CHICAGO -- All it took was one night to make so many dreams come true.
On Aug. 12, one of the most venerable, legendary music venues in Chicago, the House of Blues, became the setting of an entirely Asian-American talent showcase, the kind Chicago has not seen in a decade. “Serenade,” presented by Dynasty Remix, was headlined by the Bay Area’s Sway Peñala, who may be equally popular for being part of vocal groups Drop ‘n Harmony and 6th Day, and a finalist on FOX’s “American Idol Season 5.” On the beats was DJ D Double, a Chicago native who is a household name to the Las Vegas club scene. He is currently touring with Sway.
Sway Peñala
Thanks to Sway, Chicago area artists were also able to share the spotlight during the three-hour concert and after-party. And thanks to the House of Blues for recognizing the need for more Asian Pacific American (APA) headlined shows, these up-and-coming artists performed on a stage graced by the likes of B.B. King, John Legend, Mariah Carey and Lady Gaga.
Promoters said the last time APA musicians were booked at a major venue in the city was about 10 years ago. “Serenade” drew in performances by acclaimed Chicago R&B group IBU, vocal powerhouses Ashlee Barrera and Charlene Bermejo, singer Francis Perfecto with The RisQ, band The Latter the Former, and more.
It was a dream for all of these artists to shine on such a famous stage.
About two hours into the concert, crowds were thick and excitement piqued when the host, local disc jockey Julian on the Radio from B96.3, announced two special guests: Apl.de.Ap and Taboo of The Black Eyed Peas!
BEP members stopped in one night before a performance at the United Cente, and they also happened to arrive before the Manny Garcia Band played originals and medleys, for the first time, live, as a full band. Things got wild when the crowd shouted, “Encore!, Encore!, Encore!” for Manny and the band. The band even got props from Apl himself, who tweeted his impressions of the show on Twitter.
To top it all off, when Sway took the stage, he gave Chicago a show that made fans wanting another “Serenade” almost immediately. The crowd showered Sway with cheers and screams, and rightfully so. His smooth vocals, complemented by a funky live band, shined during hits “Better to Never,” and “Lovely Lady,” to name a few.
The night was also filled with collaborations among Sway and IBU, plus Bermejo. It was also a night of reunions. Stages, a popular Pilipino/Asian-American Chicago vocal group back in the early 2000s, united on stage for the last song of the night alongside Asian-American boy band icon Sway. It was actually groups like Stages that pioneered the Chicago Asian/Pilipino-American music scene, artists from the early days said. A friend of Stages, barber and music fiend Charles Shang, started the first APA talent concert called “Showcase.” It was held twice a year in prominent Chicago venues, until the late 2000s.
The hope is for “Showcase” to return permanently, to highlight the new batch of up-and-coming artists on the Chicago music scene. Artists at Serenade talked about how there is so much talent budding in the Midwest, but the west or east coast scenes tend to overshadow it. However, if another Asian-American lineup were booked at the House of Blues that would not only make a lot more dreams come true yet again, but it would also begin a new chapter in history.
For exclusive video interviews with several of the artists from Serenade, check out the videos in this post from BakitWhy.com. Also for additional photos, check out Nate Pualengco's site.
*Special thanks to Dynasty Remix organizers Jacy Matias and Lyle del Mundo for complete access on and offstage at the House of Blues, Nate Pualengco, for photos, and to the artists, for the great interviews and performances. Also contributing to the coverage was BakitWhy’s Chicago team members: Gephine Fernandez, who conducted several interviews, and Ram Catapang, for the videos.
