Best Memories of 2011...

I've learned a lot of lessons this year. I sort of can't believe how much has happened in 12 months. Last January literally feels like a lifetime ago.

TOP TEN - Best Memories of 2011

10. Running to my friends apartment just in time to catch the premiere of my music video for "Naiisip Mo Ba" on MYX.

9. Recording/rehearsing our SNSD cover of "The Boys" with my younger brothers Ben & Jimmy.

8. Praying w/Yeng off air right before our duet together on "ASAP".

7. The long line of fans excited to buy my album after my first mall show in Baguio.

6. The joyful car rides home with my friends/team Carlo, Miyako, and publicist after each exciting new TV guesting (MU Live, Headstart: Karen Davila, Walang Tulugan, ASAP, Homepage …etc.)

5. Riding an elephant in Thailand.

4. Meeting Sarah Geronimo and having her say how much she enjoyed watching my version of "Sino Nga Ba Siya".

3. My guest performance w/Rivermaya,and YouTube collabs w/Jayson.

2. Filming my first self-directed music video w/Yassi Pressman as we walked around Greenbelt and tried to convince the security guards we were only taking pictures, hehe.

1. Balling my eyes out as I cried for the first time in years …happy tears, thinking back on the good times of my first trip to the Philippines and the way it felt to so carelessly fall in love.

Why Tagalog Songs? - the beginning

Why Tagalog Songs?

I sort of wish there was a short answer for this question, but there are at least a hundred different reasons why I've learned Tagalog songs. And each song also has it's own individual reasons as to why I decided to learn it. So let's start at the beginning...

Before I ever fell in love with OPM I first fell in love with the Philippines, and not so coincidentally around that same time I also fell in love with a Filipina :)

A few Pinoy friends of mine I'd gotten to know while performing in other countries invited me to come visit them while they were home on vacation. . I had learned a few Tagalog phrases from them and they were some of the most friendly people I'd ever met so finally decided to take them up on the offer. In some way maybe it was destiny because the girl who picked me up at the airport when I arrived ended up becoming my girlfriend of over 2 years …but that's getting ahead of the story.

When I woke up the first morning I turned on the TV in the hotel and it was on MYX. The video playing was Rico Blanco's song "Your Universe". At the time I had no idea it was a local artist. I just thought it was a song that hadn't yet been released in the US. I loved the song.

The two weeks that I spent on vacation in the Philippines were probably the best two weeks of my life. I was so in love with Dominique (the girl I mentioned), and all the fresh fruit, jeepneys, 168 Mall, haha …I felt at home.

A few months later I came back to the Philippines to visit again and this time I thought it would be fun to check out some of the local music. Dominique had gotten a Facebook invite to a Rico Blanco show, and she told me how much she liked his songs. We watched a couple of his music videos together on YouTube, and I liked his songs too. I remembered hearing "Your Universe" on MYX my last trip. When I saw Rico perform live I was so impressed! Afterwords I met him and we talked for a little while. I got his album, and was so excited to listen to it.

Once back in the US I started listening to Rico's album almost daily and "Antukin" became one of my favorite songs. I asked Dominique if she would help me learn how to pronounce the words in the song. I thought it would be cool to have a Tagalog song to play for her, and I knew she would really appreciate. I loved learning so many new Tagalog words, and it was easier to remember them in a song. I ended up learning almost every song on Rico's album ...both the English and Tagalog songs.

I was really interested in moving at least part time to the Philippines because of how much I'd enjoyed my visits, and because Dominique lived there. Then suddenly one day I got an email from MCA/Universal Music Philippines. They had heard one of my original English songs "So Hard To Let Go", and they told me Nyoy Volante wanted to record it for his next album. I didn't yet know who Nyoy was, but Dominique told me he was quite popular and a great singer. Nyoy and I started becoming friends via email. He told me that he would introduce me to his other musician friends on my next visit. Suddenly I was excited about the opportunity to have a music career both in the Philippines as well as the US.

