If you haven't noticed, there's a new 'hype' in the entertainment world these days. Celebrities everywhere are taking pride in their involvement with charities and organizations for fairly worthy causes. For instance, "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere takes on saving the dolphins. And who could forget Angelina Jolie, who does charity for countries like Afghanistan and Africa? These 'stellar' efforts are making waves, since, as we all know, the entertainment industry almost always creates the talk of the town. Hopefully, those efforts are truly well-intentioned (and not just for the sake of making celebrities look good to the world), and above all, sincere.
Let's zero in on another example -- this time, in the music scene. The international alternative band Daughtry (which had a concert in Manila last July) recently released a music video for their song "What About Now". The song itself contains lyrics of hope and inspiration for listeners to do something for the world, but let's leave that for now; the subject under my microscope is the music video.
At first, what I saw in the video were poor naked children walking around, people crying, and light bulbs flashing. I thought, Okay, so what else is new? So many similar videos have been made, all aiming to inspire people to stand up, do something, et cetera. Frankly, I find that the whole inspire stint is getting jaded from too much use. What about real, actual action? What about suggestions for concrete steps?
But as I continued watching Daughtry's video, I noticed clips and names of actual organizations and individuals who help the world in different aspects, like reducing poverty, improving people's health, and educating children. The addition of those video clips and the mention of those names are, for me, what make the music video better than the other 'developmental' videos I've seen. It inspires at first, then actually suggests what we could do and where we could go to help. And because Daughtry is an international hit, the video is sure to reach audiences around the globe, especially the youth. Hopefully, the message will get across, too.
If you want to watch the music video, click here.
Now, I'm just wondering: are there any similar efforts from our own OPM artists? If there are, I certainly haven't heard of them. In a nation like ours, where celebrated musicians and marginalized people thrive together, there is an obvious need for some charitable action. Unfortunately, so far, I've heard of none making it to our local music channel countdowns. So, hey there Spongecola, Sandwich, Imago, Hale, and Bamboo! We Pinoys love listening to your music, but we'd love it more if you actually used it to help cure the ailments of our country.
Hyacinth*
photo from
http://www.fashionwindows.com/blog/images/2008/04/dtom_daughtry-450x253.jpg
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