Sponge Cola facts for kids

Sponge Cola (sometimes spelled Spongecola) is a Filipino rock band that started in 1998. The band members are Yael Yuzon (vocals and guitars), Gosh Dilay (bass), Armo Armovit (guitars), and Tedmark Cruz (drums).

Sponge Cola is one of the most popular rock bands in the Philippines. They have created many hit songs like Jeepney, KLSP, Gemini, Bitiw, Tuliro, Di Na Mababawi, Tambay, Kay Tagal Kitang Hinintay, and XGF. So far, the band has released several successful albums.

How Sponge Cola Started

The band formed between 1998 and 2002. Yael Yuzon and Gosh Dilay met in high school at Ateneo de Manila University through their school's theater group, Teatro Baguntao. Yael decided to form a band with Gosh and two other friends from the theater group. They first named the group Sponge. The band won many high school competitions, which made them popular on campuses.

After some changes in the band members, drummer Chris Cantada and guitarist Erwin "Armo" Armovit joined the band for good. Later, they found out that a band from Detroit was already using the name Sponge. Yael said, "We wanted to keep 'Sponge' in our name because people already knew us by that name. So we added 'Cola' because it's easy to remember." Sponge Cola officially formed in the summer of 2003.

While still in high school, they released a 5-song EP (a short album) in 2003. Songs like "Lunes" (meaning Monday) and "Jeepney" started to get noticed. In the same year, the band covered Madonna's famous song "Crazy for You". An unofficial copy of this song was shared a lot online. This, along with their EP, helped the band become popular and get played on many local radio stations.

Sponge Cola's Music Journey

First Album: Palabas (2004-2006)

In 2004, Sponge Cola signed a deal with Sony BMG Philippines. They released their first full album called Palabas (meaning The Show). This name was a nod to their theater background. "KLSP" was the first song from the album and helped the band become even more famous in the Filipino music scene. It was played a lot on local radio and music channels.

Other popular songs from the album included "Gemini" (inspired by William Shakespeare), "Una" (meaning The First), and a new version of "Jeepney." All these songs reached number 1 on various music charts in the Philippines. This album, along with others from different Filipino bands, helped bring back Pinoy rock and made OPM (Original Pilipino Music) popular again. After a new version was released the next year, Palabas sold many copies and was certified Gold in 2005.

Second Album: Transit (2006-2008)

Their second album, Transit, came out in 2006 under Universal Records. The album sold many copies and was certified gold in less than four months. This was mainly because of their first song, Bitiw (meaning Let Go), which was played a lot on radio and TV. This song also became the theme song for the ABS-CBN TV show Pedro Penduko. The album's second and third songs, "Tuliro" (meaning Dumbfounded) and "Pasubali" (meaning Conditions), also became popular. Fans often ask them to play these songs live.

Sponge Cola also contributed to three tribute albums. They covered the Eraserheads song Pare Ko for the album Ultraelectromagneticjam. They also covered APO Hiking Society's songs Nakapagtataka and "Saan Na Nga Ba'ng Barkada" for the tribute albums Kami nAPO muna and Kami nAPO Muna ULIT.

The band won four awards at the 2007 MYX Music Awards. They won Favorite Artist and Favorite Group. Their song Bitiw was chosen as both Favorite Song and Favorite Rock Video. In the same year, ABS-CBN asked Sponge Cola again for the theme song of Pedro Penduko at ang mga Engkantao, which was Tuloy Pa Rin.

The song "Pasubali" was released with a special edition of "Transit" in 2008. It was used as the theme song for ABS-CBN's showing of the Korean TV show Lovers. This special edition included bonus videos and songs. It sold many copies and reached platinum status a week after it was released.

Self-Titled Album (2008-2010)

The band released their third album in September 2008. This album, named Sponge Cola, was an instant success. It included "Puso" (meaning Heart), which became the official song for Season 71 of the UAAP sports league. This song remained the league's anthem for the next four years. Other popular songs from the album were "Di Na Mababawi" (meaning You Can't Take it Back), "Wala Kang Katulad" (meaning You Are like No Other), "Makapiling Ka" (meaning To Be With You), and "Ayt!", which was a song with Gary Valenciano. The band also re-recorded Gino Padilla's classic "Closer You and I" for Closeup Toothpaste.

During the recording of this album, Chris Cantada left the band because touring was affecting his health. Several drummers joined the band for tours, including Wendell Garcia from the band Pupil. In 2009, Tedmark "Tmac" Cruz became the band's permanent drummer.

Sponge Cola was the first Philippine band to release their new album in MP3 and mp4 format. All songs, including those from past albums, were included in music players launched on January 4, 2009.

