The culture is having a moment. The movie “Filipiñana” is out internationally, Alex Eala’s spirit lifts ours. Bini made their debut at Coachella, SB19 went to Lollapalooza, and Lea Salonga recently earned her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. These three are also part of the upcoming Dreamworks animation feature, “Forgotten Island.”
“Forgotten Island” is a story of friendship and connection, set against the backdrop of the Philippines in ‘90s and a magical, mysterious and sometimes freaky other world inhabited by Philippine mythological creatures.
Simple Minds’ 80’s classic “Don’t You Forget About Me,” is a key part of the trailer, “Don’t Stop Believin’” figures in the real-world scenes, as well as the karaoke staple, “On the Wings of Love.” INXS’ “Never Tear Us Apart” is in there — both the original track and a remake by Sofia Laforteza of Katseye. SB19 contributes a remake of Francis M’s classic, “Mga Kababayan Ko.”
As far as originals go, H.E.R. and Soberano, are at the helm of the film’s title track “BRB.” You can currently hear some of it if you follow H.E.R.’s adventures in the Philippines on her Instagram account. Ruby Ibarra and Carl Angelo perform a really strong track “Salbahe Ako.”
The movie wouldn’t be complete without something from Bini, whose new song, “A Parallel World,” is part of the soundtrack. The music video has been out for over a month now and they’ve already performed it as a surprise for the “Forgotten Island” panel at the San Diego Comic Con.
At the con, I had the opportunity to meet and chat with Shawn Michael Serrano, better known in the industry as Shawn Wasabi, one of the composers of “A Parallel World.”
As I chatted with him, there was no way he could hide his enthusiasm for being part of the project or the thrill when he first saw Bini perform the song. He actually appears ever so briefly in the video.
He got the job when fellow composer Nathan Matthew David (“Joy Ride,” “The Brothers Sun”) invited him over to work on the song. It also helped that Nathan lived in Glendale “five minutes away” from Shawn.
Shawn has always loved music — keyboards in particular. At age four he was tinkering on a toy Casio keyboard and playing the piano. If you go to his YouTube page, you’ll see he works on his signature “Midi Fighter 64” — a custom 64 button Midi controller for his electronic, pop and experimental music. The light and playful vibe from his creations is evident in the collaboration with Bini and David. Playful as it is though, they manage to bring a tinge of emotion and wistfulness at the end of “A Parallel World.”
The soundtrack is also going to have vinyl, CD and cassette release.
“Forgotten Island” opens in the Philippines on September 23 and also features the voices of Dave Franco, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy and Ronnie Chieng.
