Rico Rene Granados Blanco (born March 17, 1973) is a Filipino singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, actor, endorser and entrepreneur.
He began his career as one of the founding members, and served as the chief songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, and keyboardist of the Filipino rock band Rivermaya from 1994 until 2007, and has been a solo artist since 2008.
Blanco's songs and performances gained success and critical acclaim, earning himself a reputation of being one of the well-received local music icons in the Philippines.
He moved on to appreciate late 1970s to 1980s punk rock, post punk, synth pop and new wave artists (mostly from the U.K.) such as XTC, The Cure, The Smiths, U2, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, OMD, Tears for Fears, Ultravox, New Order, Madness, Terry Hall, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Midnight Oil (Aus), among others.
He also listened to Filipino artists such as Deans December, Violent Playground, Identity Crisis, Urban Bandits, Joey Ayala, among others.
[5] Blanco was one of the founding members of the Filipino rock band Rivermaya, in varying roles as vocalist, keyboardist, guitarist, and main songwriter from 1994 to 2007.
The 10-track CD is a unique fusion of diverse sounds, among them the ethno-rock "Yugto", the heart-tugging title track "Your Universe", the rockabilly/punk feel of "Ayuz", the sweet, Pinoy-folk "Para Hindi Ka Mawala", and the sing-along anthem "Antukin".
Then, Blanco was picked by Unilever Philippines to re-write and sing a version of the regional campaign song of Close Up toothpaste, released a single entitled "Come Closer".
In December 2009, Blanco launched his new music video for the single "Ayuz", it features his dance tribute to Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, with Cristine Reyes as special guest.
The Asian release featured a new single "Neon Lights", the song quickly gained the number 1 spot in Hong Kong charts beating other artists such as Justin Bieber, Avril Lavigne, Wonder Girls and Mika.
Blanco was a founding Sangguniang Kabataan chairman in his hometown of San Pedro, Laguna long before he started his music career.
In late 2007 he came out of retirement to sing for the Sumilao farmers who walked 1,700 km from Bukidnon to reach the Department of Agrarian Reform in Metro Manila.
Blanco, together with Imago vocalist Aia de Leon, and Sandwich frontman Raimund Marasigan, sang "Ako ang Simula", the theme song for a campaign which calls on Filipinos, especially the youth, to actively participate in the 2010 elections.
Blanco gave away the song as a free download to give hope to the victims; it served as a salute to the volunteers and responders, and to inspire people to continue helping.
The campaign will launch in schools which will use Sesame Street books and videos to help encourage learning among kids at an early age.
[29] When Typhoon Haiyan devastated his mother's home province, Blanco decided to spend the New Year holidays in a still-reeling and electricity-less Leyte and perform in as many evacuation centers as possible to comfort the survivors and help educate them about the importance of hygiene in preventing the spread of post-calamity diseases.
[30] A few weeks prior, just after the typhoon struck, Blanco nearly cancelled his appearance at the Sundown Music Festival in Singapore, but decided to forge on and dedicated his performance and talent fees to the people of Leyte.
[32] In 2016, Blanco became the president of the Filipino Society of Composers Authors and Publishers (FILSCAP), a non-profit, non-government collective management organization that champions intellectual property rights.
[32] In the same year, Rico Blanco was introduced as the newest brand ambassador of Giordano Philippines and released the song "World Without Strangers".