My next trip back Nyoy started introducing me to his friends; Gary V, Yael Yuzon, Top Suzara, Mike Chan, Duncan Ramos, Barbie Almabis .etc. As I got the chance to hear these artists perform live I was really impressed by their songs. Every time I heard a song that I didn't know I would ask someone "…what's the title of this song?" Soon I was learning lots of new Tagalog songs, and what made it even more exciting was often being privileged enough to get to jam the hits I was learning on stage with the original artists. My favorite moment came when Rico invited me to perform "Antukin" on stage with him at the club where I first saw him perform.

Here are a couple of the most popular YouTube songs I've covered, and at least one "Reason" as to why I learned the song.

"Himala" - my friend Ryan Peralta often substitutes on drums when the Rivermaya drummer can't make it. He suggested this song to me, and it instantly became one of my favorites. I had Dominique help translate the lyrics for me. The lyrics are brilliant! One of the best things about learning new Tagalog songs, is the fact that I also learn the English translation and therefore more Tagalog each time I learn a new song.

"Ikay Mahal Pa Rin" - I heard this song playing in Mini-stop on a couple of my late night visits for snacks. I found the melody irresistible so I decided to put together my own version.

"Wag Na" - I cover Yeng's songs for three reasons: One, because I like them. Two, because I like what she stands for and the fact she writes her own songs. Three, because I have a crush on her and I started thinking maybe if I cover enough of her songs on YouTube she'd notice me …and maybe say "yes" when I ask her to collaborate on a song and/or marry me someday, haha.

"Sabihin Mo Na" - Top Suzara sent me a copy of his album, and I loved it. Especially his English song "Overcast" …it's actually my favorite song of his. But "Sabihin Mo Na" is my 2nd favorite ...so I decided to learn both.

Your - "Questions Answered"

- Do you have Filipino blood?

Not that I know of, but I'm a mix of a lot of things. My last name is Italian, and I'm of Italian descent on my father's side. My mother is Jewish/German, but I was born and raised in the USA.

- Where did you grow up?

Charlotte, North Carolina ("Tar Heels" represent!) ;) haha

- Why did you decide to visit the Philippines and what do you like the most about the Philippines?

My best friend in the US is Pinoy. Growing up around his wonderful family including his adorable karaoke loving grandfather was my first introduction to Filipinos. When I started performing on cruise ships after high school there were a lot of Pinoys working on board and a lot of them became my good friends. It was some of these friends that first invited me to visit the Philippines. My first trip to the Philippines was two of the best weeks of my life, and I immediately decided I had to come back.

- Are you living in the Philippines for good?

I love the Philippines, but I also love my home country and all of my family is there including my four brothers and one sister so at this time I'm just country hopping back and forth doing shows, collaborating with artists, and hanging out with friends.

- Have you met Sarah Geronimo?

Hindi pa, but I'm really looking forward to meeting her one day.

- How did you start writing songs with Filipino artists like Mark Bautista?

My first introduction to the Philippines music business was when Nyoy Volante recorded one of my original songs for his latest album on MCA/Universal, and through that we became good friends. Once Nyoy recorded my song other artists became interested in writing songs with me for their albums as well. I'm really proud of the song Mark Bautista and I wrote together. It hasn't been released yet, but I'm sure it will be before long.

- What inspires your art and what are the main challenges of being an artist?

There are four things that inspire my art: Girls, Opposition, Friendship, and the chance to make someone laugh :)

- How are you related to "Mian Dimacali" the girl in your music video for your "Naiisip Mo Ba"?

I saw her perform in the musical RENT in Manila. The cast was amazing, but she was the standout performer in show, and as soon as I saw her I knew I wanted to work with her in some regard. When I was casting my music video I thought she would be perfect to play "my girlfriend". The girl I wrote the song for is also the same Filipina "morena" type and she thought Mian would be perfect as well. Mian and I are just friends :)

- What is it about Yeng Constantino that makes you like her?

