Coldplay have today released their much-anticipated collaboration with BTS. My Universe, which was written by Coldplay and BTS and produced by Max Martin, is available to stream / download worldwide now.
The song’s official lyric video – which is available now – features handwritten lyrics from both groups, in both English and Korean.
Coldplay have also teased the song’s Dave Meyers-directed official music video, as “coming very soon”.
My Universe follows Coldplay’s worldwide hit Higher Power as the second single to be taken from the band’s forthcoming album Music Of The Spheres (out October 15th).
The United Korean Community Association, together with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines, the Korean Cultural Center (KCC), and the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts (NCCA), is hosting the digital celebration of the 30th Philippines-Korea Cultural Exchange Festival on September 25, 2021 (Sat) at 3 PM via KCC Philippines’ Youtube and Facebook Live.
Last 2020, the whole world faced an unfortunate situation with the COVID-19 crisis. Despite this, the annual celebration of the friendship between the Philippines and Korea still flourished, promoting the theme of “We Rise Together”. This 2021, the festival will once again serve as an instrument of inspiration to persevere amidst the challenges and uncertainties while continuing to promote the diplomatic relations between the two countries, through fostering the theme of “We Stand Together”.
This year’s festival will feature cultural and artistic presentations from both the Philippines and Korea. Viewers will get to witness not only traditional culture but also pop performances from Jin Ho Bae, Mona, Dasuri Choi and P-pop groups: 4th Impact, Alamat, and the globally-recognized – SB19. Ms. Universe 2018, Catriona Gray along with esteemed Korean host Sam Oh and SB19’s Justin will host this special event. The program will likewise include awarding of the winners of the online competition and commemorative speeches by officials from UKCA, Korean Embassy, and NCCA.
You are invited to join the Black Eyed Peas for a very special one-off show on October 2 (October 3 in the Philippines), streamed LIVE across the globe exclusively on LIVENow.
Playing against the historic Pyramids of Giza, The Black Eyed Peas come together for their most monumental show to date. Join will.i.am, Taboo, Apl.de.ap and 13,000 fans LIVE from Cairo, for an international celebration of music, love and unity.
The Black Eyed Peas will be sharing some of their most iconic tracks, from Shut Up to I Gotta Feeling to RITMO, and you can be there to share and experience the love, together with fans across the world. This one is not to be missed.
The Black Eyed Peas Where is the Love Stream LIVE from the Pyramids in Cairo,Egypt
SHOW DATE October 3, 2021 – 1:30am *Philippine Time*
TICKET PRICES Livestream Access – Php650 VIP Backstage Pass – Php825 (Includes: Livestream access, Behind-the-scenes footage, Exclusive signed digital artwork, access to band backstage via green room) VVIP Limited Edition Pass – Php4,200 (Includes: Livestream access, Limited edition artwork lithograph, Behind-the-scenes footage, Exclusive signed digital artwork, access to band backstage via green room)
Careless Music, in collaboration with 1z Collective, drops a remix EP entitled Wildest Dreams (1z Co. Remixes). Producer azel north of Canada-based music collective 1z Co. puts his spin into two tracks off of Nadine Lustre’s debut album Wildest Dreams.
The remix EP starts off with Ivory (azel north Remix), an up-tempo adaptation of the original track that features MANILA GREY opening with their hard-hitting verse. The song blends Nadine’s sultry electro-pop vocals and the duo’s energetic tempo, creating a track that is catchy yet true to the fragmented, haze-like melody of the original.
The second track, Complicated Love (azel north Remix), is a duet by Nadine and James Reid and leans more towards a narration that discusses the darker side of a complicated relationship. azel north puts his spin into this track, resulting in a livelier version of the earlier melancholic number.
Nadine Lustre rose to fame as an actress, but more recently turned her focus on music after joining the Careless Music roster in 2019. She eventually broke ground with the release of her studio debut last year, which came with a visual album that was touted as the first of its kind in the Philippines.
