Joey Albert on her lasting legacy and OPM’s evolution

MANILA, Philippines – Whether you heard them on the radio or discovered them through your parents, you’re probably familiar with the songs “Points of View,” “Tell Me,” and whenever the holidays rolled around, “Kumukutikutitap.” These tracks are iconic, and that’s just putting it lightly. 

There’s a female OPM legend behind them all, and for Baby Boomers, Gen X-ers, and even millennials, she needs no introduction — but let us introduce her anyway. It’s none other than Joey Albert, who, aside from her expansive discography, is also known as the first Filipino artist to record on CD. 

Joey’s legacy is undeniable, and while she’s been around for over 40 years now and is now based in Canada, that doesn’t begin to signal the end of it. 

Joey’s lasting impact 

Joey officially started her music career as a member of the third-generation The New Minstrels in 1981, performing covers six nights a week at a lounge located at the Holiday Inn. The ’80s, Joey says, were a time when show bands like hers were the most popular sources of entertainment. She and her bandmates would often don coordinated outfits as they performed three one-hour-long sets each night, and everyone in the crowd would have the time of their lives watching them on stage. 

“All the five-star hotels always had a band. Prior to that, people like me couldn’t sing in places because there were no prestigious places to sing at. Before, it was just nightclubs and my mom would have killed me if I sang in a nightclub,” the singer quipped. “But when the five-star hotels were built, and there was CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines), performing was becoming more and more prestigious because of the Metropop. So now, people like me, the kolehiyalas, could come out and sing.” 

It would only be a few years before Joey would begin to sing solo while still performing in a band — spending large chunks of her days on her feet, belting out as many notes as she could, just because she enjoyed it. Her love for the game quite quickly paid off, as she would later go on to be discovered by a recording company. 

“Octo Arts came and asked me to record. I recorded the first album, [and the] second song was ‘Tell Me,’ and the rest was history. None of it was planned, none of it was expected, but those first years would define my work ethics and the value that I put into the next 40 years of singing,” Joey shared, adding that these values remain at her core. 

And indeed, Joey’s dedication to her craft persists decades later. You’ll often spot her performing at any venue she can find — whether it’s on a cruise ship or via Facebook live. 

It’s not surprising, then, that up to the present, people continue to listen to her music. A quick look at her online streaming profiles will show you that she’s racked up millions of streams for each of her songs — and these don’t even account for all the times everyone’s played them on a CD or tuned in through the radio. 

There’s no doubt that Joey’s music has withstood the test of time, and for her, the key is simple: it’s relatability. 

“It’s really the words and the lyrics for me. The lyrics of a song are very, very important. I think it’s really what touches the listener’s heart. Lyrics that people can relate to, lyrics that are timeless, lyrics that can apply to any generation of people, any race of people, any gender of people, just emotions that are timeless,” she explained. 

Keeping up with the industry

There’s a new, promising generation of Filipino musicians now — excelling in a multitude of genres. But times have changed, and the formula to produce a hit song isn’t as clear-cut as before. 

“There’s a lot of platforms and a lot of opportunities to get out there. But for me, the problem now is there’s so many. And it’s so hard to get a hit. I don’t know if it’s just me, but before it was so easy. We record, and then the radio stations promote, and then, boom, there’s a hit,” Joey said, adding that if she were to start her career now, she doesn’t think she’d make it big. 

Asked how she thinks the current crop of musicians can keep up with the industry’s rapid changes, Joey didn’t have a definite answer. It’s a difficult landscape to navigate after all. One thing she’s sure she hopes for, however, is for them to never, ever lose the true meaning of why music exists in the first place. 

And as Joey embarks on her 44th year in music in 2025, there are a handful of realizations Joey keeps close to her heart. 

“The more I got involved in [music], the more I realized the power I had to keep a sense of our culture and values alive through my music, to keep a sense of spirituality alive. And not by preaching or singing religious songs, but by keeping the value of relationships, of feelings, of the genuinity of self and just not to lose oneself. Or even something as simple as to heal loneliness,” Joey shared. 

But Joey’s passion for music extends far beyond that. Over the years, she’s developed even more “powers.”

“You have this power to keep people together, to bring people together because of music you have this power to raise money for kabayans who are who are displaced by typhoons. Music gives you so much power and the more I lasted in the career, the more I discovered new powers that the music brought. And the more I had, the more responsibility I realized I had as well,” she continued. 

So long as Joey is able, she promises that she’ll keep singing, if it means being able to give value to the local music industry in whatever way she can. – Rappler.com