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THE POST WRAPPED 2021

In this issue of The Feed, before we say goodbye to another year that went by quickly, join us on a trip down memory lane and look back on the trending stories for each month of 2021.

THE FEED / 31 December 2021

Grabe ka na 2021! Grabe ka talaga dahil ang dami mong hatid na…exciting at trending moments na talaga namang pinag-usapan ng madla ngayong taon. Like your annual Spotify Wrapped, we’re here to list some of the most celebrated and talked about happenings of each month that passed.

January 2021

Starting the year strong with the release of Olivia Rodrigo’s debut song Driver’s License!

The song made waves in social media as it broke not just the internet but also broke Spotify’s record for most streams in a single day with over 15 million streams, a few days after it broke its own record with over 17 million streams. Driver’s license also topped the Billboard charts and ranked No. 1 in 48 countries on Apple Music, 31 countries on Spotify, and 14 countries on YouTube with 8.1 million radio airplay audience impressions and 38,000 downloads in the United States all in a span of just seven days!

The perfect storm of quality, Tiktok, and gossip, Driver’s License unleashed the inner marites in us as the listeners try to piece together the story of breakups and moving on by doing the one last thing that she promised him—getting a driver’s license.

 

February 2021

February is the month where Song Joong Ki really gave us the look that serves! I mean, look at this!

 

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A post shared by ‘VINCENZO’ tvN (@vincenzodrama)

Vincenzo has an amazing cast, a balanced action and rom-com plot, and, most importantly, fantastic visuals! The series wrapped up with a high rating that reached the 6th place among all the highest-rated TV series in Korea.

While Vincenzo was still an on-going series on Netflix, another Song Joong Ki title reached the top spot on the Netflix PH charts, Space Sweepers. Set in the year 2092, the film follows a rag-tag group called the Space Sweepers, led by Joong Ki’s character, Tae Ho. The top spot was well deserved because of its reimagined Wizard of Oz allegory, dynamic plot, and production quality. According to sources, Space Sweepers took 10 years for the production to finish.

March 2021

In Disney’s 90-year history, this is the first time a South-East Asian heroine has appeared in a film. Star Wars actress Kelly Marie Tran brings her star power to the role of Raya, who must chase down a legendary last dragon in order to unite her split kingdom and its people. This is not just the only ‘first’. Additionally, the Philippines’ very own Kz Tandingan wrote the first Filipino language song on a Disney Film.

April 2021

After all the drama with her previous record label, Taylor Swift came through with her promise of re-releasing her albums under her own terms—as it should be! In April of this year, Fearless came out and boy did the crowd go wild!

And as she ‘uncover lost art and forgotten gems’, Taylor shocked not just her fans but the world as Fearless (Taylor’s Version) also included six unreleased tracks! This was soon followed by Red with a 10-minute version of All Too Well.

May 2021

Latara tara Latara tara~

‘MAPA’, one of SB19’s most popular songs, was released in May 2021. ‘MAPA’ is a departure from the cheery songs of their previous releases. According to the group, ‘MAPA’ is not just a wordplay for ‘Ma’ and ‘Pa’ but is also a tribute to any parent who’s provided a ‘north star’ for their children who have lost their way. Timely, the song was released a week after Mother’s Day.\

Listen to ‘MAPA’ here:

The internationally acclaimed Filipino boy group would later on have a month-long celebration of their third anniversary on the 26th of October, their debut date. What a year it was to celebrate for them given their new music with the release of the Pagsibol EP, the success of their online concerts, and their nominations at this year’s Billboard Music Awards and MTV Europe Music Awards. The group’s latest achievement is claiming the top spot on Billboard’s Hot Trending Chart for a week, starting on the 11th of December.

June 2021

June is another one of those months where we unleashed our Filipino pride as Netflix released its first-ever Filipino animated series entitled Trese. Based on a widely popular comic book series of the same name, Trese embodied our culture in all shapes and forms.

The series revolves around the occult detective Alexandra Trese, who goes around the city solving crimes and killing monsters. However, these aren’t the typical supernatural monster you’d find in a book but Filipino folklore figures we all heard growing up. Trese is a perfect combination of Filipino superstition, folklore, and tackles underlying sociopolitical issues the country is currently facing.

