Dodjie Simon Brings OPM Album ‘Best of All’ to 2027 GRAMMY Consideration

 

Songs have a way of staying with us long after we forget who wrote them. For many OPM listeners, Elzar “Dodjie” Simon’s work has been part of that soundtrack through “Ikaw Lamang,” “Can Find No Reason,” and “Kung Alam Mo Lang.”

Now, the award-winning Filipino songwriter is bringing his music to a wider stage. His seven-track album, Best of All (The Music of Dodjie Simon), has been submitted for consideration at the 69th Annual GRAMMY Awards, along with two of its recordings.

Released on August 11, Best of All features four-part vocal arrangements and a team of Philippine music talents led by Simon and choral conductor Joel Navarro, who produced the album together.

Four GRAMMY category submissions

The album has been submitted for Best Global Music Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. “Ikaw Lamang” has been entered for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals, while “Kulang Ang Paleta” has been entered for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella.

These are submissions for consideration. The nominees will be announced on November 16, 2026.

The voices and musicians behind ‘Best of All’

The album brings together Moy OrtBesiz, artistic director of The CompanY, Nica Tupas, Bianca Lopez-Aguila, and Joshua Cadeliña.

One of its featured recordings, “Kulang Ang Paleta,” unites a melody by National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab with Tagalog lyrics by Simon. Navarro created its four-part a cappella arrangement.

Simon also returns to one of his best-known songs, “Ikaw Lamang,” in an updated rendition accompanied by cellist Francisco Llorin and oboist Japs Bautista.

Recording engineer Martin Andrew Guevara and GRAMMY-winning mastering engineer Jett Galindo handled the album’s technical production, with keyboard contributions from Marvin Querido. Galindo’s credits include Gaby Moreno’s X Mí [Vol. 1].

“Participating in the GRAMMY® consideration process is a privilege that allows us to demonstrate how Philippine songwriting, choral arranging, and vocal performance hold a rightful place on the global recording stage,” said Simon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DaNRKRfILw

A songwriting career that spans OPM generations

Simon won the 1988 KBP MusicFest Grand Prize for “Isang Dugo, Isang Lahi, Isang Musika.” He followed it with the 1997 Asia Song Festival Grand Prize in Hong Kong with Jaya and the 1999 Metropop Song Festival Grand Prize with Lani Misalucha.

His songs include “Ikaw Lamang,” recorded by Zsa Zsa Padilla, Janno Gibbs, and Jaya; “Can Find No Reason,” recorded by Louie Heredia; and “Kung Alam Mo Lang,” recorded by Joanne Lorenzana and Jed Madela.

Lea Salonga, Martin Nievera, Gary Valenciano, Sharon Cuneta, and Sarah Geronimo are also among the artists who have recorded his work.

Outside music, Simon has built an international career in technology. An Industrial Engineering graduate and Distinguished Alumnus of the University of the Philippines College of Engineering, he has served as Chief Information Officer for P&O Ports, Asian Terminals, Maher Terminals, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in the Philippines. He was also Vice President for IT at AIG near Wall Street and is now a Senior IT Director at a multibillion-dollar research university in New York.

Simon is the author of AI Hacked and AI Hacked 2. He has lectured at institutions including Harvard University and at financial and corporate forums, is a member of The Authors Guild, and has completed executive training at MIT, Oxford, Cornell, and Boston University.

First-round GRAMMY voting is scheduled for October 12 to 22, 2026. The nominees will be announced on November 16, ahead of the 69th Annual GRAMMY Awards on February 7, 2027, in Los Angeles.