Bamboo Mañalac

Francisco Gaudencio Lope Belardo Mañalac (; born March 21, 1976), popularly known as Bamboo Mañalac or simply by the mononym Bamboo, is a Filipino musician, singer, and songwriter. He began his career as vocalist and original frontman of Rivermaya and later fronted his own band, Bamboo. Bamboo band disbanded in 2011 and Mañalac then pursued a solo career and released his first solo album, No Water, No Moon.

Mañalac is known for his distinct vocals, which combines elements of rock with a mellow technique; he also has a notably eccentric style in live performances. His musical and singing style as well as his band's polished sound have made him an icon in the Philippine music industry.

Early life Mañalac was born in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines to Filipino parents. His family emigrated to San Francisco, California when he was ten years old and he spent the rest of his childhood there. He was named after his grandfathers, father, and coincidentally after his home city. His mother gave him the nickname “Bamboo” when he was still a kid. Despite the popular belief and rumors saying that he was removed from the group due to drug addiction, Mañalac dismissed this as a mere "fan theory" claiming that he does not even smoke and have not tried taking drugs ever since, even out of curiosity. He actually went back to school in San Francisco and Los Angeles and took up English, Philosophy and Film which were his majors and did several odd jobs.

2003–2011: Bamboo

In 2002, after living in Los Angeles following the Rivermaya tour in America, Mañalac returned to the Philippines. His former bandmate in Rivermaya, Nathan Azarcon, introduced him to Ira Cruz and Vic Mercado. Later, all of them joined together and formed the band Bamboo. Since then, the band had launched four successful albums, and received numerous awards.

Rumors were initially spreading on January 10, 2011, after KC Montero tweeted on Twitter that the band has decided to call it quits. On January 11, 2011, Mañalac published an official statement in the band's official website. He said:

Solo career 2011–present In November 2011, Mañalac released his solo debut album, No Water, No Moon, under the label of PolyEast Records. The album consists 12 tracks with "Questions" as its carrier single. The album reached gold record in February 2013 after selling more than 7,500 copies.

In January 2012, Mañalac joined ASAP as a mainstay cast and a performer in the show.

On February 10, 2013, during an appearance on the last episode of Sarah G. Live, Bamboo Mañalac hinted that he would be working with Sarah Geronimo after they both finished performing a production number together. On February 14, 2013, ABS-CBN aired a promotional plug during the airtime of the pre-primetime television drama Kahit Konting Pagtingin, confirming Bamboo Mañalac's stint in The Voice of the Philippines as coach and judge. In an interview made by ABS-CBN News, Mañalac provided a statement regarding his stint on the show, "I'm ready to be a coach. There's a time for everything and this is it."

Bamboo, alongside Sarah Geronimo, and Lea Salonga returned as coaches for The Voice Kids Philippines from 2014 to present.

In October 2015, four years after the release of his first album, Bamboo released his second solo album entitled Bless this Mess. The 10-track album was recorded in Grand Street Recording Studio, Brooklyn, New York.

Personal life Mañalac is married and has kids, including a son named Lucius. Mañalac is evasive when it comes to his personal life.

| 2005

| SOP Pasiklaband 14th NU Rock Awards

2008 SOP Pasiklaband 2012 25th Awit Awards Best Performance by a Male Recording Artist Bamboo Mañalac (for "Questions")

Favorite Male Artist Bamboo Mañalac Favorite Rock Video

Favorite Media Soundtrack 2016 Myx Music Awards 2016 Favorite Song Bamboo Mañalac (for "Firepower")