Musical duo Soliven and Neeko, more commonly known as MANILA GREY, are Filipino-Canadian artists who immigrated to British Columbia from Manila. Soliven says about the group’s inception that, “We’re both originally from Manila. The ‘grey’ is Vancouver; it’s always rainy out here, but that’s where we create our music. Our name represents the duality of this past life versus our current life.” That isn’t the only thing about the group that has an element of duality, their yin and yang dynamic extends to music as well. Constantly on the lookout to fuse disparate musical elements together, the duo are members of an art collective called 1z Co. where azel north, the EP’s producer, is also a member.
Nadine and 1z Co.’s remix tracks each come with a lyric visualizer, completing the Careless–1z Collective experience.
At a time when daily routines may have become repetitive and mundane, we look forward to events that remind us of the good old days. In this year’s G Music Fest, Globe is bringing back some of the feels with a wide roster of local and international artists, including HONNE, Vance Joy, BEKA, SB19, and many more.
G Music Fest is an annual event hosted by Globe, in line with its 917 Day celebration held every September. The much anticipated music festival will be broadcasted for FREE on Globe’s official Facebook Page.
On September 25, fans will be greeted by their favorite music artists in the exclusive event “Up Close” starting at 5:30pm – 8:30pm, while on September 26, both local and international acts will perform their famous hits and debut Philippines-exclusive performances at the G Music Fest 2021, starting 4:00pm – 10:00pm.
Bianca Wong, Head of Globe’s Feel Valued Tribe shared, “Globe provides Filipinos with novel ways to make it a #GDayEveryday. One of the ways to do so is to build meaningful connections through shared passions like music.”
The full line-up of G Music Fest this year include English electronic music duo HONNE, singer-songwriter BEKA, Australian artist Vance Joy, local pop band Silent Sanctuary, indie-pop bands December Avenue and Alamat, indie musical artist I Belong to the Zoo, Filipino rock band The Juans, and SB19—the very first Filipino and Southeast Asian act nominated at the Billboard Music Awards.
To enjoy the concert, subscribers can redeem 2GB worth of free data through the new GlobeOne App. After registering, the free data can be redeemed under the Rewards section of the app.
“Globe Rewards looks to make this year’s 917 celebration a platform for rallying Filipinos during this time of collective need through upliftment, bayanihan, and leveled-up rewarding experiences. We encourage everyone to be a part of it,” Wong added.
In line with 917’s goal to uplift and make a difference, local indie artists I Belong to the Zoo have raised a donation in support of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) through Globe Prepaid. Supporting PAWS is an advocacy personal to the group.
Globe Customers can do the same by donating their Rewards points to any of Globe’s community partners on the new GlobeOne app.
The new GlobeOne Super app is now available for download on the Google Play Store for Android users and on the Apple App Store for iOS users.
Fresh off the release of her last single ‘Bad Medicine’, ‘Cigarette’ is FLØRE’s poignant follow up to ‘Bad Medicine’—an electro-pop bop with enormous potential for massive appeal. Layered with FLØRE’s signature haunting falsettos and an addictive chorus that is bound to loop in your head or get you humming, ‘Cigarette’ is the next chapter from FLØRE’s sophomore EP ‘Romaniac’.
A soft contemporary ballad brimming with soothing keys and ethereal harmonies, ‘Cigarette’ promises to transport listeners to another world and hits the nail recounting feelings of toxic love and the lasting side effects of its hold on its victims. ‘Cigarette’ is a leap towards showcasing FLØRE’s pop sensibilities that places the German singer-songwriter in the wagon towards becoming a bonafide superstar with the capability to package vulnerability and pain in a palatable, memorable tune.
To date, FLØRE has accumulated over 5.7 million streams on Spotify alone and is working towards releasing her sophomore EP titled ‘ROMANIAC’ in fall 2021. She is currently featured on Spotify’s curated RADAR GSA playlist highlighting rising music artists from Germany, Switzerland and Austria and has been featured in popular playlists from over 20 countries including New Music Friday US, Southeast Asia and Korea. She performed her first global live stream show on Amazon Music in early May. FLØRE is scheduled to perform her debut show at Reeperbahn Festival (Hamburg) in late September. She is currently nominated for the 2021 PopNRW Prize.
Manila Concert Scene had a chance to talk with FLØRE via Zoom few days ago and FLØRE talks about her fondness with Taylor Swift, the story behind her new single “Cigarette”, and much more.
MCS: What inspired you to start playing and making music?
FLØRE: I got into music when I was around thirteen I guess, and I started playing guitar because of Taylor Swift. I was a very Taylor Swift fan and I thought when I start playing guitar and sing, I thought the kids in school would think I’m cooler because I was not cool hahaha, I’m still not cool hahaha but yeah, U was kinda outsider in school so I always found when I would be just tiny bit more like Taylor Swift so kids would like me, so this is how I got into like start writing and playing guitar and singing to it.
MCS: Since you’ve mentioned Taylor Swift, what qualities do you admire about her?
FLØRE: She’s a genius writer, I think she’s super cute, tough and extremely talented. So, I was super fascinated to her like in her first album, I was just obsessed. Well, I’m still now but it was kinda different when that you’re younger and influences you that much. So, yeah, there something very important for me and something that was just like my safe space.
MCS: Describe your creative process when you write new music.
FLØRE: I well, mostly write it at night, crying on my piano hahaha, and I said that before, I don’t write to have something. I write when like there’s nothing left, like when I don’t know how to cope with any feelings or with this certain situation then I write something I cannot really feel. When I’m just like normal or like happy or like you know, everything’s going great. It’s just difficult to me to write.
MCS: What’s the story behind your latest single, Cigarette?
FLØRE: Cigarette focuses around self-destructive kind of love and that always coming back to this pattern of staying in toxic relationship, it was kind of addiction. It’s not good for you and you wanna leave but you can’t leave because you’re like addicted to it. Your feeling like you’re not feeling good and it’s not good for you in a long term but you still keep-on going so I thought like it’s romanticize self-destruction and I think that smoking is very similar to that because smoking is just like stinks and it’s not good but it’s always like a movies or a picture that still kinda cool and seems like kinda sexy to smoke. Yeah, I thought like it’s great a metaphor for this addictive relationship, but you can’t get out it, but it’s just sucks.
MCS: Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?
I love to take long walks. We have a lot of forest here. I love being in the nature and yeah, just writing in general, not like songs, just like more in my thoughts like down or like in diary. Just writing in general and I like to dance. I dance for like for eleven years. It was kinda called a music video dancing so and It was a like mix of hip-hop and modern dance. I don’t know, I still like dancing. I feel like awkward for dance, but I like it.
MCS: What are your musical plans for the next coming months or so?
FLØRE: We’re working on the final mixes and master versions but and one song is not finish yet and one song still even fully written. So, I have to write songs still for the EP hahaha. It will be like super, like on the last delivery day I guess, I would just send them one song hahaha and put it on there. So, this record is more like kinda spontaneous and this song. I think, which will be come out after the cigarette, I’ve written a month ago so it’s like super fresh. Yeah, I like it. I like that like being spontaneous and being in the mood and releasing it. Yes, I’m now already working after the EP.
MCS: What is one message that you would like to give for your fans?
FLØRE: It’s ok to be different and it’s something good if you’re different. I always felt my life like I was not fitting in anywhere and I don’t have a lot of friends and I always felt like so misunderstood like even from my close friends and my family. It was like this feeling of no one understands me but now, I’m releasing my music now and having the people all over the world like texting me and sharing my things and writing me how they connect with it and how it helps them. Makes me really feel like I’ve never been like alone or like an outsider. If you like feel like that and no one understands you, there’s someone who does and even though you don’t feel like it. Yeah. It’s ok to be emotional and sensitive.
MCS: Good luck on your upcoming projects and we hope to see you here in the Philippines someday.
Yes, I would love to that.
Stream FLØRE’s latest single, “Cigarette” on Spotify below and in other streaming sites. Follow FLØRE on Twitter and on Instagram.
Following ATEEZ’s highly successful ‘ZERO : FEVER Part.2’ release in March, the global K-Pop group arrives today with ‘ZERO : FEVER Part.3’, the third installment to their “FEVER” series. If the second installment was about reigniting the burning passion of the youth, then their newest release will tell a story of how the youth’s memories and passion will forever remain eternal. Comprising six tracks in total, ‘ZERO : FEVER Part.3’ presents an EP in which ATEEZ members HONGJOONG and MINGI have taken a hand in co-writing the lyrics. The EP will be fronted by two A-side tracks, ‘Eternal Sunshine’ and ‘Deja Vu, where ‘Deja Vu’ will serve as the leading track of the two as decided through their “ATEEZ NEXT SONG” project.
‘ZERO : FEVER Part.3’ opens with a bright and refreshing synth-pop song ‘Eternal Sunshine’ that sings of the beauty of youth which is then followed by tropical dance pop song ‘Feeling Like I Do’, containing the message of being together and not alone. Flitting into a more mysterious and atmospheric tune, ATEEZ introduces their lead single of the EP, ‘Deja Vu’, which was voted by their fans and global artists. ‘Deja Vu’ is a synthesizer infused rhythmic, contemporary dance pop, expressing the unstoppable thirst and longing for the unknown.
Inspired by the ROCKY film, the fierce fourth track “ROCKY” highlights the victory and determination of an underdog. The song is co-composed by ATEEZ member HONGJOONG, while featuring lyrics that are also co- written by HONGJOONG and MINGI. Nearing the end of the track list, they present ‘All About You’, a lyrical contemporary R&B track, and finally closes their third installment of the “FEVER” series with ‘Not Too Late’, an emotive song delivering a comforting message to the youth that are anxious about the unknown future.
Meanwhile, ATEEZ has carried out their “ATEEZ NEXT SONG” project involving not only their fans worldwide but artists to directly vote for their next lead track to front their newest release. Internationally renowned artists such as PSY and Pentatonix’s Scott Hoying have joined to cast their vote. Prior to this release, ATEEZ had even collaborated with Pentatonix where their members YUNHO, SAN and JONGHO have featured in
Pentatonix’s remix of ‘A Little Space’. With strong international presence, the octet continues to rapidly solidify their career as one of the K-Pop groups to watch as they reach one milestone after another through their impactful performances and distinct storytelling.
‘ZERO : FEVER Part.3’ TRACK LIST 1) Eternal Sunshine 2) Feeling Like I Do 3) Deja Vu 4) ROCKY 5) All About You 6) Not Too Late
Without a doubt, 2021 seems to be a great year for Balcony Entertainment’s pop superstar Maris Racal. Her single “Ate Sandali” – as of this writing – has more than 32 million views on worldwide video-sharing app Tiktok, and nearly 100,000 video uploads from users from all walks of life: casual listeners, die-hard fans, and even Olympic figure skaters and beauty queens. And it’s still enjoying massive radio airplay nationwide, and on a steady trajectory of climbing the charts even as of this writing.
So, it is a welcome surprise that Racal and her Balcony Entertainment family are releasing an all-new follow-up single “Asa Naman,” which officially drops today, September 15th on all digital music platforms.
Produced and co-written by Rico Blanco, “Asa Naman” is stylistically more of a driving pop/rock ditty (compared to her previous single’s more modern, electro-pop vibe…), oozing-with driving beats and rhythms, ultra-catchy hooks and still, with trademark layers of synths electronic, while still being able to retain the sense of musical adventurousness.
Most notably, it is also a homage to Racal’s Bisaya roots, as the proud Tagum City native shares.
“It all started when Rico suggested I write an entire song in Bisaya,” Maris recounts, when asked to describe the new track which fuses both Tagalog and Bisaya words effortlessly. “It was appealing to me of course, but I was also worried that not everyone would understand it, so after a fair share of discussions (and even debates…), I decided that the verses would be in Tagalog and that the choruses would be in Bisaya – I already had a few lines to the chorus: ‘Asa naman / kakaron / kadugay ba sa puhon’ which means ‘where are you now/ and whatever happened to the promise you made?’ That’s all I had… but then one time, after coming home, Rico sent me a voice message that was a recording of a melody that he came up with and we both liked it, and from then-on, it inspired me to continue working on the song.”
Definitely a track that will have fans singing-along to its stadium-sized chorus and infectious melodies, it’s also a much more emotionally dynamic ditty that highlights more lyrical twists and turns, as Racal also adds: “It’s not just straight-up a song about hate and disappointment, but it also shows duality: in the sense that there’s still that level of hope in salvaging whatever there is in the relationship… how things are not as straightforward as we hope they could be.”
The scenic, playful and colorful music video for “Asa Naman” also dropped alongside the single simultaneously and was literally a two-man endeavor (due to restrictions brought about by the pandemic…) between Racal and Blanco – a perfect example of the couple’s creative chemistry and synergy. When asked about the experience working on the visual treat, Blanco shares: “Maris did everything from her own makeup, styling and production design, while I mainly took care of the shooting, lighting and editing,” and jokingly adds, “nakakapagod!”
Needless to say, “Asa Naman” is set not only to keep the proverbial ball rolling but is a track that will solidify her as one of the most versatile artists out there today. Truly, there is no stopping the rich, musical salvo that Maris Racal has in store for everyone this year (being the second single from an upcoming album…), and it’s obvious that she has found her comfortable stride in her Balcony Entertainment stable with her uncanny ability to churn-out hit-song-after-hit-song. Fans can expect nothing less than the absolute best and will have a blast enjoying the experience that is Maris Racal.
Long regarded by both his contemporaries and discriminating music fans as one of the locally underrated pillars of Original Pilipino Music, award-winning, multi-faceted musician Johnny Alegre has worn many hats throughout a distinguished career that spans several decades.
Johnny’s passion for music started at a very young age. “I grew up in a house where there was always lots of music; lots of phonograph records in particular. I had my own plastic turntable as early as pre-kindergarten, no kidding, and I played my hand-me-down records by Elvis, Sinatra, Nat King Cole and many more, all the time,” he recalled.
“I also had a ukelele. Making music came to me in a very natural way. Those were my baby steps leading to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and further on. I also enjoyed writing verses for songs I was dreaming up, so maybe literature and music were my incubators.”
As a songwriter, Johnny wrote his first songs in 1970 for the Metropolitan Teen Theatre League founded by Cecile Guidote-Alvarez. At right about the same time, he met future Pinoy Rock legends Joey “Pepe” Smith when he managed a concert series for the Juan dela Cruz band at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
“The stint was an actual engagement, not just a one-off. Knowing these musicians older than me, up close and personal, was a matriculation! Worth every minute and hour of that stellar episode,” he further shared.
For a while, Johnny also dabbled in theatre in various capacities including singing and acting. A turning point in his life and career when he won a Palanca award for a piece that he says he “wrote on a whim.” Because his prize included cash, he used it to buy an electric guitar, which he used to write more songs.
Soon thereafter, Johnny was playing in a band that became a finalist in the first ever National Battle of the Bands and won a one-off recording contract. Although he gravitated towards jazz and even coined the name of the UP Jazz Ensemble that he played with during college, he enjoyed a solid following among fans of both rock and jazz music. With his association with the bands Hourglass and Phase Two, Johnny was able to enjoy airplay on radio stations that specialized in both rock (DZRJ) and jazz (DZUW).
Phase Two’s trippy “In Love With You” enjoyed heavy airplay in DZRJ’s Pinoy Rock & Rhythm radio show and is now considered an OPM classic.
But while he continued to gravitate towards jazz, Johnny later found work as a record producer for Vicor Music Corporation and produced several OPM hits for artists like Zsa Zsa Padilla and Japanese jazz harpist Tadao Hayashi who had a steady following here in the Philippines during the 1980s.
Following a lengthy hiatus from music after he took a corporate job, Johnny resumed his passion for music and continued to release albums as a solo artist or either with his jazz band Affinity and his world music group, Humanfolk. He continues to be active in both groups and has also collaborated with some of the most distinguished musicians here and in many parts of the world.
“From the very start, it was my dream to be a creative musical artist despite some early successes. It was vital through the many years to hone my compositional, instrumental and performance skills, with a lot of diligence and hard work. I felt it was the only way to avoid the usual artistic pitfalls that many encounter. It was necessary to break out of some outmoded clichés and stereotypes, for example, and so on. It’s a journey,” he said when asked about how he has evolved as an artist.
And Johnny’s musical odyssey is far from over. Just recently, he was invited to collaborate with DAZE, an emerging hip-hop artist from Pampanga in the new single called, “Araw Araw, Ikaw” which also featured vocals from rising star Alliyah Cadeliña.
Johnny said it was through friendship with fellow musicians that he got to appreciate hip-hop and other genres and related sub-genres.
“There’s so much talent in Manila alone, and we all circulate around a small community of venues and opportunities. It’s a matter of being open-minded, I guess. Before the pandemic, we had a little scene in Makati, a cozy place called Cafe Libertad where Dan Gil, Jazz Nicolas, Mikey Amistoso and I with other musicians would just plod around making music without preparation. It was fun and exciting,” he enthused.
Asked how much of his own personal touch as a jazz musician can be heard in his recent collaboration, Johnny points to a track called “Jazzhound,” released back in 2005.
“If you listen very well to that tune, you would recognize some hip-hop elements there. Miles Davis, one of my biggest musical influences, had recorded an album entitled Doo Bop just right before he passed; it was his last recorded work, and it was a jazz and rap/hiphop collab. It caught my attention and affirmed that jazz, the kind of jazz I like, had uncounted possibilities,” he noted.
As intriguing as his riveting performance in “Araw Araw, Ikaw” is, Johnny Alegre assures both his fans and music enthusiasts as a whole that this recent collaboration is not the first and certainly not the last time we will hear from him. Even as he continues to release his own material and develop his own personal projects, he always looks forward to joining forces with other artists when the opportunities present themselves.
“I’ve collaborated with diverse talent throughout my entire career, actually. It’s never been a vacuum. Each endeavor has a story to tell. In many ways they are switches that open doors — and the exchanges are always mutually beneficial. Life, as people say, is a flow that must always reach outwards,” he concluded.
“Araw Araw, Ikaw” by DAZE feat. ALLIYAH and Johnny Alegre is out now on Spotify, Apple Music and all digital streaming platforms under Off The Record.
Today, 19-year-old Sydney-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Ylona Garcia has released a brilliant slice of power pop breakup balladry entitled “Don’t Go Changing” via 88rising. Produced by industry veterans Jonas Jeberg (Panic! At The Disco, Demi Lovato, The Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez) and Marcus Lomax (Justin Bieber, Maroon 5, Miley Cyrus), the Filipino-Australian trailblazer and 88rising newcomer effortlessly uses emotionally telling vocals to grieve through different stages of letting go.
Speaking on the single, Ylona says, “‘Don’t Go Changing’ is a song that embraces truth towards life’s many mysteries, tough love in particular.”
To create the song’s video, Ylona Garcia invited her fans onto the mainstage. Personal footage of the cultural roots of these fans are included in the music video. The final music video features photos and videos from across the globe, shot by real fans, each representing a slice of each creator’s life beautifully juxtaposed with that of Ylona’s.
Following the hit single “California (feat. Warren Hue),” “Don’t Go Changing” is also the newest single off the upcoming Head In The Clouds III, 88rising’s game-changing third installation of the world-building, collaborative effort bringing together rising artists from East to West. An album of 88’s closest friends, family, and collaborators that brings together listeners from around the world, HITC3 is due out in early 2022.
“Don’t Go Changing” is the first of three music videos from 88rising’s upcoming visual album, Head In The Clouds 3, which will be released in tandem with the record. The music video is directed by Louis Browne, known for his work with Jack Newsome, Ellie Goulding and Rich Brian. Fans are encouraged to get even closer to the music and artists they love by sharing their own cultural roots content to be featured alongside Ylona in the final music video.
At only 19 years old — and with nearly 4M Followers on instagram and 1M Followers on TikTok — Ylona Garcia has set her sights on the global landscape in the next stage of her creative journey. With multiple song releases under her belt already, in addition to appearing on two of the biggest reality/talent contest shows in the Philippines, Ylona Garcia has become one of the fastest-rising, most prominent young voices in the Filipino music community. Earlier this year, she released the anthemic single “All That” on 88rising’s sister label PARADISE RISING, which was launched in 2020 to help bring Filipino music to the forefront of culture.
