As a contestant on
Pinoy Boyband Superstar, Mark Oblea was called the “Kwelang Bad Boy ng Bacoor.”
But while it’s true that he got into his fair share of trouble when he was
younger, he isn’t all bad. The truth is, under his leather jacket and tough
demeanor beats the heart of a responsible, softhearted young man.
Case in point : when
Mark was eliminated during the grand finals of the show, his first thought
wasn’t for himself or the opportunity he lost. It was for his family. His
burning desire to give his mother and siblings a better life was the main
reason he joined the competition in the first place. “Silatalaga ang nasaisip
ko the whole time nalumalabanako”, Mark says.
His thoughts also
went to his mother who had been a struggling single parent. Mark promised her
he’ll take on the responsibility of being the breadwinner for their family. It
was then that Mark decided to establish a showbiz career. He believed doing so
was the fastest way to secure his family’s future.However, finding success as a
performer proved to be harder than he thought it would be. Mark went on many auditions
but he always came away empty-handed. He also performed whenever and wherever
he could, booking gigs at town fiestas and the like.
Mark also tried his
luck at an open auditions for reality shows and talent searches. Eventually he
realized he might have to give up on his showbiz dream to seek his fortune in a
different industry. As much as he wanted to become a performer, Mark could no
longer ignore the fact that his family needed him. “Dumatingakosa point na
gusto ko na mag-quit sapag try sapag-aartistakasihindi kami stable financially.
Sinabirin ng nanay ko sa akin nabakahindi para sa akin ang showbiz. Hindi naman
kami nagkaroon ng intense na away about it, pero ang sakitsa akin
naumabotnasaganun, nakinailangannaniyaakongsabihan ng ganun. Pero alamkongtamasiya.”
Despite the
challenges, Mark chose to hold on to the value of education. A graduate of De
La Salle University Dasmariñas, where he studied Hotel and Restaurant
Management, Mark applied as a flight attendant. Thankfully, just as he was
about to turn his back on showbiz forever, fate suddenly smiled upon him.
“Sinabi ko sa Mom ko namaghahanapnalangako ng ibangtrabaho, kaya nag-apply
naakosa PAL. Taposbiglakongnapanoodyung commercial para saPinoy Boyband
Superstar,” he recalls.
But because he himself
had started to feel beaten down by all the times he had been rejected, Mark
didn’t jump at the chance to audition for the show. He hemmed and hawed about
it for a while until he decided to ask God what he should do. He prayed for a
sign.
“At that time,
yungkagustuhankongpumasoksa showbiz medyowalana. Hindi naakokasing eager ng
datidahililangbesesnaakongna-reject. Sabi ko sasarili ko noon, ‘Ayokona.
Mag-pa-PAL nalangako.’ Pero naisip ko rinkasinasayang kung hindi ko susubukan.
Eh kasohindi ko naabutanyung audition sa Alabang, and sabinilayunnadawyung
last. So nagdasalako. Sabi ko kay Lord, ‘Kung para po sa akin ito, magkakaroon
pa po ng isa pang audition.’ Lo and behold, a few days later Mark heard there
would be another open audition for Pinoy Boyband Superstar at the Lucky
Chinatown Mall. “Nagulatako,” he says of that moment. “Sabi ko, itonayung sign
nahinahanap ko. Kaya nagpuntanaako.”
Mark braved a
thunderstorm to go all the way to Binondo to try his luck one last time. When
he got to the Lucky Chinatown Mall, he was wet from head to toe, so he
freshened up in a restroom first. But just before his audition, he decided to
approach it differently this time around. “Yung way na nag-audition
akohindinakatuladnungdati,” he says. “Kung kausapin ko yung staff parang tambay
langako. Nungpinakantanilaako, kinanta ko yung ‘SimplengTulad Mo.’ Pinasayaw
din nilaako, so sayawnamanako. Pero satotoolang, hindinaakokasinggigilnungdati.
Chill nalangako.”
Mark’s nonchalance
may have caught the staff’s eye, because soon after he got home, they told him
he made it to the next round. Instead of jumping up and down with excitement,
Mark considered skipping it. He didn’t want to set himself up for further
disappointment in case he didn’t make the cut. But after a close friend gave
him a pep talk, he went ahead and auditioned for the show’s judges—Aga Muhlach,
Sandara Park, Vice Ganda and Yeng Constantino. The rest, as they say, is
history.
When Mark didn’t
make it into the group that was eventually named BoybandPH, disappointment,
fear, and yes, a little bit of envy threatened to swallow him whole. But he got
over it when he realized how fortunate he was to have made it as far as he did.
