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‘Di daw ako bagay sa image nila’: Mayonnaise vocalist Monty Macalino recalls getting rejected by bands for body size

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Celebrating his 17th year in the industry, Mayonnaise frontman Monty Macalino recalled getting rejected back when he was still a budding musician.Set to headline their first-ever solo show after almost two decades, Macalino began by sharing about the group being often referred to as an underrated band during the presscon for their upcoming digital concert with One Music PH. “Unang-una, ang masasabi ko diyan siguro ever since the beginning of time, babalik tayo dun sa unang tanong bakit ngayon lang kayo nag show. Siguro kasi sinasabi ng iba underrated kami na banda which is ako okay ‘yun, compliment ‘yun eh. Everybody loves an underdog’s story ‘di ba,” he said.Revealing his body size became one of the reasons why bands wouldn’t allow him to join them, Macalino pointed out that it became one of the turning points for him to form a band of his own. “Personally kasi when I was starting the reason kung bakit may banda kami ni Martin and ni Patrick almost twenty years ago, it’s because walang gustong maging miyembro ako nung high school ko. Kasi siguro baka chubby daw ako. ‘Di daw bagay sa image ng banda nila. So dun pa lang naramdaman ko na ‘yung rejection eh. Naramdaman ko na ‘yung failure. So I created my own band,” he stated. Despite getting turned down, Monty Macalino made sure that those experiences serve as a motivation for him to push himself more to become the artist he has always been destined to be.“During that time, uso ‘yung mga pag-cover ng mga show band. Either you’re into local OPM music or nagsho-showband ka nun. So nung panahon sabi ko screw that I’m going to make my own songs,” he said. Years later, he now has a successful band which has withstood the test of time. And as a way of giving back, he decided to support up-and-coming artists. “So ever since nun, every time I get to meet someone—an artist, a person, or a celebrity na mismo sa banda like for example si Kino wala naman siyang audition… Nakita ko lang ‘yung pagpursugi niya, may pamilya siya. May trabaho siya pero nagpupuyat. Tutugtog kami ng ala-una ng madaling araw makakauwi alas tres ng madaling araw. Pero pursugido pa rin sa pagbabanda. I see the effort so parang tulungan,” he said.Macalino, who has been instrumental in Sharlene San Pedro’s career as an artist, couldn’t be any happier for the Goin’ Bulilit star for landing a recording deal with Ivory Music, one of the country’s top label companies. “Si Sharlene ang ganda ng istorya nun. Nag-guesting kami sa MYX tapos lumapit lang siya sabi niya ‘Kuya Monty alam mo ba kino-cover ‘yung ‘Synesthesia’ nung nag-aaral pa ako sa high school.’ I was just happy that somebody like her would cover our songs. So sabi ko sa kanya anytime that you need help from me when it comes to music, I’m available. Just reach out to me. Tapos ‘yun dun na nag-start. Sabi niya sige po seryoso po? Sabi ko oo tulungan kita. So nag-record kami ng kanta. Walang restrictrictions. Sige cover ka ng kanta namin para wala ng issue issue sa mga rights and publishing. Walang label issue. Kinover niya ‘yung ‘Paraan.’ Ni-record niya. And dahil dun, naka-score ka ng major label deal. And I’m more than happy to be a helping hand to her career,” Macalino said. Macalino also stressed that the band isn’t supporting artists for the sake of leaving a legacy behind but rather to give back to aspiring musicians who want to find their way in the industry. “Kasi ‘yun ‘yung nanggaling sa anggulo na wala ring tumutulong sa akin eh. Ayaw kong mangyari ‘yun sa ibang mga banda tulad ng mga This Band, I Belong To The Zoo. Si Argee [Guerrero] nanggaling din ‘yan sa walang pumapansin sa kanya, walang tumutulong sa kanya. Ako nagsasabi sa kanya na ituloy mo lang gawa ka lang ng kanta malay mo maka-tsamba ka. Nilabas niya ‘yung ‘Sana,’ the rest is history. So nanggagaling lang talaga sa ayokong may mga banda na iniisip nila na wala nang pag-asa. Palagi naman may pag-asa. Timing lang ‘yan. Any song, basta maganda ‘yan, people would take notice of it,” he said. Mayonnaise will hold their 17th-year anniversary show at the Music Museum on June 29.

Despite getting rejected, Monty Macalino used it as a motivation to form a band of his own.