I love the passion and effort that she puts into everything she does. I love her sincerity. I love the way she dresses. I love the sound of her voice both when she sings or speaks in both English and Tagalog. I think Yeng is a great role model for girls. She's really herself and she doesn't hide who she is, and I think that's sexy, haha. Ok, so …everything. ;)

- What inspired you to start learning Tagalog?

The first OPM performer I saw in concert was Rico Blanco and he instantly became my favorite Filipino songwriter and artist. I started learning his song "Antukin" because I just thought it sounded super cool. Of course I wanted to know what the lyrics meant so that's how I started learning Tagalog. Every new Tagalog song teaches me more as I learn what the words I'm singing mean. Because of this I'm much better at reading, writing, and singing Tagalog than I am at speaking it or understanding when it's spoken to me. "nose bleed", haha.

- What made you want to write "Taglish" songs?

Part of my inspiration was Rico because I like the way he uses English phrases in his Tagalog songs. The main reason though was that I thought it would be chance for me to help bring OPM, the Philippines, and the Tagalog language to a larger audience …sort of the way that K-pop has brought Korean to a larger audience by also mixing in a lot of English. I think multi-lingual music is the wave of the future.

- Who are you going to collaborate with next?

Not sure yet, but I really want to collaborate with Yeng on an English or "Taglish" song.

- Are you courting Yeng Constantino?

Yeng and I are already married …she just doesn't know it yet ;)

- What is your favorite Tagalog song?

"Yugto"

- What was your most unforgettable childhood experience?

My dad singing me lullabies as I fell asleep.

- Do you have "regular gigs" …where and when?

I want every gig to be a new, exciting, challenging experience ...so for that reason I don't play shows at one particular venue or kind of venue on a regular basis. Instead I choose to constantly move from one type of venue to another which I think is more fun. My first major concert in the Philippines will be my album launch show in about 4-5 weeks. Setting up a date and time now.

- What's your birthday?

Feb 9, 1985

- Who is your crush?

Yeng

- What's your beauty secret?

Hmmm, I'm beautiful? Nice. Well, then I just hope that my music lasts much longer than my looks, haha ;)

- What's your motto or advice.

Life is too short to not enjoy your "work". Start pursuing your passion as early in life as you possibly can and mainly just work harder at it than everyone else. If you do you'll probably be successful :)

- Is there a chance that you're going to visit and perform in Cebu?

Sure hope so! I haven't been to Cebu yet, but I can't wait to visit!

- Are you single?

Yes

- What makes Filipino songs different from other songs you've heard?

I think every word of every language has a melody of it's own. A natural way of being spoken that leads to the way it is sung. The Tagalog language has a melody all it's own, and I enjoy being part of that melody.

- Is it possible that you could fall in love with someone who's not related to the entertainment industry?

oo naman. (of course)

- Where are you learning Tagalog?

No formal study at this point, just friends, necessity, and songs.

- Who are you musical inspirations?

Too many to list but a couple of the top inspirations are Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Billy Joel, Elton John, Savage Garden, Def Leppard, and Rico Blanco.

- Have you signed with any Philippines network (ie. ABS-CBN/GMA/TV 5)

Hindi pa (not yet)

- If you could be one Filipino dish what would it be and why?

Buko juice …because it's so healthy, hydrating, and refreshing! :)

- Are you planning on performing anymore in the US?

Yes, I'm going to be back in the US for a couple of shows in the fall. This year I'm mostly concentrated on my shows in South East Asia though. Next year I plan on setting up a longer tour of the US.

- Have you ever eaten "Balot"?

Nope, and it's not on my "bucket list", haha.

- Things on your "Bucket List"?

Marry Yeng Constantino …perform on ASAP & Party Pilipinas …be able to walk on stage and have thousands of fans singing along with a couple hours worth of my original songs.

- Naiintindihan mo po ba pag kinausap ka in Tagalog?

oo, naintindihan ko.

