FILIPINO singer July Rain says making an impact in the United States is priority, following the success of her song Believe in New York and South Florida. Released in March by VPAL Music, it has been number one for the last two weeks on the Foundation Radio Network Chart.
Believe, she noted, has not done as well in the Philippines where people are not as receptive to reggae.
“There is little effect of Believe to my career here in the Philippines. Here in my country, you have to pay the radio for them to play your song and it doesn’t matter if it’s doing good on the international scene,” she told the Jamaica Observer.
July Rain added that tabloid darlings are more likely to enter the charts in her homeland.
“My success story is not very masses-friendly; they would rather feature dramatic life stories of a very poor person who went viral for whatever reason on social media. The Philippines is too caught up on what’s trending, and talent is very secondary and not main priority.”
Believe is an acoustic cover of Cher’s monster dance hit from 1998. The original was an international sensation and sparked a remarkable comeback for Cher who, ironically, has made headlines more for her relationships than her music.
With her version of Believe getting steady airplay in New York and South Florida, July Rain’s focus is on bigger markets.
“The ultimate goal is to go to the US and Europe, because there is where the real deal is,” she said.
Believe is produced by Jamaican Fitzroy Francis for his Mightyful13 Records. July Rain, who is a member of the indigenous Kankanaey and Ibaloi tribes from Luzon (an island in the northern Philippines) had performed the song during live shows prior to recording it.
Her next song, an original titled We All Are One, is also produced by Francis and features veteran keyboardist Franklin “Bubbler” Waul.
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