Sarah Geronimo’s ‘Tala’ became an online dance challenge during the holidays

January 3, 2020 - 9:53 AM
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Sarah Geronimo
Sarah Geronimo is the first Filipino artist to have a concert film on Netflix. She is seen in this photo release by her label for her "This 15 Me" world tour. (Viva Records)

Sarah Geronimo’s 2015 hit single “Tala” eventually became a dance challenge during the holidays through the hashtags #Taladancechallenge or #Talachallenge, videos of which made rounds on social media.

The nearly five-year-old song’s catchy lyrics and easy choreography appealed to the Filipino public, particularly to members of the LGBT community.

Among those who made their own renditions, two stood out on social media: the performances of former Sexbomb member Izzy Trazona and her son, and that of a young micro-influencer.

Trazona’s son Sebastian Dewey posted on his accounts on Twitter and Facebook their “Tala” dance cover on December 30.

The video soon amassed over a million views from both platforms after.

Meanwhile, a 17-year-old online personality named Issey Miyake Parto also shared a video of her version of “Tala” on December 25. So far, the video has four million views on Twitter.

Geronimo envisioned “Tala” to be a dance trend or craze when it was first released nearly five years ago.

“Alam niyo po, in-envision ko na magiging dance craze ‘tong kantang ‘to. Gusto ko itong vibe ng song na ‘to, maging dance craze, everybody is dancing to this song — at, wow, power of claiming it, nagkatotoo!” Geronimo said in an interview.

She also thanked her fans, particularly the members of the LGBT community, who made her fulfill her dream for it, which was part of her best-selling album “The Great Unknown” in 2015.

“Of course, maraming salamat sa LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community kasi sila talaga ‘yung yumakap dito sa awiting ito na ‘Tala,’” she said.

This upbeat track surprisingly gained popularity again during the latter part of 2019 following viral videos of dance renditions and video clips of her own live performances of “Tala” trended and talked about on social media.

The specific reason or cause for its renewed momentum couldn’t be determined.

However, some Filipinos attributed it to a local fast-food chain’s television ad called “Linamnam Ulam” to the tune of the song in 2018.

Geronimo herself also constantly performed it in various events such as at the ASEAN Japan Music Festival in 2018, her world tour “This 15 Me”and at her mini-concert during her makeup launch of Pop Cosmetics in May this year.

The celebrated artist is now engaged to her longtime boyfriend, car racer turned entertainment personality Matteo Guidicelli.