Genre Localization in Current Popular Music of the Philippines

This paper focuses on the process of genre formation in the evolution of popular music of the Philippines’. From the phenomenon of the perception discrepancy of popular music genres among different stakeholders, this paper gives to attention at providing an alternative theory to explore how the Philippines’ popular music genres have been established. Applying Joe Peter’s theory of cultural hybridism, this paper specifically attempts at exploring how foreign genres have been fused with local cultures and musical components, aiming at a vocality of expressing the Philippines’ national identity, which is key in articulating Philippines’ popular music genres in their actual sense. Rather than a parodic emulation of foreign music products, genre fluidity is a unique reflection of the artistic wisdom of Philippines’ musicians in the pursuit of forming a voice of their own, a continuation of their nationalist movement in their popular music idioms.