‘B.A.D’ boys of R&B  Daryl Ong, Bugoy Drilon to headline US concerts

American audiences will soon be treated to the smooth, soulful rhythm and blues of Bugoy Drilon and Daryl Ong, two of the Philippines’ big pop talents, who will take the stage for their “B.A.D. Boys of R&B” concert tour.

The “B.A.D.” stands for “Bugoy and Daryl,” two guys still in their early 30s but armed with more than a decade of professional singing experience. The duo will be doing a mix of originals and covers for their concert, mostly ‘90s hits from R&B icons such as All-4-One, James Ingram, Boyz II Men and Brian McKnight.

“Mas excited ako this time, kasi I will be able to sing songs na kinakanta ko pa noon sa banda,” Ong explained at a recent presscon. The two artists were given complete freedom to perform their choice of songs.

To those not that familiar with the duo, find them on YouTube or Facebook and be floored (or possibly fall in love) with their R&B covers. From Drilon’s impressive acoustic cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” to the Beatles’ “I Will” to Ong’s renditions of David Pomeranz’s “Born for You” and “This Time” by Freestyle, the two can sing anything with their velvety vocals.

Asked about their musical influences, Drilon said he got his from Guy Sebastian, first of all.

“During the Pinoy Dream Academy stint ko po, I really studied Guy Sebastian, kung paano siya makipag-compete. So inaral ko po talaga siya.”

“Sa local, I have always been a fan of Sir Matin Nievera and Gary Valenciano po. I like Kuya Martin’s…iyong depth ng boses niya, kung paano iyong presence niya on stage, iyong energy na nire-release niya on stage,” Drilon added.

For Ong, “Ultimate influence sa OPM, dito sa Philipinas, would be Sir Gary Valenciano, Jay R, Miss Jaya. Sa foreign artists, kinalakihan ko talagang pinapakinggan, unang-una po si George Benson and James Ingram since high school. Yung tatay ko kasi, iyon ang pinapakinig sa’kin. Pero noong nagkaroon na ako ng sariling gustong pakinggan, sina Stevie Wonder, Brian McKnight, saka Boyz II Men. Sila kumbaga iyong ‘holy trinity’ ng foreign artists na naka-influence sa akin.”

Their highly anticipated concert will guest “Queen of Soul” Jaya and “Prince of Pop” Garth Garcia.

The “B.A.D. Boys of R&B” U.S. concert tour will kickstart today, 13 October, in Las Vegas, Nevada (Jefebet Center Silver Nuggets Casino), then 14 October in San Leandro, California (The Historic Bal Center) and 4 November in Hollywood, California (Celebrity Centre).