Episode #18: THE Tek Cortez

In this episode of The Who in the World podcast, I’d like you to meet my good friend and the Philippines' favorite musical busker, THE Tek Cortez, 
 
For those who don’t know (like I didn’t), busking is a word that describes street performance, whether its art or movement or music. 

And Tek Cortez is one of the Philippines favorite buskers, singing and strumming his guitar along Bonifacio High Street in the BGC area of Manila many evenings. 
 
​I first spotted Tek on Instagram when I lived in Manila back in 2018 and 2019 and became a big fan of his musical talent. Soon, we met in person on High Street and became good buddies, and now I’m also close with his family. 

In a country that’s often stereotyped that everyone can sing like an angel (not true: only about 80% of Filipinos can sing great!), Tek’s love of music branches out beyond the norm. He’s actually a student of the Blues, and his tastes go into Depeche Mode, The Cure, and other alt-punk/rock far more than they do any pop music. 
 
Tek also doesn’t busk because he has to (he’s got a great job as a manager at a telecom firm nearby), but just to decompress and share his love of music and performance with those passing by on High Street. 
 
In this podcast, we chatted about his musical influences, the busking movement in the Philippines, what he loves most about playing for people, and even how he deals with drunks requesting songs!
 
As a special treat, I’ve included clips of some of his live busking performances there in the Philippines, so you can hear Tek play. 
 
Enjoy this podcast with my brother, THE Tek Cortez, and thanks for listening to the Who in the World Podcast! 
 
-Norm Schriever