Every beat, every strobe light, every song, electrified the souls of everyone present at Smart Araneta Coliseum for the Smart Own It! concert featuring some of YouTube’s finest artists last July 9th. Presented by Smart in partnership with Ovation Productions, Own It! included Australian pop rock band Lynk (formerly known as At Sunset), Max Schneider, Tiffany Alvord, Kurt Hugo Schneider, Sam Tsui, Leroy Sanchez, and a dance performance by Gab Valenciano. Each act lit the stage and set it afire as the crowd went W-I-L-D to every performance. Not even the chilly weather can douse the heat and energy inside the Big Dome!
Lynk kicked off the show with some of their singles from their album “Back in Time” like “21 Reasons,” “Kiss Me,” and “Every Little Thing.” They wooed the crowd with a cover of Shawn Mendes’ “Stiches” and a Drake-Rihanna mashup.
All the fangirls went crazy when bassist Matthew let down his hair. Lynk ended their set with “Forever” and shouted “Mahal ko kayo!” to their fans.
Max Schneider raised the energy on stage with his upbeat music and killer dance moves that made the girls go gaga over him. He danced off to some of his originals like “Basement Party,” “Gibberish,” “Mugshot,” and a mashup of “Holla” and “No Diggity.”
Max also made everyone do a “Flashlight” moment when he asked them to raise their phones up for “Lights Down Low” and it was SPECTACULAR!
"And oh, turn the lights, turn the lights down low…" This is lovely! @Maxgschneider 🔦😍😍😍 #OwnIt pic.twitter.com/COa0IN89I9
— POP! (@InqPOP) July 9, 2016
Max, who’s a first-timer in the Philippines, said that they’re having the best night of their lives and they’ll definitely come back.
https://twitter.com/Maxgschneider/status/751765862781100032
Gab Valenciano displayed some legit #SquadGoals as he and his crew danced the night off. He was then joined on stage by Filipino YouTube sensations Alodia Gosiengfiao and Vern and Verniece Enciso who talked about how they shot their first videos on YouTube, shared their passion, and inspired the audience to do the same.
Speaking of squads, here's a #SquadGoals shot of @gabvalenciano's crew doing their thing! #OwnIt pic.twitter.com/cMmIIWIWO3
— SMART (@LiveSmart) July 9, 2016
.@gabvalenciano now on stage! 💃#OwnIt pic.twitter.com/AtuRIcFboa
— POP! (@InqPOP) July 9, 2016
Filipino YouTube sensations just shared their inspiring stories as influencers. #OwnIt pic.twitter.com/LMViFiCBRu
— SMART (@LiveSmart) July 9, 2016
One of YouTube’s first home-grown stars, Tiffany Alvord, made the fangirls who call themselves “Tiffanatics,” scream out loud when she hit the stage and owned it with her heavenly vocals. She shared a love story as she sang a mashup of some of her popular covers on YouTube, and showed her fun and quirky side with her own rendition of Meghan Trainor’s “No.”
"Magandang gabi po!" @TiffanyAlvord is here! #OwnIt pic.twitter.com/2le4EK4I1b
— POP! (@InqPOP) July 9, 2016
Tiffany perfoming her single 'Legacy.' #OwnIt pic.twitter.com/eL29KLV2Fh
— POP! (@InqPOP) July 9, 2016
"My name is no, my sign is no, my number is no…" @TiffanyAlvord killin' it on stage! #OwnIt pic.twitter.com/OsPHNBE9E6
— POP! (@InqPOP) July 9, 2016
“Every time I come here, it gets better and better.”
Tiffany took a selfie with the audience and said “I love you guys! Mahal kita!” to her screaming fans. She’s definitely the sweetest!
She serenaded the entire Smart Araneta Coliseum with her angelic voice when she sang “Pour a Little Heaven on Me” together with Kurt Schneider that sent kilig vibes to the crowd.
When Sam Tsui and Kurt Hugo Schneider hit the stage, they proved to everyone they’re one hell of a team. The dynamic duo brought the house down with some of their singles and popular covers. Sam performed a few of his original songs like “Trust,” “Clumsy,” and “Secret.”