“Nakaramdamako ng
disappointment, and siyemprenatakot din akokasihindi ko alam kung
anongmangyayarisa akin. Eventually naging happy akosamganakapasok. Deserving
namansila. Saka nungbinalikan ko lahat, naalala ko na ang hiningi ko lang kay
Lord sasimulanung competition was makapasoksa Top 12. Eh higit pa doon ang
naabot ko. Nungna-realize ko yun, OK na, nawalanayungsakit. Natanggap ko
nayungnangyari.”
That paved the way
for other things to come his way. Immediately the day after the Pinoy Boyband
Superstar finale, Mark found himself in meetings with talent management Cornerstone
Entertainment. Mark has since done two shows for Dreamscape which gave him his
first official TV breaks :Wansapanataym titled My Hair Lady and a primetime hit
teleserye My Dear Heart both were in triangle with LoisaAndalio and Jameson
Blake. “Forever akomagiging grateful kay Sir Deo and buong Dreamscape family
satiwalanabinigaynila”. After airing of both soaps in July 2017, Mark spent
months in honing his music which is his first love. He underwent trainings in
vocals, guitars and songwriting. Alongside acting workshops under Nicco Manalo
and PETA’s DudzTeraña.
Mark has high hopes
for his music. “Gusto kongdumating din akosa point nakapagnarinig ng mgataoyung
intro pa lang ng kanta ko, kahitngayung first few chords pa lang ang
nag-pe-play saradyo, magsisigawannasila. Sobrang solid nun pagnagkataon.”
December 2017, Mark got signed by one of the country’s prime record labels -
Universal Records. “Dream come true na making part ng iconic na record label.
Medyo pressured nung una na mas excited kasi para makasamasa roster ng artists
ng Universal di ba? Sobrang honored, and alsomagandang motivation and drive for
me to do better ang making bahagi ng UR family”.
Mark released his
debut single entitled ‘Langit Pag Nandiyan’ written by Gracenote lead vocalist Eunice
Jorge and produced by hit-making producer Ito Rapadas which is performing very
well in major digital stores - Apple Music, i-Tunes, Amazon, Deezer and
Spotify. Talking about the meaning behind the song, Mark says “The song is
about honoring people in your life. It can be a song for a friend, a loved one,
a relative, or anyone who’s always there to support you despite different
setbacks and challenges. At the same time, it is also a personal anthem for all
the people who’ve been a part of my journey to pursue my dreams”. Last May 26,
its official music video was premiered on MYX and now enjoying a good rotation
on air.
Mark also recorded
a remake of “Tabi”, a 2008 original OPM hit by Paraluman. Universal Records did
a silent release online and has been receiving an overwhelming response. In
less than three weeks, it already gained almost 200k hits on Spotify without
announcement and hype, and included in four playlists to date : Men Of OPM, OPM
Chillax, Acoustically OPM and Pinoy Covers.
Mark also penned
couple of original songs that will be included in his EP that’s slated for
release on the third quarter of the year. “Masaya akonanakapasasa UR ang
mgaorigs ko. Excited akosa kung paanosilaiaarrangeulitni Sir Ito”. There’s a
track too from his co-Cornerstone artist who eventually became his good friend.
Frontman of iconic OPM band Callalily Kean Cipriano. “Nagkakilala kami dahilsa
Cornerstone. Pareho kami ng handler,” he explains. “Eventually niyayaakoni Kean
pumuntasabahayniya. Hindi akomakapaniwala. Pinapakinggan ko
langyungmgakantaniyadati, and ngayon kaya ko nasiyangi-reach anytime kung may
mgatanongako about music and we have plans to collaborate too. Sobrangastig.”
2018 is a brighter
year for Mark for having bagged the following exciting projects : Task Us’
leadman in their very first 6-part webseries, an upcoming guesting in an indie
film called “Amats” directed by one of the best names in the industry
DirekDondon Santos which is an official entry in 2018 Pista Ng Pelikulang
Pilipino come August, sang one of the sub themesongs for another indie film
“Bakwit Boys” produced by T-Rex Productions called “Fiona”. September 2018,
Mark will be seen again nightly in ABSCBN’s latest primetime teleserye as a
regular cast. Having to share the same stage with OPM bands that he used to
listen to when he was growing up and was on the road to being a musician, is
another dream come true for Mark. He was recently part of Robinson’s OPM Jams
series with Spongecola and come June 19, Mark will be fronting for The Dawn at
Eastwood Central Plaza for “Rewind Tuesdays”.
Fate smiled upon
Mark by pairing him with the right people who are all guiding him on his way to
stardom. As long as he works hard and keeps his eye on the sweet and priceless
rewards, there will be no stopping him. With his rugged good looks, charm, and
musical talent, Mark is bound to win the hearts of many fans worldwide.
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