GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 11 August) — The names Charlotte Mae and Jeffrey Bactong, Jr. may not ring a bell to the millions who follow their Facebook pages and YouTube channel but BJ and Charlotte, or Sweetnotes, certainly will.
Known to friends and kin as BJ and Charlotte, the couple is otherwise known as Sweetnotes, a highly-popular Mindanao-based duo that has been making waves domestically and abroad, with their unique way of singing covers of popular Filipino and foreign language songs.
“In fact, their covers sound better than the original,” assures chef Dominique Chua, an avid follower of the couple. BJ and Charlotte make sure they sing songs that are “either danceable or singable, those you find in karaokes.”
The pair’s Facebook page currently has a following of about four million while their YouTube channel has at least 1.26 million subscribers. Their cover songs can be heard almost everywhere in the country — in buses, at stalls in the public market, shops and stores and eateries.
Laoag City resident and restaurant part-owner Marithel Agustin told MindaNews the singing duo is also popular in their place in Ilocos. “Sikat ang Sweetnotes dito (They are also known here in Ilocos),” she said.
These days, one does not need to go to Manila and spend a fortune to be a famous singer. All you need is a good voice, an internet connection, great following and voila, you’re in, remarked South Cotabato businesswoman Rosemarie Demontaño.
Having gained wide popularity, the couple is about to embark on a series of year-end shows in at least ten venues across the United States, where premium tickets have been sold out ahead of their performances.
The scheduled U.S. appearances are not the couple’s first exposure abroad.
“We actually started performing as a couple in 2017 in China, as Sweetnotes Duo,” Charlotte said. Before she met BJ, Charlotte had worked as a vocalist-dancer for four years in South Korea.
Destined pair
BJ, a son of a church missionary, learned his music as a church band member. Charlotte, on the other hand, already had a passion for singing, along with her younger sister since they were kids. “We would join every amateur singing contest,” she recalls.
The couple was elated when asked if they believe they were destined for each other as friends describe them to have been “paired by heaven.” Their quick reply: “So glad people see us that way. Makahappy!” (Makes us happy).
BJ has just turned 30, a bit younger than wife Charlotte Mae. They first met when she came home from Korea and auditioned for a General Santos-based band in need of a female vocalist. BJ was a member of that band.
“We were both in a relationship then,” revealed BJ. But before long, they fell for each other.
Charlotte said BJ’s soothing voice made it easy for her to love him. “Na-amaze ko sa iyaha kay nindot gyud kaayo siya’g voice. Una pa lang gud nako nadunggan iyang tingog. Tapos naga-gitara pud siya at the same time a-amaze gyud ko sa iyang extraordinary talent,” she said.
The couple got married in 2017 before they flew to Shanghai to work at a hotel as performers. This, after they found it hard to get work locally as “sequencers” because not so many bars appreciated it. “Sequencers” is the term used for singers using canned band accompaniment, BJ explained.
They have experienced being rejected but they opted to strive harder to further hone their musical skills and talents.
Viral during pandemic
The Shanghai stint lasted only two years. They came home for a vacation in late 2019 but could no longer return in 2020 because of the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Left with nothing much to do at home, BJ said they tried performing via live streaming, drawing a strong support from their audience, many of whom even sent money in support of the couple.
The restrictions during the pandemic were more of a blessing-in-disguise, the couple said. Had it not been for the lockdowns, “we would not be known on social media. People were busy on social media during the lockdown,” BJ said.
It was in October 2021, when the couple made their first livestreamed viral video while performing a cover of Parting Time at the Fishcaught Bar in General Santos.
“Didto mi na-viral naglivestream. Naa to’y isa ka streamer na nagshare sa among live unya natingala ko na daghan naman kaayog views,” BJ said. The number of viewers grew overnight from a mere seven to 140,000. Also at that time, their followers abruptly rose from 700 to more than 10,000.
“When we noticed the upward trend, we uploaded a video every day for two years. I can hardly believe I did it,” BJ said.
Their rendition of the Roel Cortez hit, Iniibig Kita, was their first million views. It has so far drawn 17-million viewers.
Between their livestreamed performances during the pandemic, they were also busy attending to their first child, now a bubbly four-year old they fondly call Chikkay.
Singing own originals
Currently, Sweetnotes has hundreds of song covers, available in online platform playlists, like Spotify and YouTube. Many of these generated over a million viewers each.
Bj acknowledged that making it big in the local online music scene is a huge challenge. There was a time when their account was hacked but these and other issues did not deter them from pursuing what they want to achieve.
The couple is aware there are now more competitors, but “we never allow ourselves to be distracted from our mindset that we are here to inspire others who want to be like us and to share ideas on how to achieve goals,” Charlotte said.
Charlotte said they hope they will have a show someday where all the songs that they sing are their own originals. “We actually have some already and it is just a matter of time that we will do it,” she disclosed with a happy smile.
“Perhaps after our U.S. trip,” she quipped. (Rommel G. Rebollido / MindaNews)
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