Arthur Nery is now the top male singer in the country. Spotify provided proof to that when the music streaming platform announced that the guy from Cagayan de Oro now has 10 million followers. That is a lot. That is more than any other male idol around has managed to garner. That is a milestone many of his contemporaries can only dream of.
Eight years ago, Arthur, a former call center agent and online English teacher, was brought to Manila to embark on a music career. The move was risky, but fame came instantly. His first album “Letters Never Sent,” released by Viva Records, produced big sellers like Binhi and Higa. He became the hot singing heartthrob and from that time on, fans could not get enough of his unique mix of soul and R&B with a Filipino touch rendered in his sexy falsetto.
The songs, all of them his own compositions, turned into hits one after the other. Arthur’s recordings get uploaded and then go from a hundred or two streams or views to millions in no time at all. No media hype or padding in this case because the numbers not only for Arthur but for other musical entities are easily available on Spotify, YouTube and the other platforms. Those tell us what tunes are truly selling.
As of this writing, Arthur’s 10 million and still counting followers, plus other fans have also given millions of streams to his songs. Take a look at these figures: Isa Lang, 503 million which translates to streamed half a billion times; Pagsamo, 375 million; Take All the Love, 362 million; Higa, 295 million; Binhi, 166 million; and Segundo Seguro with 48 million, among other titles.
If these numbers keep up, then Arthur’s songs will certainly be among those that music lovers will still be listening to 50 years from now.
Aside from his solo works, Arthur has also been open to collaborating with other artists, some of them big names and some of them newcomers who still have to attain stardom. Needless to say, those co-ventures have also resulted in more hits. Pelikula with Janine Tenoso, 100 million; Palaisipan with Loonie 100 million; Di Nakakasawa with Kiyo, 61 million; Palayo sa Mundo with Jolianne 58 million; Life Puzzle with Yuuk Tacastacas, two million.
Arthur’s latest release is the album “Fictions You Produce.” Nice observation in that title. Arthur has this way of getting into our insides using strange but often correct ways. Must be because of the Psychology major that he was at Xavier U in CDO. We all do, in our own way, produce our own fictitious tales. Sometimes only in our minds. Other times, the daring or the desperate will bring their fictions out for everyone to see.
Among the tracks included are Desperado, Cloud 9, Plorera, Serbesa at Vino, Paralisado, Double Timed and Far Away. Plorera is cute, but the sweetest of them all is What Did I Do. The song is asking, “What did I do for you to love me?” The answer is nothing. Expect happy swoons from happy lovers all around who will surely relate to that message.
By the way, one of Arthur’s favorite hobbies is playing basketball. Those who have watched him on the hardcourt say he is very good at it. Come Aug. 16, he will be joining other singers under Viva Records in an exhibition game against the heartthrobs of the streaming channel, Viva One.
Among Arthur’s teammates will be Amiel Sol, Adie, Rob Deniel and Migo Valid of the boy group Xerenade. Watch them do battle at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.