Jeffrey and Charlotte Bactong Jr. of Sweetnotes (Facebook)
MANILA – Filipinos in the United States are in for a treat as singing duo Sweetnotes quench their thirst for home during the last quarter of the year.
Couple Jeffrey and Charlotte Bactong Jr. will be in several American states and in Hawaii to entertain Filipinos.
The couple used to be with a band until they got married in 2017 and decided to work as entertainers overseas.
They returned to the Philippines in 2019 but the pandemic the following year prevented them from leaving again.
During the lull in live performances, the duo shifted to livestreaming and online shows. Soon, overseas Filipino workers (OFW) took notice, especially their repertoire of well-loved classics.
“They found comfort in our music as the effects of the lockdowns weighed heavily on them,” Jeffrey said in a news release.
When Covid-19 restrictions were lifted, they started reviewing the numerous invites they received.
Meanwhile, their Facebook followers have swelled to four million and their YouTube account gained 1.27 million subscribers as of posting time.
As of the 2022 data of the Census Bureau, there are about 4.1 million Filipino-Americans in the United States. Filipinos account for 17 percent of the nation’s total Asian American population, data showed.
Four of 10 Filipino-Americans (about 1.6 million) are in California, with the highest number in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas.
In Hawaii, there are 270,000 Filipinos or those of Filipino descent while Texas has 208,000.
Sweetnotes’ shows, mounted by Edren Entertainment LLC led by executive producer Edgardo Vera Tividad, will kick off in Chicago, Indiana and San Francisco on Oct. 18, 19 and 26 respectively.
The duo will be in New York, Arizona and Los Angeles on Nov. 1, 2 and 3; followed by shows in Florida (Nov. 9), Las Vegas (Nov. 10), Seattle (Nov. 15), San Diego (Nov. 16) and Colorado (Nov. 23); and Washington, D.C. on Dec. 6 and Hawaii on Dec.13 and 14. (PR/PNA)
