When alternative rock exploded in the Philippines in the 1990s, Rivermaya was one of the bands leading the charge. Formed in 1994 in Manila, the band blended heaviness and melody in a way that reflected the global direction of post-Nirvana rock.
Rivermaya’s self-titled album, released in 1994, set the tone for the band’s output, and featured the core lineup that would propel the band through its first three (and best-received) albums: vocalist Bamboo Mañalac, guitarist and songwriter Rico Blanco, bassist Nathan Azarcon, and drummer Mark Escueta. Original lead guitarist Perf de Castro was out by the time the band’s 1996 sophomore set, Trip, was released, and the band soldiered on as a four-piece. Trip outsold its predecessor, achieved quadruple-platinum status in the Philippines, and Rivermaya rode the momentum into 1997 with Atomic Bomb, which would prove to be the final outing for Mañalac, who left to front the band Bamboo and later embarked on a solo career.
Blanco took over frontman duties for the next decade, before departing for his own solo career in 2007. The group had maintained its stature under his leadership, highlighted by a performance at the MTV Asia Awards in 2006, complete with symphonic backing. The audition process for a singer became a reality TV-style competition, and 18-year-old Jayson Fernandez became Rivermaya’s singer for the next four years. Members continued to come and go, sometimes switching roles or returning after several years, and original members Escueta and Azarcon continued to guide the band into the 2020s.
