MOJOFLY
 | This article reads like a press release or a news article and may be largely based on routine coverage. (August 2010) |
Mojofly | |
|---|---|
 Mojofly in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Philippines |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1999-present |
| Members | Lougee Basabas Beejay Valera Ali Alejandro Kiko Montecillo Mark Reese Gelbolingo |
| Past members | Kitchie Nadal Ricci Gurango Rann Golamco Allan Elgar Junjun Regalado |
| Website | https://www.facebook.com/mojoflyofficial/ |
MOJOFLY is a pop-rock band from the Philippines.
Formed in 1999 by bassist Ricci Gurango after his departure from Hungry Young Poets, the band members includes Jun Jun Regalado III on drums, Raymond Galangco on guitars & Katrina Nadal on vocals the band released first single "Minamalas" written by Ricci Gurango, the single was played on radio stations and become the #2 most requested OPM song on pop station RX 93.1, and charting on other Manila FM stations as well. and their debut album "Birthday" were released in September 1999, the album consists of 14 songs 5 were written in Tagalog, two tracks (Puro Palusot & Half Wishing) were written by Rico Blanco and will be feature on the song "Half Wishing"[1] [2]. and a follow-up album A Million Stories were released in 2002[3], both released under Sony BMG Philippines. Then-lead singer Kitchie Nadal helped propel singles such as Another Day and Scooter Boy to national recognition. But in May 2003, Nadal left the group to embark on a solo career.
Mojofly then introduced Lougee Basabas as the band's new frontwoman in only a matter of days. By year's end the group joined the “indie” bandwagon with their self-titled EP, sold-out despite being available only in gigs. Because of Mata and the revived, revv-ed up Lougee-version of Minamalas, MOJOFLY (EP) showed the new sound of their group.
The band went on to release an LP aptly entitled MOJOFLY Now (June, 2005), still under independent label luKas Music of artist manager and music publisher Karin Araneta. This time distributed nationwide by EMI Music Philippines, Lougee took over the reins in songwriting and gained MOJOFLY “street cred” through her novel, cutting-edge compositions. Currently promoting MOJOFLY Now Special Edition (August, 2006), the 2-disc package marries the original ‘05 full-length and an A-VCD featuring live tracks from their first major concert at the Music Museum (September, 2005) and the 3D-animated music video of Tumatakbo.
MOJOFLY is the first local artist to venture into full 3D animation in Philippine music video history. The work was previewed at the 19th Singapore International Film Festival (April, 2006) and won Best Animated Video and Favorite Indie Video at the MTV Pilipinas Video Music Awards 2006] (August, 2006).
Apart from once garnering the much-coveted slot for MTV Lokal Artist-of-the-Month (March, 2005), MOJOFLY also boasts a list of celebrity endorsements from Del Monte Pizza Sauce to Penshoppe and Cream Silk Conditioners. The theme song Choose and vast multi-media exposure from the Cream Silk “Girl Power, Pink Power” campaign brought MOJOFLY's sound and Lougee's vivid image into every household.
On 2008, bassist - Ricci Gurango, departed from the band. The remaining members (Lougee and Ali) took in Richard Carandang and Ace Evangelista to play the bass and lead guitar respectively. With the new members, the band decided to rename their group as DeLara.
DeLara remained active from 2008-2011 and produced 2 studio albums (self-titled "DeLara", 2008 and "Just Free", 2010). After the separation of the band, Lougee Basabas went on to pursue a solo career performing in local venues and events. Shortly after, she auditioned for "The Voice of the Philippines" season 2 on ABS-CBN in 2014 and became part of Team Bamboo. A year later, Lougee married Ali Alejandro (Mojofly drummer since 2004)[4] and were blessed with a baby boy named Leon in 2016.