- What was the sweetest thing you did for love?

I've literally flown all the way around the world just to spend a couple days with the person I love.

- Have you done guestings on TV shows in the Philippines?

Yes, "MU Live" on MYX, "Hompage" morning show on NET 25, and "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho" on GMA.

- Can you write a song for your fans?

Every song I write is for my fans, so in a way they're all "about" my fans as well :)

- How long did it take you to be that good?

I practice guitar, do vocal exercises, and write songs every single day. I think to be successful you can never really believe you're "good enough". I've been playing guitar for 10 years, writings songs for 16 years, and singing for 5 years.

- What/who inspired you to sing in the, Philippines? Will this be just in passing?

So many things inspired me to share my music in the Philippines, but mainly it's just my love of being "in" the Philippines. I'm not sure where my art will take me. Being an artist means changing. I'm a perfectionist though, so I will never release any material that I don't think is great, and I will only write songs that come from my heart and that have a message I believe in.

- When will you sing a Filipino song your own composition, or did you just make one?

I've already written three original "Taglish" songs and one original "Tagalog" song. Two of the "Taglish" songs I've written are included on my upcoming album. They are titled "Naiisip Mo Ba" & "(I'll Do Anything) Para Sa 'Yo"

- What places in the Philippines do you recommend a tourist should visit?

I think a tourist should visit as many of the islands as possible. Every one that I've been to so far is magnificent in it's own unique way.

- What is the meaning of life?

LOVE

The Single Best Exercise For Toning Up

PREFACE: If you're a girl reading this blog, and you think you shouldn't lift weights or do this exercise because "you're a girl" ...here's a helpful article about weight lifting in WOMENS HEALTH that you should probably read first :)

SQUATS - I’ve spent ten years working out to only in the last year realize how much a difference this one exercise could change the make-up of my entire body. Experts had told me this before, but for some reason it just never quite sank in …until I did it.

When you run you don’t break down very much muscle. It’s good for your heart, but doesn’t have much of a long term effect on your ability to burn fat or keep “toned” unless you run like a maniac for hours a day, …we’re talking MILES of running fast (not walking) at least 5 days a week. Of course, some people want to run three miles a day five days a week in order to try and stay thin ...not me. Unfortunately a few hours after you stop running your metabolism slows down to it’s usual rate and you are no longer burning any more calories than normal …so the maximum gain you make when running basically equals the amount of minutes you actually spend running.

When you lift heavy weights and break down the muscles in your body (to the point that you’re sore the next day) your metabolism kicks into overdrive for DAYS afterword working to repair the muscles that you’ve broken down. So by lifting heavy weight you’re in effect getting a workout even when you’re not working out. Sounds great right …it gets better.

When you break down the muscles in your body those same muscles build themselves back up creating new “lean muscle”. Lean muscle constantly burns fat even when you’re doing NOTHING because it needs calories to survive.

The best way to create the most lean muscles is to do exercises that work the biggest "muscles" in your body. The largest muscle in your body is your quadriceps. The number one exercise you can do for “quads” is SQUATS. But not only do squats work your quadriceps they also work your ABS (squats is the best exercise for your abs in my opinion because the abs are doing what they are intended to …which is stabilize your back).

Also, when you workout such a large muscle as the quadriceps your body actually releases special “rebuilding” hormones that in tern help you rebuild the other muscles in your body that you’re also working out such as biceps, triceps, shoulders …etc. FASTER. …which in tern means even more lean muscle and lean muscle = fat burning to the extreme ☺

(DISCLAIMER: You should squat between 5 – 10 “reps” of the most weight you can possibly manage using correct form. WARM UP first though. Squats are also one of the most dangerous exercises when not done using correct form. Get an expert to help you your first time if you’ve never done them before …or read up on them extensively first. Here’s a helpful ARTICLE about squats. …here’s a video link on how to do them correctly. Lastly, I don't suggest using squat "machines" because you will not receive the full benefits of doing squats if you use one.

