Two Filipina music artists invited to join Oscars Class of ‘21

H.E.R. (Gabrielle Wilson). WIKIPEDIA

Filipino American R&B singer and songwriter H.E.R, and Manila-based composer Len Calvo are among musical artists invited to join the Oscars Class of 2021.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 395 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures, according to a statement from the Academy.

Industry insiders say the move to expand membership will promote racial diversity as the Oscar awards appear to favor mostly white actors and artists.

The statement said membership selection decisions are based on professional qualifications, with representation, inclusion and equity remaining a priority of Academy Aperture 2025.

Manila-based composer Len Calvo. TWITTER

The 2021 class is 46% women, 39% underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 53% international from 49 countries outside of the United States.  There are 89 Oscar nominees, including 25 winners, among the invitees.

H.E.R. – real name: Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson — was born in California to a Filipina mother and an African American father. She won the 2021 Oscars’ Original Song Award for “Judas and the Black Messiah,” a film about the 1960s leader of the Black Panther Party in Chicago.

In the San Fancisco Bay Area where she used to sing, she was known as Gabi Wilson. Her album, “I Used to Know Her,” earned five Grammy nominations. This year, she grabbed a pair of Grammys for Song of the Year and Best R&B Song for “Better than I Imagined.”  One of her songs was used as the soundtrack in the Netflix series “Dear White People.”

H.E.R. explained to James Corden how she became a singer and why music is such a big part of her life. “I’m half Filipino and Filipinos love karaoke,” she said. “So yeah, I love to sing, I’ve always been around music my entire life and I just gravitated towards instruments.” She plays the guitar.

Composer, music arranger, and singer Len Calvo, who is based in Manila, is also set to join the Music Branch of the Academy Class of 2021, according to a statement from the Film Development Council of the Philippines.

Calvo has won numerous musical scoring awards from the Film Academy of the Philippines and the Gawad Urian. She received acclaim for her work in “Pan de Salawal,” the story of a gifted girl with mysterious healing powers who formed a friendship with her older neighbor.

Many of Calvo’s films are Philippine productions and have screened in the international film festival circuit. Her latest. “Finding Agnes” is being aired through Netflix. Here are the 2021 invitees. https://www.oscars.org