If there’s one thing Pinoys love to do wherever they are, it’s sing their heart out—especially during videoke sessions with family and friends. We Filipinos have our own list of favorite songs to belt out, and “Friend Of Mine,” “Till I Met You,” and “Don’t Know What To Say,” are likely in that list. And we have renowned Filipino songwriter and composer Odette Quesada to thank for these timeless hits.
One of the most well-loved hit-makers in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Quesada happens to be marking four decades of musical brilliance with the “Odette Quesada All Hits Concert Series,” a two-night extravaganza in the U.S. on May 11 and 12, 2024 at the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA and the prestigious Fox Theatre in Redwood City, CA, respectively. For Quesada, this milestone is not just about the years of musical brilliance but the incredible connection with her audience that has made the journey truly special.
After the overwhelming success of three sold-out concerts in Metro Manila last September and November, Quesada expressed that the warm and fuzzy welcome from the audience is what makes celebrating her 40th anniversary so extraordinary. The genuine outpouring of love and appreciation has touched her deeply, reinforcing the profound impact her music has had on people’s lives.
In a recent interview, Quesada shared her gratitude, saying, “A lot of listeners or fans message me on Facebook or Instagram, thanking me for all the songs I’ve created. These songs have been part of their youth, their falling in love or falling out of love, their marriages, their divorces.”
When asked about how her songs have endured the test of time, Quesada disclosed, “I feel it could be the simplicity of the songs. It’s like a little black dress. The standard cuts of a dress, because of their simplicity, you can always wear a nice black dress any decade.” She likened her songwriting style to this iconic fashion piece, emphasizing that the simplicity allows her songs to transcend trends.
Reflecting on her songwriting process, Odette shared insights into the spontaneous inspiration behind some of her greatest hits. “Writing my songs usually came from out of the blue. Sometimes it’s a word or a phrase,” she revealed.
Quesada, an iconic figure in the music industry, has penned numerous chart-topping hits that have become timeless classics. Below are nine that have become staples in Pinoys’ videoke song list along with Spotify links to give them a listen. Even if you’re unable to catch her concerts this weekend, you can still enjoy her songs wherever you are. How many of these songs are in your own karaoke list?
1. “Friend Of Mine”
If there’s only one Odette Quesada song that you know, it’s probably her own signature hit—something you sang in your youth to bemoan being in the friend zone, way before “friend zone” was even a thing. Because the song was a hit, she released an album, titled Hopeless Romantic, that included her own recording of her hits “Till I Met You,” “Don’t Know What To Say (Don’t Know What To Do),” and “I Need You Back.” Listen to it on Spotify below:
2. “Till I Met You”
Quesada recounted the genesis of this classic, originally sung by pop diva Kuh Ledesma, saying that when she got on a bus to go home from the University of the Philippines’ College of Music back in 1982, she sat in front of a couple of girls, “who were talking to each other and saying, you know, I never knew what love was until I met this guy. So, ‘I never knew what love was’ stuck with me. I wrote it down on a piece of paper. And when I got home, I wrote the song ‘Till I Met You’ based on that phrase.” She later recorded this for her own album Hopeless Romantic in 1984. Listen to Quesada’s rendition below:
3. “Don’t Know What To Say (Don’t Know What To Do)”
We have Quesada to thank for penning this Ric Segreto hit that became the anthem ng mga hopeless romantic at mga torpe (someone who can’t express how they feel for the person they like). And she wrote it right on her 17th birthday! Listen to Quesada’s rendition included in her Hopeless Romantic album below:
4. “I Need You Back”
Those who went through a breakup would have likely belted along to Quesada’s heartbreak song, which was reportedly the first hit of actor and singer Raymond Lauchengco. Listen to Quesada’s version for Hopeless Romantic below:
5. “Growing Up”
That upbeat song Gary Valenciano performed for the 1984 youth-oriented hit movie Bagets starring Aga Muhlach, Herbert Bautista, William Martinez, Lauchengco, and more actors who became household names in Philippine showbiz? Yep, still an Odette Quesada classic. The rendition of ’90s band Mulatto was also part of the original soundtrack of another youth-oriented film, TGIS: The Movie (1997), starring popular young stars of the ‘90s like Onemig Bondoc, Bobby Andrews, Angelu de Leon, and Ciara Sotto. Listen to Quesada’s track here:
6. “Farewell”
We bet you tearfully sang along to this Raymond Lauchengco song, composed by Quesada, with your high school or college barkada during graduation. All those emotions you feel about saying goodbye to your friends? Quesada felt and wrote them into those lyrics, too, back when she was just about to graduate from senior high school. This song was also part of the Bagets original soundtrack, which Lauchengco also starred in.
7. “Give Me a Chance”
Another Quesada composition performed by the handsome crooner Ric Segreto with all the feels is actually his first-ever single! It also happens to be the first Quesada song to enter and win the finals of the Metro Manila Popular Music Festival (popularly known as Metropop), an annual songwriting competition back in the day. She was barely 16 and just in her senior year in high school when she wrote it!
8. “Ayoko Na Sana”
A list of Odette Quesada hits would not be complete without this OPM song written, composed, and produced by Quesada and her late husband and fellow OPM singer-songwriter Bodjie Dasig, and performed by ‘90s heartthrob Ariel Rivera.
9. “To Love Again”
This Sharon Cuneta hit—and that we know Sharonians love to birit during karaoke sessions—was written and composed by Quesada for the Megastar’s own romantic comedy movie of the same title, with the late Miguel Rodriguez as her co-star.
If you happen to be in the U.S., be part of Quesada’s musical celebration and buy your tickets now. Pay tribute to the everlasting appeal of Quesada’s musical legacy on May 11, Saturday, at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA, and on May 12, Sunday, at the Fox Theatre in Redwood City, CA.
“Odette Quesada All Hits Concert Series”—presented by AIP Media Productions, Inc, Crossover Events, and TFC—promises to be a spectacular celebration of nostalgia, melody, and the enduring power of music. It is also part of the many offerings of TFC’s 30th anniversary celebration. Go to myTFC.com/OdetteQuesada40 for tickets and for more information.