Tambay EP, Araw Oras Tagpuan, District EP (2010-2012)

In late 2011, the band released their eagerly awaited fourth album under Universal Records. It was called Araw Oras Tagpuan (meaning Day Time Setting). It had 12 songs, including some from the band's Tambay (meaning Hanging Out) EP, which came out earlier in 2010 through a Coca-Cola promotion. The great sales of Tambay and Araw Oras Tagpuan earned Sponge Cola a diamond record award, as they sold over 200,000 copies that summer. The album featured the songs Tambay, Araw Oras Tagpuan, Regal, Kay Tagal Kitang Hinintay, and Stargazer. Former drummer Chris Cantada made a special guest appearance in the music video for Tambay. The video was a tribute to the movie series, Back to the Future.

In September of the next year, the band's 6-song District EP was released. The main song was "XGF," featuring Parokya ni Edgar vocalist Chito Miranda and rapper Los Magno. Soon after it came out, "XGF" became the top download on MyMusicStore.com for seven weeks. District also topped the sales charts of local record store Odyssey. Other songs like "Mahaba pa ang Gabi" (meaning The Night is Young) and "Pick Your Poison" were also successful. "Pick Your Poison" was used for GMA Films' movie "Sosy Problems."

Ultrablessed and Thank You (2014-2016)

Sponge Cola released their fifth album called "Ultrablessed" on January 31, 2014. On the same day, they released their first concert DVD called "Maximum Capacity," which was recorded on July 19, 2013. In January 2015, Sponge Cola showed a picture of their new "Ultrablessed Thank You Edition" online. On February 14, 2015, they released this new version of their fifth album, Ultrablessed Thank You Edition, which included their newest song "Move On" featuring Jane Oineza.

Sinag and Tala (2016-Present)

In 2016, Sponge Cola released their EPs #Sinag and #Tala.

Band Members

Current Members

• Yael Yuzon – lead vocals, guitars (1998–present)
• Gosh Dilay – bass guitar, backing vocals (1998–present)
• Armo Armovit – lead guitar, backing vocals (1998–present)
• Tedmark Cruz – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2009–present)

Former Members

• Chris Cantada – drums, percussion, keyboards/synthesizer, additional guitars, backing vocals (1998-2008)

Touring Members

• Wendell Garcia - drums, percussion (2008-2009)

Discography

Albums

• 2004 – Palabas
• 2006 – Transit
• 2008 – Sponge Cola
• 2011 – Araw Oras Tagpuan
• 2014 – Ultrablessed
• 2019 – Sea Of Lights

EPs

• 2003 – Sponge Cola
• 2011 – Tambay EP
• 2012 – District EP
• 2016 - Sinag
• 2016 - Tala

Compilations

• Super Size Rock (Warner Music Philippines, 2003)
• Tunog Acoustic 3 (Warner Music Philippines, 2004)
• Ultraelectromagneticjam!: The Music Of The Eraserheads - "Pare Ko" (Sony BMG Music Philippines, 2005)
• Kami nAPO muna - "Nakapagtataka" (Universal Records, 2006)
• Super! The Biggest Opm Hits Of The Year (Universal Records, 2006)
• Pinoy Biggie Hits Vol. 2 (Star Records, 2006)
• Kami nAPO muna ulit - "Saan Na Nga Ba Ang Barkada" (Universal Records, 2007)
• Level Up! The Album - "Intercept" (Star Records, 2007)
• Palabas: Best of OPM TV Themes (Universal Records, 2007)
• Astig...The Biggest Band Hits (Universal Records, 2008)
• Super Astig Hits (Universal Records, 2016)

Singles

• Lunes
• Crazy For You
• KLSP
• Gemini
• Jeepney
• Una
• Dragonfly (Internet Only)
• Nakapagtataka (Original by APO Hiking Society)
• Pare Ko (Original by Eraserheads)
• Bitiw
• Tuliro
• Tuloy Pa Rin
• Saan Na Nga Ba'ng Barkada (Original by APO Hiking Society)
• Closer You And I (Original by Gino Padilla)
• Movie
• Pasubali
• Puso
• Ayt!
• Di Na Mababawi
• Wala Kang Katulad
• Makapiling Ka
• Tambay
• Regal
• Kay Tagal Kitang Hinintay
• Stargazer
• She Wants You To
• Araw Oras Tagpuan
• XGF (Featuring Chito Miranda and Los Magnos)
• Mahaba Pa Ang Gabi
• Pick Your Poison
• Segundo (Pinoy Himig Handog P-Pop Love Songs Entry)
• Kailangan Kita
• Anting-Anting (featuring Gloc-9 and Denise Barbacena)
• Singapore Sling (Dahil Kilala Na Kita)
• + 63 (featuring Yeng Constantino)
• Walk Away
• Iyong-Iyong-Iyo
• Move On (featuring Jane Oineza)
• Pag-Ibig
• Coda
• Bahaghari
• Tempura
• Kunwari
• Phantoms
• Paliyabin Na Ang Lahat

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Sponge Cola during their album launch in 2019

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  Sponge Cola performing in 2019

See also

In Spanish: Sponge Cola para niños