Rey Valera

Rey Valera is a Filipino singer, songwriter and composer widely regarded as one of the most important figures in OPM (Original Pilipino Music), the movement that shaped modern Filipino pop and ballad songwriting. Active since the 1970s, he built a reputation as a prolific hitmaker, writing not only for himself but for many of the era's leading singers, and became known for warm, melodically rich ballads delivered with an expressive, emotionally direct vocal style.

His catalogue includes enduring standards such as «Kung Kailangan Mo Ako», «Walang Kapalit» and «Kahit Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko», songs that remain staples of Filipino radio, weddings and karaoke decades after their release. His songwriting combines pop and soft-rock sensibilities with the sentimental, romantic idiom central to Filipino popular music, and his melodies are noted for their craftsmanship and accessibility.

Valera's influence extends beyond his own recordings: as a songwriter he shaped the repertoire of the broader OPM scene, and his songs have been repeatedly covered and reinterpreted by later generations of Filipino artists, cementing his status as one of the genre's foundational composers.