Jump to content

Hajji Alejandro

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Toledo and the surname or paternal family name is Alejandro.
Hajji Alejandro
Background information
Birth nameAngelito Toledo Alejandro
Born(1954-12-26)December 26, 1954
Manila, Philippines
DiedApril 21, 2025(2025-04-21) (aged 70)
GenresPop
Occupation(s)Musician, actor
InstrumentVocals
Years active1976–2025
Formerly ofCircus Band

Angelito Toledo "Hajji" Alejandro (Tagalog: [ˈhadʒi ʔɐlɛˈhandɾɔ]; December 26, 1954 – April 21, 2025) was a Filipino singer and actor from Alaminos, Pangasinan, who was a major pop star in the 1970s and 1980s.[1] Just like another OPM legend Basil Valdez, he came from the group Circus Band. He was the first winner of the Metro Manila Popular Music Festival.

Dubbed the "kilabot ng mga kolehiyala" (college girls' heartthrob), Alejandro is best remembered for songs such as "Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika", "Panakíp Butas" and "Nakapagtataka".[2]

Education

[edit]

Alejandro took a management course at the Ateneo de Manila University.[3]

Career

[edit]

Music career

[edit]

Alejandro was initially a member of the Circus Band, one of the popular music groups in the 1970s, along with Tillie Moreno and Pat Castillo.[4][5] He had been singing professionally since June 1973, when he was paid to sing If You Don't Know Me By Now with the band at the Wells Fargo nightclub along what was known as the Dewey Boulevard.[3] Meanwhile, his music career began in 1974,[6] recording several albums with the said band.[3]

Alejandro went solo in 1976[7] with the help of Willy Cruz, then musical director of the rival band, the Ambivalent Crowd, who would be his lyricist[3] and mentor.[7] Upon the opening of JEM Records where Cruz became its president, Alejandro became one of the first signed artists.[3] His first hit singles[3][7] were "Panakip-butas" (Filipino slang for a standby boyfriend),[6] an adaptation of the 5th Dimension's "Worst That Could Happen";[3] and "Tag-araw, Tag-ulan", that of the Bee Gees' "Charade".[3]

In 1977, his first album, Hajji, was released.[7] To promote this, he did a nationwide campus tour which subsequently earned him the moniker,[7] the original "Kilabot ng mga Kolehiyala."[3]

Alejandro was later introduced by Cruz to (now National Artist for Music) Ryan Cayabyab, also from the same recording label. He interpreted "Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika",[4] composed by Cayabyab, for the inaugural Metro Manila Popular Music Festival (Metropop) in 1978—his first time to join a singing competition—winning the grand prize.[8][7] Later that year, Alejandro and Cayabyab represented the country in the first International Music Festival in Seoul, South Korea,[4] where they took the Grand Prix for the song, and Alejandro the Best Singer. That Filipino song became the first to win the highest award in an international song competition.[7]

Alejandro later decided to go to United States for a non-showbiz venture.[8]

Film and theatrical career

[edit]

His popularity as a pop singer led Regal Films to sign him up to do movies. His initial movie appearance—"Panakip-butas" with Nora Aunor and Trixia Gomez, based on one of his hit songs—became a box office success. However, he later decided to leave the movie industry and to focus more on his singing career, as he felt uncomfortable doing mature scenes on the first shooting day for another movie.[8]

He was also involved in musical theater plays.[8]

Political views

[edit]

In 1986, Alejandro and his then-partner Rio Diaz campaigned for the reelection of president Ferdinand Marcos in the 1986 snap election, with the two continuing to support him even after his deposition in the People Power Revolution.[9][10]

Personal life and death

[edit]

In the 1980s, Alejandro operated a small restaurant along Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California with his wife, beauty queen and actress Rio Diaz. They had a son, Delara drummer Ali Alejandro. Rio Diaz died of colorectal cancer in October 2004.[11] Alejandro also had two other children with Myrna Demauro, including singer Rachel Alejandro.[12]

Alejandro was in a long-term relationship with Alynna Velasquez from 1998. In March 2025, Velasquez revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer.[13] He died from the disease on April 21, 2025.[14]

Discography

[edit]

Albums

[edit]
  • Hajji (first album, 1977)[7]
  • 18 Greatest Hits
  • Collection
  • Pagbabalik (1992)[15]
  • Hajji Alejandro 25: The Silver Anniversary Album (launched May 30, 1999) — released by BMG Records Pilipinas; contains 14 re-recorded songs.[6]

Singles

[edit]
  • "Panakip Butas" (1977; Tagalog cover of "Worst That Could Happen" by The 5th Dimension) – re-recorded for his Silver Anniversary Album
  • "May Minamahal" (1977) – re-recorded for his Silver Anniversary Album
  • "Tag-Araw, Tag-Ulan" (1977; Tagalog cover of "Charade" by the Bee Gees) – re-recorded for his Silver Anniversary Album
  • "Ang Lahat Na Ito'y Para sa 'Yo" – re-recorded for his Silver Anniversary Album
  • "Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika" (1978; original composition by Ryan Cayabyab; Grand Prize Winner, 1st Metro Manila Popular Music Festival & Seoul Song Festival)
  • "Nakapagtataka" (1978; original composition by Jim Paredes)

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Lockard, Craig A. (1998). Dance of Life: Popular Music and Politics in Southeast Asia. University of Hawaii Press. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-8248-1918-7.
  2. ^ "Hajji and Rachel Alejandro in Tagaytay". Manila Bulletin. 14 February 2003. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Arceo-Dumlao, Tina (2021). Himig at Titik: A Tribute to OPM Songwriters. Makati: Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. pp. 152–153. ISBN 978-971-8935-41-5. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b c Salterio, Leah (March 4, 2003). "Bringing back the glorious '70s through artists and hits". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Makati. p. A30. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Torre, Noelani (September 13, 2003). "Satisfying mix of clubby and sentimental tunes". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Makati. p. D2. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ a b c "Artists & Music". Billboard — Asia Pacific Quarterly. New York City: Billboard Music Group. August 7, 1999. p. APQ-7. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Salterio, Leah (January 9, 2021). "Behind the Music: 'Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika' by Hajji Alejandro". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d Sicam, Edmund (October 20, 2001). "Rachel and Hajji Alejandro perform at Captain's Bar". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Makati. p. E2. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ "Top advertisers withdraw from movie talk shows". Manila Standard. Standard Publications, Inc. March 17, 1987. p. 13. Retrieved May 20, 2021. Marcos loyalist couple Rio Diaz and Hadji Alejandro [sic] were spotted by our staff in Laoag, Ilocos Norte a few days ago.
  10. ^ "More stars join KBL campaign". Philippine Daily Inquirer. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. January 30, 1986. AS THE Feb. 7 election nears, more and more showbiz personalities have signified their support for the KBL campaign.
  11. ^ "Ex-NegOcc solon Cojuangco passes away". Panay News. February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  12. ^ Salterio, Leah (April 22, 2025). "OPM legend Hajji Alejandro passes away". ABS-CBN. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  13. ^ Pasajol, Anne (March 21, 2025). "Hajji Alejandro diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, recovering after surgery". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  14. ^ Requintina, Robert (April 22, 2025). "Hajji Alejandro passes away at 70: The OPM icon who fought colon cancer". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  15. ^ Paras, Mina (August 22, 1992). "A much mellowed "kilabot" is back". Manila Standard. Kamahalan Publishing Corp. p. 20. Retrieved November 3, 2020. These days, Hajji, whose latest album, "Pagbabalik," has recently been released and hitting the airlanes...
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hajji_Alejandro&oldid=1286921107"