Profiles

      Jeremiah, the Philippines' premiere boyband, is the newest addition to the roster of great talents of VIVA RECORDS. The group signed a three-year deal with the country's recording giant after its contract with STAR RECORDS lapsed. They are scheduled to banner the label's 2002 opening salvo with the release of their newest album entitled "BASTA'T IKAW...".

     Prior to this, Jeremiah had a colorful stint with their former record label. They were able to release 2 albums which include a string of hits such as "Nanghihinayang", "Di Ko Kaya", "Hindi Ako Katulad Niya" and "Bakit Ka Iiyak". In addition, the boys were successful in giving us movie theme songs like "Oh Babe (Movie: Hey Babe)" and "Hanggang Sa Kailanman (Movie: Esperanza)"... to name a few. During that period, the group was given several awards by various award-giving bodies. Their records were among the best selling and were multi-platinum by status. Indeed, Jeremiah is the country's premiere boyband... doing all that in just a span of three short years!

     Many are wondering how this group came about...

     Jeremiah entered the music scene in April of 1998 from an audition held at Greenhills Sound Studios. Six talented young men were selected among 200 who auditioned. Chosen to compose "Soul of Jeremiah" were: Olan Crizaldo, Al Nievera, Piwee Polintan, Froi Calixto, Chris Gomez and Glenn Gonzales.

     In May of that same year, Larry Hermoso (their former manager) were able to close a record deal for the group. Before they signed the contract, few changes came about. The name "Soul of Jeremiah" was shortened to "Jeremiah" and Chris Gomez opted to resign. Their first assignment under Star Records was to record the song "Nanghihinayang" for a movie. Fortunately for the group, the song topped the charts in an overwhelming 2 weeks and stayed on top for six months. "Nanghihinayang" stayed on the charts for a phenomenal 10 months.

     Jeremiah's debut album followed... then... problems arose between the group and their manager. Jeremiah left Larry Hermoso notwithstanding the hardship of having to survive in a competitive industry by themselves. Months after leaving their manager, Al Nievera decided to leave the group to pursue other goals. Apparently at this point, they thought of having a replacement for Al. No other person could fit better than Symon Soler, a former child actor, whom the group got to fill in the shoes of Al. The challenge for the group though, was to make another hit in spite of numerous alterations. "Oh Babe" was the answer to that challenge as it became a big hit in 1999.

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