THE first Filipino finalist in Italy’s “The Voice” and dubbed Italy’s “Filipino Concert King,” Armand Curameng is home in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte bringing to his hometown the honor of his hard-earned success and popularity in Europe.

His homecoming is in time with the town fiesta, billed as Binakol Festival, in which he is slated to perform in several events.

On February 21, he will sing at the Miss Ari-Bai Coronation Night upon the invitation of the pageant’s founder-organizer, Lawrence Patricio, a fellow Sarrat-born and raised personality who has been based in Hawaii for years now.

He will appear with commercial model Raven Asprer, Mr. Teen Tourism/Actor French Sola, and Miss Universe Philippines 2014 MJ Lastimosa.

Armand will also perform on February 26 in “Cancion ni Sarrateno” and in the Miss Binakol Festival on February 28.

Armand’s Binakol Festival performances are upon the invitation of Sarrat Tourism Officer Mark Anthony Agorilla.

But there are other reasons why the Italy-based singer is back in his beloved hometown: to check on the progress of the construction of a bungalow he is building for his dearest mother. He also intends on seriously establishing a network of music lovers in the Ilocos region who can help him popularize a pet project as he planned it to be: the Ilocandia Song Festival (ISF) to be held in December.

He is encouraging composers in Ilocano to join ISF.

Armand is the first Ilocano singer to win in the Awit Awards – dubbed as the “Oscars for Filipino Music” – as Best Interpreter, Best Composer, and Best Producer for Best Regional Song in 1988.

Among the Ilocano songs he popularized are Nagsabong Ken Ayat, Agawidak To Tatta, Palimedni Ayat all of which he once sang in an online guesting in an event in Sarrat.

Armand is a product of the talent search show “The Voice of Italy. ” It was in 1998 that he became an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Palermo, Italy. It was there that he started joining contest even in karaoke bars. He eventually made it to the popular Sicilian song festival “Cantamare.”

He gained popularity by doing concerts in town plazas and theaters in Sicily, such as Teatro Politeama and Teatro Al Massimo. He has also done concerts for the Filipino communities from Italy to other European countries such as Norway, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland.

He recorded the CD album “FLY” in 2019 and “Life is Good” in 2021. He is considered the Pinoy ambassador of music in Europe, singing Filipino and Ilocano songs in weddings in Italy. In December, Armand plans to record new songs.

What he dreams of now is doing collabs with Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban and to sing at the Vatican in the presence of Pope Francis.

Armand is often associated with Jukebox Queen Imelda Papin who is now busy with her first film venture, “Bakit Loyalista? (The Untold Story of Imelda Papin).” Armand was among the first set of finalists of “Talent Search,” a program produced by Ms. Papin on RPN Channel 9 when she came back from Hawaii.

“I’ve also performed in a concert with her in Ilocos dubbed ‘Sama-sama,’ so I know how kind and considerate a person she (Imelda) is. She has done something very good for us Ilocanos, and I will never forget it. I will always hold her in high esteem,” confided Armand.