When he was a teenager, singer-songwriter Anthony Meneses had no interest in music.
“The spark happened when my pianist friend encouraged me to pursue music,” Anthony said.
“I didn’t even know that I could write music and I could perform like I’m performing now. There were just very few people who believed in me before I started believing in myself.
“You need the right guidance. You need to be more careful in anything you want to pursue.”
Eventually, Anthony started writing songs. “I fell in love with the process,” he admitted. “Now I make music and I perform in front of people. How I make the audience feel.”
That passion and obsession was what drove Anthony to really focus on what he wants.
“Tuloy tuloy na siya. I started writing songs. Gigil na gigil ako sa mga auditions. I joined everything possible. When I started to join ‘Idol Philippines,’ I also auditioned for ‘I Can See Your Voice’ and ‘Tawag ng Tanghalan’.”
He wasn’t fortunate on both tries. “I was redirected to ‘Idol Philippines’,” Anthony said.
Anthony finished Top 12 in “Idol Philippines” Season 2 (2022), where his audition song, “When I Met You,” went viral with over 2.5 million views.
Prior to his “Idol” stint, he captured the public’s attention when he became Wishcovery Season 3 grand finalist in 2021.
He wrote “Paru-Paro” in 2019 and recorded it by his lonesome. Recently, however, he reimagined the single with South Korean singer-songwriter Kim Gyeol, who visited the Philippines for the second time recently.
Anthony released “Paru-Paro” under Abyss Company, of which Gyeol is also a talent. That was how and where they met.
His 2024 single, “Kusapiling,” debuted at No. 13 on the Spotify Philippines Viral Song Chart, enhancing his status as one of OPM’s (Original Pilipino Music) promising young voices.
Last May, he came out with another single, “Embotido.”
“I know I have a different side which I can display when it comes to making music,” Anthony said.
Anthony joined ABS-CBN’s Sunday noontime show, “ASAP,” more than a year ago. “I’ve been with ‘ASAP’ for one year and two months,” he shared. “For a new regular, that has been a long time.”
He performs every Sunday with the boy band “Rockoustic Heartthrobs” on “ASAP” – Kice is the “Island Boy of Guimaras,” Rob is “Mr. Killer Smile from Laguna,” Luke is the “Triple Threat of Batangas,” Kobe is the “Filipino-British from Parañaque” and Anthony is the “Big Guy with the Big Heart from Las Piñas.”
For the upcoming songs that he plans to release after “Paru-Paro,” Anthony wrote tunes that are really music to his ears.
In the future, Anthony intends to collaborate with other artists such as Arthur Nery, Zach Tabudlo, and Adie.