Burning Fat - The Biggest Myth

If there's one myth about burning fat that I see acted upon the most in the gym it's that "one can burn fat off a certain area by working out that individual area" This is NOT TRUE.

If you want to burn fat off your stomach don't workout your stomach! The fact is your body burns fat off of itself PROPORTIONALLY ...spread out over it's entire system NOT from a specific area …no matter how hard you work out that specific area.

I've seen countless fat dudes in the gym everyday doing hundreds of crunches and not getting anywhere. The reason being that doing crunches doesn't break down very much muscle (just the tiny little muscles in your stomach), and therefore doesn't greatly speed up your metabolism …which in turn doesn't burn much fat.

Crunches are one of the most useless exercises for burning fat and having great abs. Most people that have great abs don't spend much of their time in the gym doing crunches. Personally I never do crunches …I'm not bragging, it's just that you get good abs by having very little body fat, and you don't get a low body fat percentage by doing crunches.

If want a low body fat percentage you should be lifting heavy weights doing exercises that work your largest muscle groups …legs and back most importantly …and lastly chest.

In my next exercise blog I will tell you about two exercises that if done will change the make up of your entire body in the most effective and fastest way possible. No, not bulky …TONED :)

Naiisip Mo Ba & Radio

I'm sitting at a coffee shop nearby where I'm staying at the moment in Makati. I've asked the cashier to tune the radio to WoW FM 103.5 Manila because today I've been told by the program director of WoW FM that today my song "Naiisip Mo Ba" will premier on their station in heavy rotation (approx 6 times daily). This will be my first time to have regular play on a radio station in a major city. I'm almost a little stressed out sitting here waiting for it to come on.

I went all the way around the globe to the Philippines and back only to write my "Taglish" single in the same place as I'd already spent the last 5 years …Nashville, TN.

It just so happens that one of the Philippines greatest songwriters, Jimmy Borja, now lives in Nashville, TN. He moved there a few years back to further pursue his craft of in the songwriting capital of the world. Jimmy and I had never met while I was living in Nashville, but we were introduced through mutual friends in the Philippines.

I told Jimmy that I wanted us to write a "Taglish" song together. Half English/Half Tagalog. I've always liked the idea of combining different languages in the same song and with Jimmy's knack for writing great Tagalog lyrics I thought we would make a great team. Jimmy started strumming a few chords and the lyrics for the verse started flowing out of me …I really wanted our song to be a "missing you song". I'd heard a band in a club a few weeks before hand playing the song "Anytime" by Brian McKnight and I remembered how much that song had meant to me growing up …wondering if the person that you love and have feelings for still remembers you in the same light …or ever even thinks of you and the good times you had together has been a very strong theme and feeling in my life.

I wrote the lyrics and Jimmy and I worked together on the melody. Within the first few lines I knew we were onto something good…

Staring up through the trees at a blackened sky
Wondering if God placed the stars just to watch me cry
Or maybe that’s why he lets them shine 

The chorus I wanted to be in straight Tagalog but have an "American" style melody so I told Jimmy what I wanted it to say in English and then crafted the melody using the Tagalog lyrics he threw back at me.

We parted ways that day feeling that we both created something unique and heartfelt, but only missing a bridge. I don't speak fluent Tagalog by any means but I know enough basic phrases to have some input into the Tagalog lyrics and I wrote the one simple line of "Naaalala kita lagi" with the bridge key change going from the 6 major to the 4 minor chord about a week later while jamming the song in my apartment. Using 6 major and 4 minor chords (for you music theory geeks, lol) has been a signature part of my songwriting recently …especially using a 4 minor chord in my bridges.

What an insane 5 months this year has been so far. I think I'm going to need a vacation for all of 2012 once 2011 is over, lol. Still going strong at the moment though.

