Erik Santos Is Still Having His Moment

On an afternoon in late September, Erik had just come home from back-to-back shows for ASAP in England. This wasn’t the first time he was part of the variety show’s roster of acts for an overseas staging, and yet, the jet lag was still hitting hard. A 19-year-old Erik, hopeful and on the cusp of reality TV victory, wouldn’t have thought this was what life would have in store for him.

“I just wanted to be a professional singer and to have an album, tulad ng mga napapanood ko sa ASAP before. Fanatic talaga akong ng ASAP,” he says. Like most Pinoys, the variety program was a Sunday ritual for Erik, with the weekly song numbers serving as a moodboard for the career he sought. “Pinangarap kong kantahin yung songs ko sa ASAP,” he adds.

It was a dream eventually realized, one he got to share with his “batchmates” Sarah Geronimo and Rachelle Ann Go. All alumni of barangay singing contests and talent reality shows represent a generation of singers who aspired ardently for their dreams. Erik says that their “patron” is none other than Regine Velasquez, who herself had to go through the singing contest machinery before becoming the icon she is today. “She paved the way for us, kasi yung batch namin [had to be] patient when it came to reaching for our dreams,” he illustrates. “It took a lot of persistence and a lot of passion.”

As Erik’s career progressed—multiple albums and headlining tours included—so did this perspective on the industry. Having experienced both the era of CDs and the domination of streaming platforms, he realizes how OPM itself has evolved. There was a period when making a hit meant reviving an already existing song, mostly ones in English, and singing them with a Filipino voice (or “throat chakra,” as the internet calls it.) But nowadays, listeners are more inclined to play something that hits closer to home. “Ngayon ay ang panahon ng mga singer-songwriters,” Erik declares.

As someone who has also written what he sings, Erik says that the heart of OPM now lies in the unique perspectives it can come from. Prime examples in his book are TJ Monterde, Dionela, SB19, BINI, and Arthur Nery. There’s a distinct sound to OPM that truly makes it original. “Sapul agad sa puso,” Erik puts it.

And this credit doesn’t go to the singers or musicians alone, but to the engineers and producers who really make something sing. Erik attests to this, recognizing the sheer talent of Filipino producers such as Jonathan Manalo, who he’s worked with for all of his album cycles. “Talagang [maririnig mo] yung linis, yung brilliance, yung linaw ng tunog… I think it has something to do with the engineers kasi hindi rin sila nag-stop from evolving and learning. Lahat ng mga maririnig mong breakthroughs in recording ay dahil nag-adapt din sila [to the times.]”

Even outside of the recording booth, Erik acknowledges the working parts involved in making a performance the best it can be. “Sa isang concert, naa-appreciate ng mga tao ang isang performer. Minsan, may standing ovation pa ‘di ba? Na-realize ko na hindi lang dahil sa akin yun ‘e,” he explains.

“Kapag nagustuhan ng mga tao [ang isang performance,] hindi lang 'yun dahil sa pagkanta ko. Kapag nag-standing ovation sila, hindi lang dahil sa akin ‘yun. Dahil din yun sa pag-areglo ng kanta… It’s a combination of different factors. It's a team effort. Napakalaki ng contribution ng mga composers, arrangers, producers, at ng engineers.”

For someone of his stature, Erik admits he still gets stage fright. “Halo halo ‘yun,” he describes the feelings before every performance. There’s excitement for people to watch him sing and do what he loves, but there persists a nervousness that he might not put his best forward. “Stuff happens, alam mo yun,” he quips.

So no matter the stage he steps on, whether it’s at a sold-out stadium or during his weekly ASAP numbers, Erik always performs like it’s his last. It's advice he heeded from his mentor Tito Boy Abunda, who he also credits for discovering him. “You're only going to be as good as your last performance,” he remembers the King of Talk telling him. “Matatandaan ka lang ng tao sa last performance mo. Parang hindi mo siya mababawi. Nakatanim sya sa utak ko,” Erik reflects.

His colleagues had taken notice of his do-or-die performance style, with some having asked him, “Bakit pag nagpe-perform ka, Eric, parang palaging grand finals?” To this, he says that he simply can’t help it—God forbid, it might be his last time ever singing after all. “Hindi ko sya sinasadya, Maybe because lumaki ako nang ganon as a singer, parang na-inculcate sa utak ko na, ‘Last performance ko na ‘to.’”

And while Erik will surely have more songs to sing, This is the Moment remains the song people want to hear him do the most. “Kahit sa weddings, ni-request na sa akin yan,” he recalls with a giggle. Even with all of the changes in his personal and professional life, the song still carries the same meaning it once did for him. A couple of tweaks in the arrangement make it brand new again. At its core, the lyrics still speak to Erik:

“Gusto kong maka-inspire ng mga taong nanonood at nakikinig sa akin. I want them to know that it's going to be okay,” Erik says of what fuels him to sing the song in this era of his life. “May kanya-kanya tayong mga pinagdadaanan, but at the end of the day, tayo pa rin ang mananalo… dadating yung araw na magpe-pay off din lahat ng pagod at lahat ng hirap natin.”

For someone who knows what it’s like to win but is just as familiar with the toils it took to get to that point, Erik attests to how music aids in healing. “Nagagamit ko yung mga kahinaan ko para mas mapatibay ang performances ko…” he shares. “With the experiences that I've been through, mas naging empowered ako as a singer and as a person. Mas naihahatid ko yung mensahe sa mga kinakanta ko.”

With 23 years on the mic, Erik attests that music has become more than just a career for him. It’s what he lives for. In his words, “When I’m on stage, I feel like I’m home.”