Metropolitan Manila, formally the National Capital Region and commonly called Metro Manila, is the capital region and largest metropolitan area of the Philippines. The region is located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay, between the Central Luzon and Calabarzon regions. It consists of 16 highly urbanized cities: the City of Manila, Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Pasig, Quezon City, San Juan, Taguig, and Valenzuela, and one municipality: Pateros. The region encompasses an area of 619.57 square kilometers (239.22 sq mi) and a population of 13,484,462 as of 2020. It is the second most populous and the most densely populated region in the Philippines. It is also the 9th most populous metropolitan area in Asia and the 6th most populous urban area in the world.
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on the island of Luzon, it is classified as a highly urbanized city. As of 2019, it is the world's most densely populated city proper. It was the first chartered city in the country, and was designated as such by the Philippine Commission Act No. 183 on July 31, 1901. It became autonomous with the passage of Republic Act No. 409, "The Revised Charter of the City of Manila", on June 18, 1949. Manila is considered to be part of the world's original set of global cities because its commercial networks were the first to extend across the Pacific Ocean and connect Asia with the Spanish Americas through the galleon trade; when this was accomplished, it was the first time an uninterrupted chain of trade routes circling the planet had been established. Manila is among the most-populous and fastest-growing cities in Southeast Asia.
The music of the Philippines includes the musical performance arts in the Philippines and the music of Filipinos composed in various local and international genres and styles. Philippine musical compositions are often a mixture of indigenous styles, and various Asian styles, as well as Spanish/Latin American and (US) American influences through foreign rule from those countries.
Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga, is a Filipino singer and actress. She is best known for her roles in various musical theatre productions internationally. She has received numerous accolades, including a Laurence Olivier Award, a Tony Award, and a FAMAS Award.
Intramuros, is the 0.67-square-kilometer (0.26 sq mi) historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila.
Melanie Hernandez Calumpad, known professionally as Kyla, is a Filipino singer-songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her vocal range and melismatic singing style, she has been credited with helping to redefine R&B and soul music in the Philippines. Her sound became a catalyst in the growth and popularity of the music genres, making her a prominent pop culture figure. She has been cited by media outlets as the country's "Queen of R&B".
Juan Bautista H. Alegre III, known professionally as Johnny Alegre, is a jazz guitarist and composer from Manila, Philippines. He leads the jazz group Johnny Alegre Affinity and the world music group Humanfolk.
Cynthia Alexander is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist originally from the Philippines. She has performed on local and international stages including the Rainforest World Music Festival in Malaysia, the Jack Daniel's World Music Tour in Singapore and the Southeast Asian Night Market Festival in New Zealand. She also played gongs and electric bass in foreign engagements with Joey Ayala at ang Bagong Lumad.
Jose Ariel Jimenez Rivera, professionally known as Ariel Rivera, is a Filipino recording artist and actor.
Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez is a Filipino singer and actress. She is considered one of the most influential figures in Philippine popular culture and is known for her vocal range and belting technique. She had unorthodox voice training during her childhood, where she was immersed neck-deep in the sea. Velasquez rose to prominence after winning the television talent show Ang Bagong Kampeon in 1984 and the Asia Pacific Singing Contest in 1989. Under the name Chona, she signed a recording contract with OctoArts International in 1986 and released the single "Love Me Again", which was commercially unsuccessful. The following year, she adopted the stage name Regine Velasquez for her debut studio album, Regine (1987), under the guidance of Viva Records executive Vic del Rosario and producer Ronnie Henares. She explored Manila sound and kundiman genres on her second and third studio albums, Nineteen 90 (1990) and Tagala Talaga (1991).
Gerard Imutan Salonga is a Filipino musical conductor, composer, and arranger. From 2012 to 2020, he was the music director of the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra, assistant conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra from 2016 to 2018, and from 2019 to the present the resident conductor of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.
Joey Albert is a Filipino singer, songwriter and lyricist. An alumna of St. Theresa's College Manila and Assumption College San Lorenzo, she began her professional singing career in 1981. In 1982, she was proclaimed winner of the Dream Girl Filipina contest on The Party, a television program hosted by Ariel Ureta over the now-defunct Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation. Albert became a member of The New Minstrels, a popular Philippine show band during the 1970s and the 1980s. Apart from Albert, The New Minstrels also produced many other outstanding Filipino musical artists.
Laurice Ilagan Guillen-Feleo is a Filipino actress, film and television director, and college professor.
Numerous events and festivals are held annually in Metro Manila. They include:
Zeno "Nonoy" Obong Zuñiga, popularly known as Nonoy Zuñiga, is a Filipino singer, television presenter and physician. Dubbed as the "Philippines' King of Pop Ballads" he released his debut album Ako Ay Ikaw Rin in 1981. It was both a critical and commercial success, reaching Platinum in the Philippines and won "Album of the Year" at the Awit Awards & Cecille Awards.
HUMANFOLK is the musical collaboration and concept band of guitarist-composer Johnny Alegre with the New York City–based Fil-Am percussionist Susie Ibarra and her husband, drummer Roberto Juan Rodriguez, together with the multi-instrumentalist Cynthia Alexander and the electronica exponent Malek Lopez. This collective is a pioneering effort marking the convergence in a contemporary Philippine setting of multiple musical idioms. The group's name is a deliberate conjoining of the words "human" and "folk", akin to "menfolk" and "womenfolk", without prejudice to gender and frequently set in all caps to distinguish it from a dictionary term.
Gerphil Geraldine Flores is a German-Filipino classical crossover singer. In 2015, she joined the inaugural season of Asia's Got Talent, where she finished as second runner-up. A soprano, she was dubbed "Asia's Golden Girl."
Tots Tolentino is a jazz musician from the Philippines.
