“Stay Home” by TOYO – A fundraising song for the benefit of displaced Filipino musicians

A lone song produced 90 days into the lockdown aspires to empower the human spirit by giving importance to every human life by staying home. This single called “Stay Home (We Shall Overcome)” produced by independent Filipino rock and roll band TOYO materializes virtually while being separated from each other, translating a vision into action by making this musical piece a catalyst to raise funds for displaced working musicians. An original composition of songwriter and bassist Erwin Cuenca who fronts TOYO, “Stay Home (We Shall Overcome)” is a collaboration with the band’s guitarists now US-based Clint Aquino and frontliner Doc JV Belarmino.

In the Philippines, many who depend on live entertainment and musical events for a living continue to struggle to make ends meet in these very crucial times. We call them the working musicians who belong to the informal sector and like many other workers, they have also lost their source of livelihood because of this pandemic. Many of them are senior citizens and living with illnesses or disabilities while having no means to get medical assistance nor earn to provide for their families. How do we help them?

These musicians, who are among the hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak, are daily wage earners who rely on paid performance in bars and other music venues. As part of the informal economy, most are not provided with contracts by the establishments where they perform. They depend on gigs to survive, and like most workers in the informal sector, fellow musicians now suffer from lost income and opportunities. Even in normal circumstances, most Filipino working musicians lack the capability to save money for unforeseen events because they are not well compensated. This predicament will most likely persist even after the pandemic.

TOYO partners with KayaKap, a fundraising drive that aims to help the community of working musicians, primarily those who are in their senior years, with disabilities and critical illnesses, and in dire need of financial support. This fundraising campaign, initiated by songwriter and development worker Rom Dongeto (Buklod) and singer-songwriter and music producer Skarlet Brown (President of Heart of Music) together with other volunteers, hopes to address the immediate needs of the displaced working musicians, especially the elderly and those with medical conditions.

“Stay Home (We Shall Overcome)” is a rock ballad inspired by the call around the world to flatten the curve by staying home. It began as a melancholic song that channels the experiences of people who are facing the pandemic alone and away from their families. As the song progresses, it reveals a more timeless message that shows us that if we give importance to every human life, everything will be alright because love will prevail and we shall overcome this crisis together.

TOYO is joined by seasoned musicians Mark Galang on keyboards (Jose at Musika) and Allan Abdulla (A for A) on drums. Produced and mixed by Direk Yeyi Abulencia of 9x9 Studio Music Production, “Stay Home (We Shall Overcome)” was launched last June 19, 2020 and was featured in Manila Standard: https://manilastandard.net/showbitz/columns0/touchbass-by-yugel-losorata/326904/stay-home-for-a-cause.html.

For more information about this project, please visit the following pages:

KayaKap Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/kayaKapPH

TOYO Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TOYOPH

"Stay Home" on YouTube: