Award-winning songwriter and tech exec Dodjie Simon’s Best of All  enters 2027 GRAMMY® consideration

MANILA, Philippines — Renowned Filipino songwriter and executive leader Elzar “Dodjie” Simon has submitted his latest album, Best of All (The Music of Dodjie Simon), into consideration for the 69th Annual GRAMMY® Awards. Released on August 11, the seven-track collection of Original Pilipino Music (OPM) showcases four-part vocal arrangements and qualifies under the Recording Academy’s 2027 award cycle. 

The album and two featured singles have been submitted across four distinct GRAMMY® categories: 

• Best Global Music Album: Best of All
• Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: Best of All
• Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals: “Ikaw Lamang” 
• Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella: “Kulang Ang Paleta” 

A convergence of musical mastery

Produced by Simon alongside acclaimed choral conductor Joel Navarro, Best of All brings together a stellar cast of Philippine music figures, including Moy Ortiz (Artistic Director of The CompanY), Nica Tupas, Bianca Lopez-Aguila, and Joshua Cadeliña. 

A central highlight is “Kulang Ang Paleta,” a historic collaboration featuring a melody by National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab, Tagalog lyrics by Simon, and a four-part a cappella arrangement by Navarro. 

The album also includes “Ikaw Lamang,” an updated rendition of Simon’s classic OPM anthem accompanied by cellist Francisco Llorin and oboist Japs Bautista. 

The technical production was helmed by recording engineer Martin Andrew Guevara and GRAMMY®-winning mastering engineer Jett Galindo (Gaby Moreno’s X Mí [Vol. 1]), with keyboard contributions from Marvin Querido. 

About Elzar “Dodjie” Simon

A modern-day Renaissance man, Elzar Dodjie Simon bridge-builds between creative artistry, executive leadership, and emerging technology.

In music, Simon is a decorated OPM icon. He captured the 1988 KBP MusicFest Grand Prize for “Isang Dugo, Isang Lahi, Isang Musika,” the 1997 Asia Song Festival Grand Prize in Hong Kong with Jaya, and the 1999 Metropop Song Festival Grand Prize with Lani Misalucha. His timeless catalogue includes beloved classics such as “Ikaw Lamang” (Zsa Zsa Padilla, Janno Gibbs & Jaya), “Can Find No Reason” (Louie Heredia), and “Kung Alam Mo Lang” (Joanne Lorenzana, Jed Madela), with recordings by Lea Salonga, Martin Nievera, Gary Valenciano, Sharon Cuneta, and Sarah Geronimo, among many others.

Beyond music, Simon holds an Industrial Engineering degree from the University of the Philippines College of Engineering, where he was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus. He has built an extensive global IT leadership career, serving as Chief Information Officer for major international entities—including P&O Ports, Asian Terminals, Maher Terminals, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in the Philippines—as well as Vice President for IT at AIG near Wall Street. He currently serves as a Senior IT Director at a multi-billion-dollar research university in New York.

An AI author (AI Hacked, AI Hacked 2) and lecturer at institutions including Harvard University and top financial and corporate forums, Simon is also a member of The Authors Guild and has completed executive training at MIT, Oxford, Cornell, and Boston University.

“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. 

Key GRAMMY® Timeline

• First-Round Voting: October 12 – October 22, 2026 
• Nominees Announced: November 16, 2026 
• 69th Annual GRAMMY® Awards: February 7, 2027 (Los Angeles, CA) 

Watch the YouTube music videos:
Ikaw Lamang: https://youtu.be/5DaNRKRfILw?is=Zz9XqLKCl7eahNnQ

Kulang Ang Paleta: https://youtu.be/0kUeZDnEVOU?is=ms5HJ35YmN7dBV8E

And listen to the entire BEST OF ALL album on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3bsHeUqhyCO0KgHUvVhn2J?si=AbYPQi24SC2-hlBjrYYw3Q&utm_source=copy-link