A sincere request from his septuagenarian mother caused by the passing of both his father and brother at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic served as motivation for musician-journalist Yugel Losorata to make a big leap in dealing with his creative journey. That is, by pursuing it away from the Philippines and right where Hollywood is.
By some stroke of fate, Losorata, who recently flew to the US upon the request of her grieving, US-based mother longing for companionship, found himself being signed as an artist by RJA Productions, a San Francisco-based talent management and music production company. The career break means he may be able to continue doing in the US something he loves dearly – make music, write, and perform.
“Sometimes, when you need it the most, an angel touches your life and gives you a clearer picture of what lies ahead,” said Losorata, a recording artist, band leader and music writer in the Philippines.
The multi-faceted talent’s track record in the local band scene includes two albums and a string of collaborative digital singles with Syato (a group he co-founded and signed by Ivory Music in the early 2000s), and two EPs (extended plays) and eight singles spanning six years of work with The Pub Forties, which he formed with another journalist in 2017. He played bass and keyboard, and served as chief songwriter for both bands. On some of their records, he even sang lead.
Losorata is also regarded as a seasoned music journalist, having written hundreds of articles published by various national broadsheets including Philippine Star, Manila Bulletin, and Manila Standard, where he currently writes a weekly column called “Touchbass.” He also wrote articles for Yahoo Philippines/Southeast Asia and Pep.ph.
He also worked as senior copy editor for CNN Philippines.
His writing and passion for music led him to Rosabella Jao-Arribas, owner of RJA Productions. During the early days of the pandemic, they established a healthy working relationship where Arribas expressed her fondness for his writing and music.
“Yugel is a gifted writer and that is evident through his consistent output, whether as songwriter or author,” said Arribas. “While the reason for his trip abroad is partly poignant, having lost family members and now consoling his mother who lost her spouse, his father, the fact that the scenario is giving us a chance to work together and allowing him to spend more time with his mom makes me somehow feel good for him. I’m looking forward to working with him and I won’t be surprised if he does good things here in America.”
Losorata is also an author, with a novel and a collection of short stories under his belt. The latter, called “Rhythm & Bruise,” contains a foreword by Philippines’ “King of Talk” Boy Abunda.
The low-key, mild-mannered family man whose diverse influence in music led him to writing jingles (Cabalen, 91.5 Big Radio) and series themes (“Your Song”) recently rebounded from the lull caused by the pandemic, having served as key contributor to The Pub Forties’ latest EP “Escape to Alacaraz,” and producing his compositions “Ewan Ko” and “Hiling,” sung by singers Noela Amparo and Angel Andal.
Arribas noted that as talent manager she’d be happy to guide Losorata as he tries to get into the Fil-Am music scene in California, both as musician with a burning passion for the craft and journalist with a sharp ear for music.