The power duo Sam Tsui and Kurt Schneider are finally here, firing up our souls! 😍 #OwnIt pic.twitter.com/4vrYUH6I3j
— SMART (@LiveSmart) July 9, 2016
The power duo is now performing their summer medleys. #OwnIt pic.twitter.com/UkSP1bUcQd
— POP! (@InqPOP) July 9, 2016
During their set, Sam and Kurt made an emotional tribute to their friend, the late singer Christina Grimmie, who, just like them, started out as a YouTube star.
Sam Tsui dedicated 'Just A Dream' to Christina Grimmie. #OwnIt pic.twitter.com/AJImeUVSwt
— POP! (@InqPOP) July 9, 2016
The weather didn’t stop everyone from partying and Sam gave them the only “Perfect Storm” they’d want to stay in the Philippines. The duo also performed crowd favorite “Cups” that gave everyone “Pitch Perfect” vibes. He dedicated “Bring Me The Night” and “Don’t Want An Ending” to his Pinoy fans – saying that he don’t want that night to end. Before they left the stage Sam said that he and Kurt will be back again.
We're getting Pitch Perfect vibes here! @SamuelTsui @KurtHSchneider #OwnIt pic.twitter.com/K2fDJLrYFM
— POP! (@InqPOP) July 9, 2016
.@SamuelTsui sings 'Bring Me The Night'–saying it's about how he feels every time he leaves Manila. #OwnIt pic.twitter.com/aNORs73bm1
— POP! (@InqPOP) July 9, 2016
It was already midnight but the crowd was still pumped up as Leroy Sanchez, the final act of the show, hit the stage to wrap up a night full of awesomeness and great music. The Spanish singer funked it up and got the crowd all dancin’ to “Uptown Funk.”
Saturday night and we in this spot… 🎶💃 #OwnIt pic.twitter.com/SH3xEXn9KL
— POP! (@InqPOP) July 9, 2016
He sang some of his originals like “Man of the year,” “Body Language,” “Fade,” “Halfway,” and “Little Dancer.” He got the crowd asking “am I in love with you or am I in love with the feeling” during his performance of Justin Bieber’s “The Feeling.” He also sang a cover of Sam Smith’s “I’m Not The Only One,” DNCE’s “Cake By The Ocean,” and Adele’s “Hello” that got him over 34 millions views on YouTube.
.@IamLeroySanchez sings collab song with our very own Jessica Sanchez #TheFeeling #OwnIt pic.twitter.com/gurhBhE6Hi
— GIST (@GistPH) July 9, 2016
Leroy had the crowd gushing over him when he shouted “Mahal kita” and some even answered back “Te Amo!” He delivered a soulful and sexy rendition of Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River,” Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself,” and a Spanish version of “Sorry.” The energy was definitely on top when he belted out Beyonce’s “Love on Top” that had the fans asking for more.
Now who remembers @IamLeroySanchez' Love On Top cover? #OwnIt pic.twitter.com/EFvijbMdCN
— SMART (@LiveSmart) July 9, 2016
Leroy left the stage and came back after a while when the crowd clamored for more. He wrapped the show up with his songs “Kids From The Wild” and “By My Side.” He then vowed to his fans that he will come back in the future.
We'll always be by your side, @IamLeroySanchez. 😊 #OwnIt pic.twitter.com/8Yba5ziUm8
— SMART (@LiveSmart) July 9, 2016
The show was hosted by Bogart The Explorer and PBA’s Riza Diaz who announced Smart’s partnership with YouTube and introduced Smart Launchpad. They encouraged all aspiring YouTube stars of this generation to “discover their passions, channel their creativity, and broadcast it to the world.”
“Why settle for just watching your idol when you can be the idol yourself?” Smart Launchpad aims to encourage dreamers to have the courage to explore their talents and share their passion to the world the same way these YouTube stars did.
If you’re one of them, take a shot at it! You might just end up like these YouTube stars who went from dreamers to actual performers! And when that moment comes, own it.
Visit https://smart.com.ph/Pages/ownit/launchpad to know more about Smart Launchpad.
ADVT.