In 2015, Mojofly started to perform in small production events but was not publicly announcing their return to the local performing circuit yet. It was only later in the same year that they started to record their 4th studio album (2nd studio album with the 2nd generation Mojofly members Ali & Lougee) with Yellow Room Music Philippines, headed by Monty Macalino (vocalist of Mayonnaise (band)). The band was able to release 1 single entitled "Rally" in May 2018 for online and streaming platforms invoking that Mojofly is back with members Kiko Montecillo on Keyboards, Beejay Valera on Lead Guitars, and Mark Reese Gelbolingo on Bass.
Last March 2019, Mojofly released their latest 8-track album entitled Mula Noon[5].
They also released two songs recorded during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, "Kapit-Lapit" and "Pwede Naman".
Their hit song "Tumatakbo" which won Best Animated Video at the MTV Awards in 2005 became the theme song of the fantasy-drama series The Lost Recipe which aired from January 18, 2021 on GMA Network.
Discography[edit]
Studio albums[edit]
- 1999 - birthday (Sony BMG Music Philippines)
- 2002 - A Million Stories (Sony BMG Music Philippines)
- 2005 - Now (luKas Music/EMI)
- 2019 - Mula Noon (Yellow Room Music PH)
Singles[edit]
- 2018 - "Rally" (Yellow Room Music PH)
- 2020 - "Kapit-Lapit"
- 2020 - "Pwede Naman" (self-produced)
Compilations[edit]
- 2003 - MOJOFLY - EP (luKas Music)
- 2006 - Now Special 2-Disc Edition (luKas Music/EMI)
- 2006 - 2 in 1 Series: MOJOFLY (Sony BMG Music Philippines)
Compilation appearances[edit]
- 2006 Songs from Dawson's Creek Volume 2 - "Peak" (Asian Edition) (Sony BMG)
Awards and nominations[edit]
| Year | Award Giving Body | Category | Nominated Work | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "RX 93.1 Year-End Awards for OPM artists" | Best New Artist | — | Won[6] |
| 2002 | NU Rock Awards | Drummer of the Year | (for Junjun Regalado) | Nominated[7] |
| 2003 | 16th Awit Awards | Best Album Package | "A Million Stories" | Nominated |
| 2005 | NU Rock Awards | Best Female Award | (for Lougee Basabas) | Nominated[8] |
| 2006 | MTV Pilipinas Video Music Awards | Best Animated Video | "Tumatakbo" | Won[9] |
| Favorite Indie Video | "Tumatakbo" | Won[10] | ||
| NU Rock Awards | Best Female Award | (for Lougee Basabas) | Nominated[11] |
References[edit]
- ^ "Don't mess with bad Mojofly". philmusic.com. Jesamyn M. Go. Retrieved April 9, 2006.
- ^ "MOJOFLY: They Got Their Mojo Workin'". philmusic.com. Jim Ayson. Retrieved September 23, 2005.
- ^ "Mojofly Spreads Its Wings". philstar.com. Erika Aquino of Young Star Magazine. Retrieved August 13, 2002.
- ^ "IN PHOTOS: Ali Alejandro and Lougee Basabas' Balesin wedding".
- ^ "Mojofly returns with a new album". easyrock.com.ph. Mitzi Santos. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
- ^ "RX 93.1 Announces Year-End Awards for OPM artists". philmusic.com. Jim Ayson. Retrieved October 21, 2003.
- ^ "ROCK AWARDS NOMINEES ANNOUNCED". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2006-05-08.
- ^ "NU ROCK AWARDS 2005 : The Official List Of Nominees". Retrieved 2006-05-08.
- ^ All in the Family: The MTV Pilipinas Video Music Awards 2006 Winners,[dead link] "TitikPilipino.com", Retrieved 2008-01-29
- ^ All in the Family: The MTV Pilipinas Video Music Awards 2006 Winners,[dead link] "TitikPilipino.com", Retrieved 2008-01-29
- ^ Gil, Baby A. (November 24, 2006). "NU 107 Rock Awards nominees". PhilStar.com. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
