Call me a big geek, but I’ve always found explainers, especially ones on pop culture, interesting. Whether it’s a short video on social media, a full on documentary, or even just crowd-sourced trivia and interpretations (like on lyrics on genius.com), explainers are so entertaining that I often find myself falling into a black hole of them.
Lately, I’ve been having my pop culture explainer binge through podcasts. If you’ve heard of (and loved) series like Song Exploder, there are actually quite a few similarly themed shows that focus on the history and heritage of our own music. And since it’s actually the Linggo ng Musikang Pilipino, here are some OPM podcasts to check out if you want to learn more about our rich musical culture.
Muni-Muni Stories: A Podcast on Filipino Music
Created by the Filipinas Heritage Library in partnership with the OPM Archive, Muni-Muni Stories features singers and songwriters as they dissect and discuss iconic songs in our long musical heritage. The discussions talk about the social and political climate during the songs’ creations, as well as the inspirations and personal experiences of the people involved in the making of these songs. The songs featured in the show cross all genres, from kundiman to rap, pop to Christian, and rock to the iconic Manila Sound.
Musikalikot produced by PumaPodcast
If you’re looking for something lighter and easier to digest, there’s Musikalikot. There are only three short episodes at the moment, but each one asks interesting questions about Filipino music, which I’m sure many of us have wondered at some point, too. My favorite: “Bakit Mahilig Bumirit ang Pinoy?” Because… really… oo nga no? Bakit nga ba?
Aux Lang produced by Inquirer Podcasts
Inquirer Business Features editor and “OPM superfan” Tina Arceo-Dumlao hosts Inquirer Podcasts’ Aux Lang, which covers all topics OPM. In each episode, she talks about aspects of our local music and its scene and industry with the musicians themselves. Aside from chatting with musicians, she also features recommendations like essential OPM vinyl records, or top OPM revivals.
The PhilPop Podcast
PhilPop, or the Philippine Popular Music Festival, is an annual songwriting competition. It now also has a podcast featuring songwriters from all over the country. Recently, they also produced a two-part tribute to the City of Manila in celebration of its 450th foundation.
[READ: Looking for a new podcast? Here’s one about OPM and Manila]