually think about the singer and composer. You have done so much in this field that it’s hard to even begin to list your accomplishments. But we do have to try. Let’s start with the basic questions. Please tell us what instruments you play and how many songs you have composed.

Rannie: I play about 10 different instruments. I started playing the drums at the age of 3. My uncle who was a drummer in the 60’s saw me doing paradiddles with the chopsticks. He got me my first kit and taught me the rudiments. It was said that I had perfect time at that age. I played the piano at 4. I picked up the guitar at 5 thanks to our carpenter. There was a construction going on in our house and this carpenter was playing the guitar during their break. Right there and then I said to myself, “hey, I can do that!”. So I asked him to teach me and instantly I was able to play the guitar. And so began my love affair with music. As the years went home, I tried to get my hands on any instrument that I see. The flute, the harmonica, the bass, the sax, the latin percussions and other permutations of these instruments. Today I am experimenting with, believe it or not, the ukelele.

I wrote my very first song in 1983. It was during a break in one of our Kundirana rehearsals in La Salle Greenhills. I remember the bandmaster instructing us not to touch any other instrument except that is assigned to you. Well…me being me…when no one was looking, I just had to break the rule. So they all left and I said I’d stay behind in the auditorium. When the coast was clear I sat on the piano and miraculously I wrote my very first song in under 10 min. I remember it like yesterday… I couldn’t stop writing eversince.

Number of songs I’ve written? Let’s just put it this way. I stopped counting at 500. That was 7 years ago.

Filipina Soul: What got you started in the music business?

Rannie: I started writing jingles and writing for other artists. The first hit as a songwriter was the song “Tatlong Beinte Singko” which I wrote for Ding Dong Avanzado. One day it hit me that I needed to stretch some more. I felt that expressing through writing is not enough. I had to deliver it myself. My voice being the extension of my pen. I took the chance and made a demo. I went around all the major record labels and got rejected. The reason? My music was said to be different. This only strengthened my resolution. That was the most flattering thing any artist could ever hear. One day a friend of mine Vince St. Price from 99.5 RT (I’m sure you guys remember this station!) heard my demo and asked if he could play it on his show. I said, “why the hell not?”. And so he did. In less than a month, my song was in the RT Top 40. After 2 more weeks, it was in the Top 20. The week that followed placed me in number one. The song was Hanggang Kailan. All the record labels who dumped me started clamoring to sign me up. Everything else was history.

Filipina Soul: Do you prefer to sing your own songs or compose for another singer/band?

Rannie: Of course I prefer to sing my own songs and there’s a reason for that. And it’s not just an ego thing. When I sing my songs, everything is contained. Let me expound. When I say contained I mean anything and everything. I can render it any which way I want because it’s mine. I love the freedom it gives me to do that. There’s only one soul in the world who knows the emotional content of the song. The personal meaning of certain words and phrases. Finally, by singing my own songs, I can be faithful to my sound, my style and my mark. You see, every songwriter has a distinct mark. It’s sort of like a watermark.

Composing for another artist is fun and challenging. It’s more difficult because unlike writing for your self, you have to know the make of the other artist from his/her vocal range, timbre, personality, etc. As a matter of fact, I’ve done this quite a lot and continue to do so.

I have sang my own songs throughout my career and funny that you should ask this question right now in this interview. I am currently recording a bossa nova album featuring adaptations of hits from the 70’s and 80’s none of which are my own. I took the challenge to be just a vocalist. It’s fun because I grew up listening to these songs. Another plus, I love bossa nova.

Filipina Soul: One of your most popular songs is “Why Can’t It Be”. It’s such a tender and thoughtful ballad. Could you tell us how you came to write it? Was it inspired by a personal experience?

Rannie: Oh boy, oh boy. Telling the story behind the song will get me into trouble…. LOL.

It’s quite a story you see…and it’s gonna take so many pages for this one. Let me just tell you some facts about this song. Number one, this song was written years, years before it was released. I wrote it in 1987 and it was released in 1993. Number 2, the original version was, believe it or not….a disco version. Number 3, this song was rejected by all the major record labels. And lastly, when I finally landed a record deal, I had to beg my producer nine times for it to be my second single. I remember even making a bet if this song wouldn’t reach platinum, they could throw my contract out the window. Obviously, I won the bet.

Filipina Soul: Do you have a personal favorite among your songs? If so, which one/s and why?

Rannie: In 24 years of songwriting, I never thought of this question. I don’t think I could ever answer this one! It’s like asking me who my favorite child is. They’re all my babies…and I love them all. Sometimes, I do wonder among all my songs which one would be the favorite of my listeners…aside from Why Can’t It Be?.

*** to be continued…

This is just part one of the interview. Tomorrow I’ll be posting part 2 so don’t forget to visit again! There’s more to come!

Tags: Rannie Raymundo, Filipino singer, Filipino performer, Filipino composer, Filipino musician

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