The first time I saw FELIP, he was performing at Aquatic Beats, looking effortlessly cool in a hoodie. There was something intriguing about the way he carried himself. Shy yet radiating confidence, if that even makes sense. He was singing a song in a language I didn’t understand, but it didn’t matter. The smooth R&B melody pulled me in, and then he smiled. That was it. I was hypnotized. Curiosity took over, and before I knew it, I was on … Read more
Before the kickoff concert earlier this year, I was nothing more than a casual listener, someone who had absolutely no idea who SB19 was, let alone a local artist named Ken Suson or his solo persona, Felip. It sounds unbelievable to some, but it’s my truth. I don’t watch television. I rarely scroll through PH- based platforms. My playlists have always leaned heavily toward foreign genres like metal, alternative, punk, indie, and R&B. I work from home, I don’t commute, and … Read more
At first, I didn’t have any interest in knowing someone who was not directly related to me. Although I generally appreciate artists who are talented and genuine, I usually admire them from afar. I had been like that all my life until I got to know the artists who would actually change that. I wasn’t even trying to learn so much about any artist on a participative level until I discovered SB19, which led me to knowing FELIP. Although I … Read more
Boy bands and pop idols are the reasons why you should never say never. As a kid, I was under the impression that being a fan of pop stars wasn’t cool. This wasn’t a case of elitist snobbery. I simply grew up in an environment where pop was uncommon. It was my mom’s doing, really. She had us trained early in the least financially rewarding career path in the country, the classical arts. Whether she was playing a joke on … Read more
A look back at my greatest musical discovery of 2023 and how it’s going, featuring FELIP. Spotify’s smart shuffle feature either breaks or makes a good listening experience. True enough, it was through this that FELIP’s ’CRIMINAL’ was recommended to me a year ago. Little did I know, it was just the tip of the iceberg and my ticket down the Superior rabbit hole. And man, was it an experience! Initially, I did not think it was a Filipino artist … Read more
A story of my journey to discovering new ways of navigating life. Stumbling upon FELIP wasn’t this grand revelation. It happened one ordinary day but marked a pivotal point in my life. It’s amusing how life tosses these unexpected curve balls at you! It came out of the blue, but it wasn’t all chance. I suppose God had a hand in it. It was part of His grander scheme—like a gentle push, nudging me towards something fulfilling. My journey to … Read more
The First It was mid-August 2023, Thursday evening. I worked from home that day and I finished work at around 6pm. I sat on my couch and grabbed my phone to look for something to watch on YouTube. The first suggested video I saw – “SB19 Performs Gento on Good Day New York.” I recognized the word “Gento” as my 4-year old niece would sometimes sing the song and dance to it. Out of curiosity, I clicked on the video … Read more
I first encountered SB19 through the vibrant poster and billboard ads from Dunkin, but I never quite ventured into their music. It wasn’t until the release of their Pagtatag EP in 2023 that the group truly caught my attention. Among the tracks, “Gento” began to gain some traction, especially through a TikTok dance challenge my sister introduced me to. As I explored their music video on YouTube, I found myself captivated by the blonde-haired individual with a deep voice. This … Read more
PPOP wasn’t a familiar word to me when I first encountered FELIP. I’ve always been a sucker for singers with lower voice range but I was oblivious of this bass vocal beast from the local music scene. One day when my usual playlist ended, my media randomly suggested “Bulan” MV. I was intrigued with the intro as it resembled tribal music. I didn’t remember having listened to any similar song so I decided to pay attention to the MV. The … Read more