Katy Perry's hit song from a decade ago, "Roar", that has enjoyed a revival thanks to the Philippines' 2022 election campaign, is about using one's voice for good, the singer-songwriter had said in a speech where she sang it for Hillary Clinton.
It was at the 2016 Democratic National Convention where Clinton was to be named the party's nominee in elections that year that Perry was invited to perform. The high school dropout child of "staunch Republican" pastors, Perry told the audience to "have an open mind and use your voice."
"Remember, it's not where you come from. It's what you grow into," Perry said.
As the convention that was held over several days closed with Clinton's acceptance speech, another Perry song about empowerment, "Firework", was played along with "Brave" by Sara Bareilles.
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Clinton lost to Donald Trump based on the electoral college votes as the real estate mogul, reality TV star and former owner of the Miss Universe Organization rode a rightist wave that also saw the rise of Presidents Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines and Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil.
"Roar" is peak Katy Perry from her 2013 album "Prism". The song hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the accompanying video portrayed Perry as queen of the jungle in a tiger-print bikini.
In 2015, Perry performed the song at the Super Bowl halftime show on board a giant mechanical lion.
Roar 2022
Fast forward to 2022, "Roar" has found new life in presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos' campaign rallies where his wedding goddaughter, Toni Gonzaga, performs before crowds of supporters wearing red and green.
Gonzaga introduces Marcos as the "Tigre ng Norte", literally the Tiger of the North, which fits the song's lyrics.
Recently, Gonzaga has switched up her repertoire to include "Titanium" David Guetta and Sia's EDM classic.
The pop appeal of "Roar" and "Titanium" fit well into the Philippines' election campaign playbook where entertainers are hired or are drafted for free to perform pop hits that are both catchy and easy to sing along to.
While waiting for the speech of Marcos' rival, Leni Robredo at a rally in Pasig City on March 20, tens of thousands of supporters sang Ariana Grande's "Break Free".
Grande was so overwhelmed by aerial videos of the crowd singing her song that she posted them on her Instagram stories, going viral in the Philippines. She did not explicitly endorse Robredo.
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