Some known facts about Christmas
around the world: It is said that the Philippines has the longest-lasting
celebration of this particular Holiday season. Religiously speaking, the length
of the celebration starts from December 16 when the “Simbang Gabi”/”Misa de
Gallo” kicks off. Commercially speaking, the season starts at Day 1 of
September, the first of the so-called “Ber months.” That is usually when the earliest
Christmas music is heard in radio airplay. And some of the most ubiquitous
songs for the season are sung by Jose Mari Chan, who himself has become a
Filipino meme for this particular music association.
Inquirer.net has it that celebrated Chinese-Filipino singer and
songwriter Jose Mari Chan has one again surged into musical prominence with the
advent of the “Ber months” this September. That means once again his Christmas
recordings, particularly from the 1990 Holiday album “Christmas in Our Hearts,”
will once again be heard in radio and possibly television alongside traditional
carols other similarly-themed songs. This was reinforced when Chan guested on
GMA7’s Sunday noontime variety show “Sunday PinaSaya” on September 1, where he led
the show’s hosts and presenters in a rendition of “Christmas in our Hearts.
Social media exploded in memes afterwards.
ICYMI: #JulieAnneSanJose (@MyJaps) and #JoseMariChan serenading the crowd during yesterday's #SundayPinasaya! Were you able to tune in? | 📽: @gmanetwork pic.twitter.com/RJuQ4koBN2— GMA Artist Center (@ArtistCenter) September 2, 2019
The now-74-year-old veteran
singer does not mind becoming the subject of such a seasonal meme. In fact,
barring the blatantly offensive ones online he has embraced all the hullaballoo
about him, even sharing his choice Christmas memes about himself on social
media. During his time on “Sunday PinaSaya” he practically admitted how he felt
complimented and flattered by the attention, especially with the assertion that
his “Christmas in Our Hearts” album arguably makes him the “Father of
Philippine Christmas Music.” The 1990 seasonal album did sell some 800,000
copies, which was an impressive figure at the time of its release.
Jose Mari Chan also took the
opportunity to re-promote his 2012 Christmas album, entitled “Going Home to
Christmas,” which he says is now available for listening on global music
streaming platform Spotify. Chan noted that he had help from his family in
recording music for the album, which he says contains no less than 22 songs for
the Yuletide season. “We sang duet with my daughter, with my grandchild and
with my three sons,” he said regarding the album production. He hopes “Going
Home to Christmas” will also enjoy the prominence of “Christmas in Our Hearts”
which received a 25th Anniversary Edition re-release in 2015.
The singer has been very game
about his memetic status since years past. He figured in a “Ber months” special
commercial for Shakey’s Pizza back in 2017, where he acknowledged how his
singing heralds Christmas season in the “Ber months.”
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