Tanya Markova
Filipino rock band
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Tanya Markova is a Filipino rock band formed in the indie scene in 2006 and went mainstream in 2010. The band is currently composed of Gel del Pilar (AKA: "Iwa Motors" on lead vocals), Rhan Sabas (AKA: "Rez Curtis" on guitars), Kix Chavez (AKA: "Skrovak Iskopanjo" on bass), Ole Romblon (AKA: "Isabel Olé" on lead guitars), Japo Anareta (AKA: "Robot Jaworski" on keyboards and co-lead vocals), and Levy Arago (AKA: "Levy Poe" on drums). The band is recognizable due to their makeup and costumes, with each member having an onstage persona.
Tower of Doom (present)
Tanya Markova | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Manila, Philippines |
| Genres | OPM/Pinoy rock, indie rock, pop rock, gothic rock, shock rock, alternative rock, comedy rock[1] |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | MCA Music (2010–2014) Tower of Doom (present) |
| Members | Angelo "Gel" del Pilar (Iwa Motors) Florante "Rhan" Sabas (Rez Curtis) Francis "Kix" Chavez (Skrovak Iskopanjo) Oliver "Ole" Romblon (Isabel Olé) John Paul "Japo" Anareta (Robot Jaworski) Levi Arago (Levy Poe) |
| Past members | Harlon Agsaoay (Norma Love) Philipp Jertie "Pipoy" Alejandro (Mowmow) EJ "Kid" Guevarra (Jennylyn Sucaldito) Jasper "Jass" Borbajo (Heart Abunda) Edson "Edu" Broce (Rufa Mae Milby) Brian Lotho (Sam Quinto) Jollybee "Jbee" Borbajo (Sugar K.) |
History
Formation
Tanya Markova was formed in 2002 by San Beda University classmates Harlon Agsaoay and Gel del Pilar. Del Pilar immediately thought of an idea to combine sappy melodies and dark caricature-driven lyrics, then they decided to compose songs filled with sarcasm, idiocy, and childish ramblings. During those times the song they have created were only meant to be a joke with nonsensical titles. It took several months before they could find members who would agree to their concept, and almost 2 years to complete the line-up and perform live onstage. The said members originally hail from Bacolod, San Carlos City (Negros Occidental), Isabela, Leyte and some in Metro Manila.
Tragedy and hiatus
The band was on their lowest point on September 9, 2009 due to the unexpected death of lead guitarist Jollybee "Jbee" Borbajo a.k.a. Sugar K. in a freak vacation accident together with actor and friend Dennis Trillo. Due to this sudden loss, the band declared a hiatus in order to deal with the emotional experience and to think about the band's direction. In December 2009, Kid Guevarra went back to Manila to play lead guitar for Tanya Markova once again. He was actually Tanya Markova’s original guitarist (Sugar K. previously played drums before switching to guitars when Rufa Mae Milby decided to join) and was able to play in a few gigs and became involved on Tanya Markova’s first few demos but he decided to go back to Bacolod due to personal and work reasons. When Sugar K. (who was also originally from Bacolod) died, he was the only guitarist on their mind that could fill his shoes. Kid Guevarra decided to don the Jennylyn Sucaldito suit again.[2]
MCA Music, Tanya Markova, and present status (2010–present)
On January 19, 2010 the band were signed by MCA Music Philippines (whose OPM line-up includes top brass artists like Chicosci, Urbandub, Pedicab, The Dawn and Franco among others).[2][3] On April 12, 2010, the band released their self-titled debut album Tanya Markova under MCA Music.[4][5] They have released the singles "Picture Picture", "Disney", and "Linda Blair". After a few changes in their lineup, the band still continues to release music online.
Band's name
The band got their name from Filipina actress Tanya Garcia and the last name from Dolphy's bakla movie character, Markova. It's also a coincidence that an anagram of "Tanya Markova" is "Natay Karovam/Natay Karubam", an Ilocano word meaning "Dead Neighbor". The concept of the members' stage names is inspired by the band Marilyn Manson whose early members combined the names of notable personalities to form their own stage names.[6]
Members
- Iwa Motors – co-lead vocals, additional guitar
- Rez Curtis – rhythm guitar, occasional backing vocals (since 2023)
- Skrovak Iskopanjo – bass guitar
- Isabel Olé – lead guitar, occasional backing vocals
- Robot Jaworski (aka "Android E") – keyboard synthesizer, backing vocals, co-lead vocals (since 2023)
- Levy Poe – drums, percussion
Former members
- Norma Love – lead vocals (on indefinite hiatus since 2023)
- Mowmow – tambourine, percussion, backing vocals (on indefinite hiatus since 2024)
- Jennylyn Sucaldito – lead guitar
- Heart Abunda – keyboard synthesizer
- Rufa Mae Milby – drums
- Sam Quinto – drums
- Sugar K† (deceased) – lead guitar
Touring members
- Jun Paredes (Jun Tovera) – bass guitar
- Kenneth B. Reached (Kenneth Floria) – bass guitar
Discography
Studio albums
- Tanya Markova (2010)
- Tanya Markova Shock Pop Edition (2012)
- Mister Tililing (2016)
- Ang Mga Awitin ng Normal na Tao (Full Album) (2024)[7]
EP
- Ang mga Awitin ng Normal na Tao (2021)
Singles
- "Picture Picture"
- "Disney"
- "Linda Blair"
- "P.A. Roadie Fernandez"
- "Da Facebook Song"
- "Jacuzzi"
- "Creep"
- "Hello Hello Hello"
- "Ang Darling Kong Zombie"
- "High-End"
- "Iglap" [8]
- "Stranded"
- "Bituin"
- "Medusa"
- "Hulog"
Music videos
- "Picture Picture"
- "Disney"
- "Linda Blair"
- "P.A. Roadie Fernandez"
- "Da Facebook Song"
- "Jacuzzi"
- "Hello Hello Hello"
- "Ang Darling Kong Zombie"
- "High-End"
- "Iglap"
- "Stranded"
- "Bituin"
- "Hulog"
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award giving body | Category | Nominated work | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Monster Radio RX 93.1 | OPM Band of the Year | N/a | Won |
| New Artist of the Year | N/a | Won | ||
| NU Rock Awards | Best New Artist | N/a | Won[9] | |
| Best Live Act | N/a | Won[9] | ||
| Best Music Video | "Disney" | Won[9] | ||
| Artist of the Year | N/a | Nominated | ||
| Album of the Year | "Tanya Markova" | Nominated | ||
| Song of the Year | "Picture Picture" | Nominated | ||
| Guitarist of the Year | (for Kid Guevarra, Rhan Sabas and Jbee Borbajo) | Nominated | ||
| 2011 | Awit Awards | Best Performance by a Group of Recording Artists | "Picture Picture" | Nominated |
| Best Performance by a New Group of Recording Artists | "Picture Picture" | Nominated | ||
| Music Video of the Year | "Disney" | Nominated | ||
| MYX Music Awards | Favorite New Artist | N/a | Won | |
| Favorite Music Video | "Disney" | Nominated | ||
| Favorite Song | "Disney" | Nominated | ||
| Favorite MYX Live Performance | N/a | Nominated | ||
| 2012 | PMPC Star Awards For Music | Male Rock Artist of the Year | N/a | Nominated |
| Music Video of the Year | Nominated |