About Universal Records

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Quezon City, Philippines
Universal Records is the NUMBER ONE independent record label in the Philippines. Bringing you quality music for the past 30 years, we are home to artists like: Jose Mari Chan, Gary Valenciano, Ogie Alcasid, Regine Velasquez, Lani Misalucha, Jed Madela, Christian Bautista, Jay R, Billy Crawford, Kris Aquino, Edu Manzano, Marian Rivera, Mark Herras, Nina, Ronnie Liang, Gail Blanco, Sam Concepcion. Our band roster includes: Parokya Ni Edgar, Kamikazee, Sponge Cola, Imago, Silent Sanctuary, Kenyo, Paraluman. We are equally committed to bring you exciting international releases covering various genres like pop, jazz, new age, classical, alternative, indie pop, rock, electronica, dance, r&b, and hip-hop. Name it, we definitely have it!

November 20, 2009

Jose Mari Chan's "Christmas In Our Hearts": The Best-Selling OPM Christmas Album Of All Time!

"Christmas In Our Hearts" released by Jose Mari Chan in 1990 is the ONLY OPM Christmas album that has reached Double Diamond Record status as of December 2006. This is the equivalent of 20 times platinum or 800,000 copies sold! Jose Mari Chan holds the distinction of achieving not one, but TWO Double Diamond Records in the local recording industry with "Christmas In Our Hearts" and "Constant Change". Highly respected by his peers, Jose Mari Chan has been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Philippine Association of the Recording Industry and The Metro Pop Foundation. He is recipient of the first ever ABS-CBN "ELITE Platinum Award" in 2005 and of the 2006 Dr. Jose P Rizal Award For Excellence.

He first appeared on the local scene as the Host & Singer of a Television show called "9 Teeners" of ABS-CBN in 1966. His first single "Afterglow" was released in 1967. His debut album "Deep in My Heart" was issued in 1969. In 1973 he represented the Philippines in the World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo with his song "Can We Just Stop and Talk A While". From 1970 to 1975, he composed more than 20 theme songs for movies, some of which earned for him several nominations at the FAMAS Awards (Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Award). He also wrote several commercial jingles among which is the Philippine Air Lines "Love at Thirty Thousand Feet" and the ALASKA Milk jingle. Between 1974 and 1975 he was the Star of a series of Television Network Specials spotlighting his words and music. In 1975 he moved to the United States and remained there for 11 years. Coming back in 1986, Universal Records released a compilation of his hits along with a brand new composition "Tell Me Your Name" which re-introduced him to a younger audience. In 1989, his album "Constant Change" was named Album of the Year by the Awit Awards, the local equivalent of the American Grammy Awards and reached the Double Diamond Record in terms of sales. It also sold in other Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Its carrier single "Beautiful Girl" was a regional hit and covered by Asian stars like Aaron Kwok. Other artists in the region that recorded his songs were Paula Tsui (Hong Kong) Sally Yee (Hong Kong) Tomomi Akimoto (Japan), Sandy Lam (Hong Kong), Kamahl (Australia), and Yasuo T. (Japan). Locally, his songs have been recorded by Lea Salonga, Gary Valenciano, Celeste Legaspi, Sharon Cuneta, Regine Velasquez, Martin Nievera, Aiza Seguerra, Jaya, Nonoy Zuniga, Joey Albert, Zsa Zsa Padilla and just recently Asia's Romantic Balladeer Christian Bautista released an album featuring all of Jose Mari Chan's classic hits titled "Romance Revisited: The Love Songs Of Jose Mari Chan". The tribute album went Platinum after a month of release and introduced Jose Mari Chan's songs to a new generation !

In 1990 his Christmas album "Christmas In Our Hearts" was released. It reached triple platinum status that same year, eventually becoming the unprecedented holder of the Double Diamond Record Award . His 2003 album "A Heart's Journey" won Album of the year in the Awit Awards. In 2005 he was commissioned to write "We're All Just One", the theme song of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games. As a concert performer he has performed at the New York's Carnegie Hall, the Bellagio in Las Vegas, The Show Boat Casino in Atlantic City, The Silver Legacy in Reno, Nevada, Washington D.C., Rhode Island, Cherry Hill New Jersey, Chicago, Virginia, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose, Los Angeles, Guam, Vancouver, Toronto, London, Zurich, Vienna, Paris, Oslo, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bandung, HongKong, and Jakarta.

JOSE MARI CHAN's "Christmas In Our Hearts" tracklisting:
1. A Wish On Christmas Night
2. Do You Hear What I Hear
3. Mary's Boy Child
4. Christmas In Our Hearts
5. A Christmas Carol
6. A Perfect Christmas
7. Give Me Your Heart For Christmas
8. This Beautiful Day
9. The Sound Of Life
10. Christmas Children
11. Little Christmas Tree
12. When A Child Is Born
13. It Is The Lord!
14. The Lord's Prayer
15. Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)
16. May The Good Lord Bless and Keep You

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