“Ang ating Reina.”
This was what the Miss Universe Philippines (MUPH) organization said in response to a music video (MV) of OPM icon Orange & Lemons featuring Miss Universe Philippines 2024 Chelsea Manalo.
The alternative pop outfit on Friday, September 20 dropped the music video to its song that pays tribute to their beginnings in the province of Bulacan — “La Bulaqueña.”
It also serves as the title track to their 2022 album, which was four years in the making.
The “La Bulaqueña” MV stars Chelsea, a Filipino-American beauty queen of African descent raised in Meycauayan City, Bulacan.
She is vying for the Philippines’ fifth Miss Universe crown at Miss Universe 2024, which will be held in Mexico on November 16.
The MUPH was among those who shared the link to the music video on social media with the caption, “Ang ating Reina La Bulaqueña.”
It also included the hashtags “#MissUniversePhilippines” and “#ChelseaManalo.”
Behind the music video
Conceptualized and directed by collaborators Everywhere We Shoot, the MV showcases the parallel storylines of the award-winning band and Chelease and how they were deeply connected together by a turn-of-the-century portraiture called “Una Bulaqueña” in terms of geographic affinity and influence.
The masterpiece, which was helmed by Juan Luna, carries an unassuming naturalness that depicts a Filipina from an elite countryside background, one who is assumed to be from Bulacan.
“The symbolic repetition of the painting deepens the narrative and signifies the theme,” Orange & Lemons lead vocalist and guitarist Clem Castro shared.
Chelsea’s team also used the band’s song “La Bulaqueña” during her MUPH campaign, particularly as background music for one of her concept photography, which mimics the subject of the Juan Luna painting.
The posts from her team and fans eventually went viral on TikTok and other social media platforms, prompting Orange & Lemons to revive the idea of filming the song’s visual narrative featuring the beauty queen.
“Working with Chelsea was a breeze. She was a natural behind the lens and a jolly individual. A true beauty queen, both inside and out,” Clem said.
The MV is also a collaboration with the National Museum of Fine Arts, making Orange & Lemons the first band to film a music video inside the museum.
The band will hold its “Now and Then: Orange & Lemons 25th Anniversary Concert” on October 18 at the Metrotent Convention Center in Pasig City.
The four-piece band is slated to perform a three-hour set featuring some of their most notable songs — crowd pleasers, critical favorites, and rarities — from their generation-defining, four-album catalog.
The event aims to celebrate Orange & Lemons’ journey from their indie beginnings (Love in the Land of Rubber Shoes and Dirty Ice Cream) to their mainstream success (Strike Whilst the Iron Is Hot), from their psychedelic era (Moonlane Gardens) to their Tagalog-flavored pivot (La Bulaqueña).
