Amid postponed shows, disrupted live events, displaced artists, and closed venues, Wish 107.5 remains to be an amazing force behind the world of music and live performances.

After the FM radio station’s successful “Behind The Wishper” digital concert last December 20, 2020 comes another wonderful musical experience for wishers and fans — the 6th Wish Music Awards (WMA) to be held on Sunday, January 17, 2021.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event will be streamed live via Wish 107.5’s official YouTube channel. It will be graced with a stellar lineup of performances from the 5th WMA’s Artist of the Year and Asia’s Soul Supreme KZ Tandingan, P-Pop boy group SB19, iconic OPM band Parokya ni Edgar, hip-hop phenomenon Gloc-9, rising rapper Michael Pacquiao, and singer-songwriters Reese Lansangan, Clara Benin, Leanne & Naara, Keiko Necesario, and more. 

Before the event kicks off on Sunday, here are some things that wishers should know about the WMA.

Honoring the Most Promising Filipino Talents

The Wish Music Awards is a one-of-a-kind award-giving body that recognizes local and international artists while also donning Wish 107.5’s fashion of granting wishes and charitable donations. 

An innovation by the seasoned broadcaster and Chairman and CEO of BMPI-UNTV, Kuya Daniel Razon, the WMA is a way for the station to pay homage to the singers behind the songs.

“We celebrate, not only the innovations in the music scene but most importantly, the singers behind the songs,” said Kuya Daniel during the 1st WMA in February 2016. 

Aside from honoring the most promising Filipino talents, WMA is also a chance to lend a hand to those in need. Winners of the event have the opportunity to donate part of their cash prizes to beneficiaries of their choice. 

Every year, WMA winners receive a cash prize of Php 25,000 and a larger amount of Php100,000 to their chosen beneficiaries. For the past five Wish Music Awards, the station has already doled out more than Php 7 million to various OPM acts and their selected philanthropic organizations.  

A Recap of the Previous WMAs

Another distinctive feature of the Wish Music Awards is its annual theme to make the event more memorable and meaningful.

Themed “Your Coolest Musical Experience,” the first WMA in 2016, was the FM radio station’s way to celebrate the Wish 107.5 Bus’s contribution in raising the popularity of local talents worldwide. 

For the 2nd WMA held in January 2017, the event was themed “Your WISHclusive Gateway to the World,” honoring the best of the country’s world-class acts that dominated the airwaves and social media. The WISHclusive Elite Circle also came to life during the event. 

The highest citations were awarded to Morisette Amon, Darren Espanto, and Bugoy Drilon, whose WISHclusive videos reached at least 10 million YouTube views.

In the following year, the 3rd WMA themed “Taking Filipino Music Across the Globe” took place as an occasion for paying tribute to the endurance of Filipino music and talent. It aimed to recognize that Original Pilipino Music (OPM) is very much alive, fresh, and ready to go global. 

To recognize the successful journey of breaking boundaries and setting unprecedented milestones, Wish 107.5 themed its 4th WMA in January  2018, “Breaking Boundaries.” During this time, the 2nd Wish 107.5 Bus that would hit provincial roads to bring Wishclusive music to more people was unveiled. 

Continuing the tradition in its fifth year, the Wish 107.5 Music Awards with the theme “Your Wishclusive Gateway to the World,” once again gave out awards to promising and established artists who make world-class Filipino music. 

Apart from the different categories and existing awards during the previous WMAs, the 5th WMA likewise paved the way for three special recognitions to individuals who left a significant mark in the Philippine music industry.

The “KDR Icon of Music and Philanthropy Award” was given to renowned violinist and founder of Casa San Miguel, Mr. Alfonso “Coke” Bolipata, for his ‘Playing It Forward’ initiative that encourages scholars to share their talents with aspiring musicians for free. 

The “Hall of Fame Award” was awarded for the first time to Asia’s Phoenix Morissette, who already bagged a total of ten major awards, five special recognition, and 12 elite circle awards since the first WMA. Meanwhile, the first “KDR Icon of Musical Excellence Award” was bestowed upon Maestro Ryan Cayabyab for his outstanding contribution to the Philippine music industry. 

The 6th Wish Music Awards 

With the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, fear and uncertainty continue to plague all industries worldwide. With the Philippine music industry facing heavy blows and disruptions brought by the pandemic, the much-anticipated 6th Wish 10.7 Music Awards will prove once again how powerful and moving music can be. 

Wish 107.5 has been bold by going beyond conventional by finding new ways of creating game-changing platforms. In the same way that the station has managed to hold digital benefit concerts last year, the 6th WMA will be no different as it will be streamed live on the Wish 107.5 YouTube page this coming Sunday, on January 17. 

There are a total of 70 acts, under 20 musical categories, that are competing for the coveted WMA trophy, with the chance to help their chosen charities. For the complete list of nominees, check them out here.  

The WMA winners will be determined by the scores obtained from Wisher’s votes (30%) via www.wish1075.com/wishawards and votes from a select panel of judges (70%). The polling period opened on November 9, 2020, and will end on January 15, 2021. 

Beyond recognizing today’s artists’ contribution, Wish 107.5 FM radio station will continue to show its commitment to bringing the country’s music to the international level. 

As the station’s innovator, Kuya Daniel, puts it during the 5th WMA, “Let us continue to create wonderful music, God willing. And with all of you, the simple wish that started everything could loudly be heard across the globe.”

Written by: Glaicee Joy Paner