July 2021

Wagi ang Pilipinas! History was made last July as Hidilyn Diaz gave the Philippines its first ever Olympic Gold Medal.

If Korea has Kim Bok Joo, di papatalo ang Pinas because we have our own Weightlifting Fairy—Hidilyn Diaz! She won the Tokyo 2020 Olympics’ women’s weightlifting competition and brought home the gold medal.

Hidilyn won by lifting a total of 224 kilograms, grabe diba? And with this, she snatched the first place and even beat Liao Qiuyun of China– the record holder in the said competition who on the other hand, lifted a total of 223 kilograms.

 

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A post shared by Hidilyn Diaz OLY (@hidilyndiaz)

 

 

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A post shared by Hidilyn Diaz OLY (@hidilyndiaz)

 

August 2021

The annual celebration of Philippine independent films successfully launched this year online, showcasing the talents of Filipino moviemakers in creating masterpieces shown on screen.

There were 13 short films that were featured. Among the winners are Beauty Queen as the Best Film, Kids on Fire for Best Direction, and Best Screenplay. Audience Choice, Special Jury Prize, and Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) were all awarded to hakot awardee Ang Sadit na Planeta.

September 2021

Netflix is known for releasing great movies and even series that capture the attention of a lot of audiences. That is why it is not a surprise that just this year, the South Korean survival drama Squid Game that was released on the platform became a big hit, not just in the Philippines but also in other countries.

 

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A post shared by Netflix Philippines (@netflixph)

Starring, Lee Jung-jae, the first-time actress HoYeon Jung, Wi Ha-joon, the pinaka kinakiligang Gong Yoo, and many more great actors from SoKor completed the cast. Aside from the storyline, the characters that they portrayed made the audience fixated with the series.

 

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A post shared by Hoyeon Jung(Chung) (@hoooooyeony)

 

The story revolved around a group of people struggling with money to bet their lives on a deadly game. What’s unique is that the games are based on local children’s game from Korea, like the “Green Light, Red Light” and the famous dalgona candy that every Filipino have tried making.

October 2021

Aside from Hidalyn Diaz’s Olympic Gold success, the Philippines also gained another accolade with Maria Ressa being the first Filipino to receive a Nobel Peace Prize.

Along with Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, the two were awarded the prize on October 8 “for their courageous fight for freedom of expression” in the face of authoritarian governments. Maria Ressa faced numerous libel charges in the past but the Norwegian Nobel Committee acknowledged her courageous efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.

November 2021

This year’s American Music Awards was definitely one of the most talked-about awards shows this year. Airing on Philippine TV last November 22, this was the day an Asian act took home the coveted Artist of the Year award for the first. This Asian act is none other than globally popular K-Pop boy group BTS who performed twice that night. They took the stage with their chart-topping song “Butter” as well as “My Universe” with their collaborator, Coldplay.

December 2021

On the 14th of December, it was reported that there were 235 new COVID-19 cases in the country. This is the lowest reported number of new cases in a day in about 19 months. More and more people have also been vaccinated. A number of universities have declared that they will soon be gradually reopening. This goes to show us that there is reason to hope, it is true that this too shall pass. However, our hopes for a brighter and healthier year ahead of us must come with caution and responsibility.

At the time of writing, the Department of Health reports that there are still 10,193 active cases in the Philippines. Some have yet to be vaccinated, more booster shots will have to be administered, and the new Omicron variant has also reached our country.

If we truly want to end our 2021 on a high note and welcome 2022 with a bang, then we need to remain vigilant and keep doing our part when it comes to public health. Remember to follow health and safety protocols and push for scientific solutions to this pandemic. There’s nothing better than starting the new year with the hopes of returning to school and seeing all our friends—especially after two years of distance learning. Kaya tara! At sumama sa panawagan para sa isang #LigtasNaBalikEskwela para sa lahat. Kasama ninyo kaming umaasa para sa isang mapagpalang 2022.

Cover art by Divine Grace Espina