Former OFW finds musical inspiration during the coronavirus pandemic - Rocky Turen

Rocky Turen

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Former OFW finds musical inspiration during the coronavirus pandemic

While musicians across the world can’t perform on stage due to the pandemic, some resorted to creating one while being quarantined. One of them is Peter John Paul A. Turen, whose stage name is Rocky Turen. He has turned his art to express his feelings about the pandemic.

While everyone stayed home and as the world struggled to fight and put the pandemic to an end, Turen was occupied with his solo project called ‘Indie-pendently’. He recorded music from his home in the Philippines and soon after released his solo album called ‘Pandemia’. LUNAS 19, a striking song in the album, was written in February last year. After releasing the song, he was invited to perform for EuroTV Philippines and had also a chance to perform on a radio station.

After getting invitations from local media outfits, he decided to make a band called The MaineStream which is composed of his long-time friends Jojo Valdivia (Keyboards), Raymon Agot (Bass), Michael Valdivia (Drums), and David Melendez (Saxophone). Turner, the bandleader and vocalist, said that Cove Records handled the band which was given an opportunity to be their record labels. The band has released seven original songs and received three awards at the prestigious Indie Musicians Awards 2021 for being the Best Song of the Year, Best Album Cover, and the Most Underrated Musicians of 2021.

Turen used to work as an amenity attendant for real estate and hotels for a year and a half in Doha, Qatar. While working as a full-time employee, he had also side gigs as a guitarist and music teacher for kids and adults and performer at various pubs. “As a musician and an artist, I always enjoy making music and sharing my talent with others. We, as a band, believe that we will succeed and become one of the most famous musicians in the 21st century,” he added.

The former chef has also faced several difficulties in life, including choosing to pursue his work or his dreams as a musician. Now that he has finally chosen the right path, he, along with his bandmates, aims to create more music for his fellow Filipinos.