NAS 10 Questions with Emerson B. Ocampo
- New Artist Spotlight
- Dec 18, 2020
- 5 min read
[Interview Number 49]
This time, we get to know Emerson B. Ocampo. His track "Crazy" is featured in the New Artist Spotlight Family of Playlists.
Link To New Artist Spotlight Playlists:
Okay, letโs get into the Ten questions for Emerson B. Ocampo!
๐ญ. ๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐?
I'm from the Philippines, until recently before moving to the smaller town of Gerona, Tarlac. I was from Baguio City, the 'Summer Capital' wherein it's always about 10 degrees Celsius cooler than that the rest of the country. I love to watch YouTube and some of my favorite channels are by Davie504, Paul Davids, Adam Neely, Steve Terrebery and Rick Beato to name a few. I'm very fond of anything that covers Science Fiction, enjoying series like Star Trek Discovery, The Mandalorian and Altered Carbon. This pandemic has left me more time to write and experiment with my music, and spend more time with my preschooler and teenage son. When something is damaged electronically I try to fix it or 'modify it'. I just added a bluetooth receiver to an old amp/speaker by using a circuitry from a broken bluetooth headphone. I even added a DC outlet for my active bass guitar as it was hard to get batteries during the earlier days of the pandemic, and also because I'm a cheapskate I guess.
๐ฎ. ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ/๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป?
I was not into music when I was younger but more into acting as I was part of an acting guild which landed me a lead role in a play. I regularly listened to music, mostly starting with classical music and pop songs during that time but my love for creating music started when the guild together with the dance and music guild produced a Christmas Musical based on Claire Cloninger and Tom Fettkeโs, โThe Wordโ. From there I thought wow, music sure is fun, I want to make music too. I started to learn guitar, then moved to bass guitar. After that, I moved to what is now my primary instrument, the keyboards. Since I loved anything rock I also learned to play the electric guitar. I'm not a good drummer but I have sufficient grasp to write down a drum track.
๐ฏ. ๐ช๐ต๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐?
Stryper had a great impact on me as here I thought was music that was not usually heard in church, (I
was in quite a legalistic denomination back then). Stryper made me start my love for metal. Michael W. Smith, Fra Lippo Lippi greatly influenced me vocally and my love for playing the keyboard. Smiths' early songwriting partner Wayne Kirkpatrick influenced me to pursue songwriting. Diane Warren, Dan Haseltine (Jars of Clay), and Steven Delopoulos (Burlap To Cashmere) are my other biggest influences.
๐ฐ. ๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ป ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐บ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ?
In college (1995-1999), I became the keyboardist for a Country-Gospel band, โThe Kingโs Band,โ In which one of the band members, Ricky, also a budding music recording enthusiast during that time gave me a chance to record some keys on a 4 track cassette recorder. Ricky would then hire me as a keyboard session musician in the future for some projects.

Around 2001 a limited run of a worship CD, โInto Your Courtsโ, which included 5 songs I wrote out of the 9 included in the album was produced by Nel Cacho, a local Jazz artist, recording enthusiast/producer, and minister. From 2008 onwards I was learning to use a DAW and produced music that now in retrospect cringes me a lot but there are valuable lessons learned from it all as well.
I produced an instrumental track, โMa Cherie Anxieteโ which was picked up by an EDM blog site, encouraging me to produce my first EP, โThe EBO Projectโ back in 2011, and from there I've been writing and producing my own music since then.
It would not be complete if I didn't mention our friends Agat and Melvin Morallos, with whom we spent countless nights at their home and studio. They are amazing songwriters, gathering several achievements under their belt and while remaining humble and low profile. Without them, I would have not been motivated to produce that first track that started all of this.
๐ฑ. ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ด๐ผ๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐?
I'm practical, I just love doing music in the hope that I will be able to provide for my family. I have witnessed how musicians in my hometown started to not make a decent living because some younger musicians offered to do gigs for much less, and with this many had to work abroad or find some other way to augment their income. If I became famous that would be great, if not that's ok too.
I've been recently included in a label (Madhouse Music) that is the brainchild of a musical icon in our country, Rannie Z. Raymundo and I'm excited for what the future holds. If I became famous that would be great as I could help other aspiring musicians too, if not that's ok too, just to be able to create music and decently live from it is enough for me.
๐ฒ. ๐๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ?
I would love to perform anywhere in the UK, yeah it's broad but I would love to do a show where it's cloudy and may even rain, it would remind me of my hometown but a few degrees cooler.
๐ณ. ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด?
Without sounding cliche, I would say Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' obviously I'm way past my teens but that song always gives me that raw passionate energy.
๐ด. ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐บ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐?
My most embarrassing moment would be when I ran through a glass door and ended up with a small cut on my nose. It was stupid I was wearing sunglasses and they just changed the glass door to a new clear one. I was running cause I thought I saw my girlfriend(luckily she's now my wife) outside the building. I made such a loud bang and startled everyone inside and oh, I forgot to mention it was a Hospital. Dazed as I was and my nose in excruciating pain I stood up and tried to compose myself and said, 'Oh, the glass is so clean.' I should have said 'OUCH' but my pride kept me from saying that.
๐ต. ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ถ๐๐ต๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐?
To be recognized by the guy (Rannie Z. Raymundo) who asked me to join his label and receiving so much encouraging words for my music and songwriting skills, in his show just blew my mind.
๐ญ๐ฌ. ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฒ?
I hope I could collaborate with Michael W. Smith, having a long career in CCM, he remains to be the few people out there that have that integrity, I mean his marriage, family and the legacy is just amazing to me. I have been listening to his work since his first album way back in 1983 and to have such an opportunity would be a dream come true.

"Crazy" on Spotify
and follow his socials
You will not be disappointed!
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