Country music has always had a quiet, curious place in Filipino ears. For decades, voices like Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, and John Denver drifted through jukeboxes, cassette players, and provincial radio stations. But admiration never really turned into a homegrown scene. Most Filipino artists stuck to pop ballads or rock. The closest brush with country might be Fred Panopio’s yodeling in “Ang Kawawang Cowboy” — remembered more as a quirky novelty than a serious genre effort.
Now, Bryan Termulo is trying something different. He’s bringing country into the OPM conversation not as a gimmick, but as a personal expression.
Termulo first made his name with soaring teleserye theme songs, his voice woven into the emotional fabric of Philippine television. He returns with a new sound and a new story.
Based in the US, the 37-year-old just dropped “Almost There,” a country-tinged single shaped as much by geography as by life experience.
Living in America for the past five years, Termulo found himself immersed in country music. What started as casual listening slowly became influence.
“Dito kasi kadalasan ang maririnig mo more on country songs talaga,” he says. “Siguro na-assimilate ko siya, and ito nga, it led me to singing ‘Almost there,’ my first-ever country song.”
For Termulo, country isn’t about boots or Stetson hats. It’s about honesty — stories of struggle, hope, and endurance — themes that have long been part of OPM.
He noted that “Almost There” came out of the pandemic, a time of uncertainty and stillness.
“Noong pandemic, ang hirap talaga for me,” he recalls. “Madalas nasa bahay ka lang, and there was no way to go about and perform as singer.”
Writing became a way to process, reflect, and keep moving forward. The song’s message is simple: progress often happens quietly, even when success feels far away.
“’Almost There’ is about chasing your dreams in spite of all the obstacles and not giving up in life,” he says. “No matter how many times you fall, you need to stand up again, because when you look back, you realize you’re almost there.”
Created with Vincent Ortega, the track is one of his most personal recordings. And it’s not a one-off experiment — country is a direction he wants to explore, with another single, “Be Thankful,” already in the works.
His timing may be right. Filipino music is globalizing, and genre lines are more fluid than ever. Artists borrow freely from K-pop, hip-hop, indie folk, and wherever they live. In that sense, Termulo’s country turn feels less like a novelty and more like an organic extension of life abroad.
Still, he knows it won’t be easy.
“Although walang gaanong Filipino singer or performer na kumakanta ng country, it would be an honor for me kung sakaling maging hit ito,” he says.
Whether Filipinos will fully embrace his new country sound is uncertain. But Termulo’s attempt is a reminder that OPM continues to grow in unexpected directions, and that sometimes, finding your voice means following it across oceans.