I called my manager in the US (Rick) yesterday and told him about a couple "enemies" I've made in the Philippines. Rick knows how out of my way I go to be nice, thoughtful, and accommodating to others, especially fellow musicians, and his response after I told him about the situations was "You don't find success at anything without making a few enemies along the way …look at how many people hate Justin Beiber". I really liked that. Thanks Rick!

Things I Never Eat...

I was asked by a music fan of mine named Josh to write some blogs on exercising and maintaining one's physique. I’ve been working out regularly for the last 13 years and I really hope the principals I've learned will help you on your journey to having the body that you want. This will be a regular blog with new tips introduced every week or so. Let's get started! :)

DIET: I easily get addicted to things …playing guitar, exercising, restaurants …you name it I can be addicted to it. What I mean by addicted is that things easily become habitual for me. We are a habitual species and this principal vastly pertains to our diet since most of us eat at least three times EVERY day. You might not eat the same thing everyday, but you probably eat the same things at least once a month. For that reason I never diet, but I always diet. I realized 6 years ago that it was much easier to not eat food that was clearly bad for me if I NEVER ate it …I just cut it out of my diet completely …as if it was poisonous …which in some way most of this food is. Plenty of poisons don’t kill you instantly, but they still harm you. Eventually I did this with drinking as well …but one thing at a time.

THINGS I NO LONGER EAT ARE…

1. PIG (a meat that is most often served in ways that are horrible for you such as bacon, sausage, hot dogs …etc.)
2. BOTTOM FEEDERS, which include Catfish, crab, lobster, shrimp (all shellfish, most of which are extremely high in cholesterol and who’s job it is to clean the “trash” off the ocean floor so in effect we are “eating the trash”)
3. RED MEAT (meaning Cow mainly, and the most difficult one for me, also I think the least important, though still a very good lifestyle choice!)
4. FRENCH FRIES (WAY too available all the time, deep fried, and containing virtually no nutritional value)
5. POTATO CHIPS (though I do eat many kinds of chips, the standard style potato chip I don’t eat)
6. DEEP FRIED ANYTHING!

7. ICE CREAM (I still eat sorbet, and yogurt, but not cow’s milk based ice cream)

Other than these couple of foods I eat ANYTHING else. I don’t believe in “dieting” and I don’t believe in “calorie counting”, but I’ve found by just cutting out these couple of available foods my daily intake has been vastly altered. I’ve also found that after a while I no longer craved any of these things and especially with pig and bottom feeders even the smell turns me off now.

My challenge to you is to cut something that you know is bad for you, but you eat regularly (french fries, ice cream …etc.) out of your diet …but not for a week, a month, or a year, …but forever. This isn’t a dieting plan, it’s a lifestyle change. We are habitual people and we don’t react well to diets because diets are temporary, but one food item at a time we have the opportunity to positively affect our entire lifestyle! :)

Over The Top

Hey Guys,

These past few months have been extremely exciting! I've been finishing a "secret" new album I've recorded using a brand new co-producer out of Austin, Texas named Mike Miller. Mike and I started collaborating on tracks almost by accident, and what started out as a couple demos has turned into by far the freshest sounding and best album I've ever recorded; perfectly blending what I love about acoustic instruments and storytelling w/Mike's incredible use of beats and programming. I'm aiming for a release around the end of May!

I'm lucky to also have a few guest artists on this album including one of the Philippines most successful Singer/Songwriters, Top Suzara (Freestyle), and a super talented girl (her 65K Facebook Fans agree!) named Yassi Pressman who's a regular on a TV show called "Party Pilipinas".


Two weeks ago I was featured on a popular international TV program, "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho" (Sort of the "Inside Edition" of the Philippines), and it's generated a lot of buzz for the Philippines release of this album as well as the international digital release.

You can see that feature -> HERE

We've just finished a couple photo shoots for the album (Shown below being photographed by Erika Yamaguchi). You're gonna love both the look and sound of this record!

Thanks always for your support. It means the world to me seeing your comments on Facebook & YouTube, and especially when you repost & re-tweet my songs and videos!

You Rock! :)

David