Once on verge of quitting, December Avenue marks 15th year with major show

While December Avenue is no stranger to sold-out shows and successful tours here and abroad, the band’s upcoming solo concert at the SM Mall of Asia Arena is a completely different ball game.

For members Zel Bautista, Jem Manuel, Don Gregorio, Jet Danao and Gelo Cruz, the prospect of playing in such a massive venue couldn’t be more daunting. Would they get anywhere close to filling it?

“At first, we anticipated a smaller venue. We know how big the arena is, and we were quite scared,” Gelo said at a press conference for “Sa Ilalim ng mga Bituin,” the pop-rock group’s 15th anniversary concert on Aug. 30.

“I was telling my bandmates that, if no one buys tickets, then we would have to buy them ourselves and give them away for free!” Don recalled, drawing laughter.

As it turns out, they wouldn’t have to do any of that. Within two hours of selling, around 65 percent of the tickets were sold. And before long, they were all gone. The media event was only a formality. The promoter, NY Entourage Productions, did announce, however, that standing room only tickets were recently put out due to demand.

“We never imagined selling that many tickets in two hours. Because we had already conditioned ourselves that if needed, we would put in the work and do promo until the day before the concert,” Don said.

Perhaps the band had underestimated its drawing power. December Avenue, after all, is one the most popular bands of the streaming era and helped lead the charge of “hugot” music in the late 2010s. The group’s biggest hits, “Kung ‘Di Rin Lang Ikaw,” “Sa Ngalan ng Pag-ibig” and “Huling Sandali,” have been streamed hundred of millions of times on Spotify.

With the strength of the band’s catalog—which includes a handful of other nine- and eight-digit scorers—December Avenue ended 2018, 2019 and 2020 as one of the Top 5 most-streamed artists on Spotify.

‘Building chemistry’

The year 2019 was particularly monumental for the band, which topped the streaming platform’s local and overall most-streamed lists, besting the likes of Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Ariana Grande.

Things, however, weren’t always that way. Like many musicians, Zel, the lead vocalist, said he was warned by his parents that music was no way to earn money. True enough, the band, formed in 2008, spent its first couple of years on the scene shelling out just so it could play gigs.

“Obviously, when you’re new, no one’s going to watch you. They won’t spend money to see you perform,” Zel pointed out. “That was our experience for a long time … But still, we worked on building chemistry together as performers and made sure that we gave each show the same energy.”

‘Getting there’

While they managed to build a modest following with their then predominantly English discography, hit songs eluded them. Record labels ignored them. Bookings weren’t lucrative enough. Thinking that their career had nowhere left to go, they threw caution to the wind and self-produced a two-night show at the intimate Teatrino in Greenhills in 2016.

If they were going to go out, they were going to go out with a bang. “Those shows were like a test for us because we were on the verge of giving up then. Wala namang nangyayari, so we might as well take that risk. Let’s try, I thought, and see if we actually have fans. The outcome would determine whether or not we would continue doing this,” Zel related.

But both nights sold out, giving the musicians a much-needed confidence boost. They continued writing original material but this time, with a greater focus on Tagalog songs. The decision proved to be a game-changer.

In 2017, after a decade of toiling, December Avenue scored its first hit, “Sa Ngalan ng Pag-ibig.” “We waited so many years to have that. We kept releasing new music and performing, even if we felt nothing would come of it,” Zel said. “Before we knew it, fans were singing along to our songs.”

It was at that point that he felt the band was finally “getting there.” “Offers started pouring in. We used to have day jobs just so we could sustain our passion. Slowly, eventually, we had to let them go because of our music career,” Zel said.

Looking back at their journey as they prepare for their upcoming concert, the overwhelming emotions are of gratitude and fulfillment. “We just want to celebrate the fact that we’re still here, making music,” Zel said. “We don’t let success get to our heads. We just want to focus on making music.”