November 2020

The loneliness that pandemic brought us is the willingness to unite and to be together. This pandemic changes our daily life, how we interact with each other, and not only gives us fear and anxiety but also makes us participate forcibly in the risky game of roulette. Where people are trying to make themselves safe, that no one knows how this pandemic will end and to withstand this unseeable opponent with safety measures acquired.

Nevertheless, Darren Espanto enlightens us that love will always be there to guide us even in these trying times. The positivity that Darren brought us with the use of his voice spark hope and inspire people to have a positive impact on the name of Christmas. He wants to maintain the Christmas essence by spreading kindness and joy in this type of season. But also gives us the perspective that Christmas is not all about the delicious meal that was served. It’s also the celebration of new beginnings and firm hope of much better days ahead, a chance for us to encourage everyone to be tough even when things are getting difficult.

“This year, there’s no other way to celebrate Christmas but to be grateful for the simple things that life has to offer amid trying, challenging times,” Darren Espanto shares in a statement. “More than ever, this gives us a chance to strengthen our faith and love for one another, and protect the family and loved ones whose lives matter more than anything else in this world. This Christmas is different from what we’ve been accustomed to for sure, but I’m positive that we’ll emerge stronger, better individuals after this crisis unfolds. For as long as we have each other, no grueling situation can hold us down.”

Filipino mindset that always fights never gives up and the flexibility to conquer problems even though we are struggling a lot in this pandemic. “Believe in Christmas” tackles all of that, he’s song is now an anthem of hope amidst brokenness and frailty in this time of the season.

Christmas spirit will be surely lifted by this new holiday anthem “Believe in Christmas” enfold by optimism and sparkling glow. This song was written by the industry’s respected songwriter, Tiny Corpuz, the message of the song is all about giving light especially on this Christmas season where we are dealing with so much difficulty, and to sparkle that dimly lit spirit within us. The song addresses the things happening to us now, but as the lyrics go “When love shines through, there’s always something more a new season, a new reason, a spark of hope and joy to believe in”. It reminds us to be hopeful and resilient amidst all the hardship we face.

As Darren interprets the song full of soulfulness and affection, he sings this as if his life depends on it and with utmost enthusiasm with every fiber of him. Darren Espanto was a Canadian Filipino that was known as a famous recording sensation because of his incredible technique and soulful singing style. And on his new song “Believe in Christmas”, he had expanded a deeper knowledge and understanding of the meaning of the song, maybe because it feels closer to home, and its message is relevant from what is really happening to our world right now.

At this moment of time, Darren also involved himself in doing the recording process as he becomes a vocal producer and did his best to be in perfect shape to produce the best vocal performance. Tiny Corpuz the over-all producer and composer of “Believe in Christmas” certifies the potential of Darren as a multi-faceted artist who has so much talent within him. Daren is a multi-talented person he dances, sings, and acts. Now he’s exploring songwriting and production. A versatile artist knows what he wants. A lot witnessed how he grow and through his passion, he will definitely achieve all he dreams and can go to places he wants.

Listen to Darren Espanto’s message in “Believe in Christmas”: https://DarrenEspanto.lnk.to/BelieveinChristmas

For updates follow Darren on:

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MOMOLAND, the Korean girl group aims for global domination with the release of their glossy banger and third single “Ready Or Not.” Contains three songs, including the title track “Ready Or Not” and a special track titled “Merry Go Round”. In collaboration with rap superstar PSY, the pop sensation’s new single coincides with the band’s fourth anniversary in the music industry.

Following the success of “BBoomBBoom,” “BAAM” and “Thumbs Up” in the Philippines, Korea, China, Japan, and the rest of Asia, MOMOLAND is gearing up for another mega-hit that will surely captivate the audience—thanks to its catchy chorus and vibrant mood.

The title track “Ready Or Not” is a teen pop track, finished with a defining saxophone hook and upbeat power that sings of a girl’s will to show her worth and charm at the prom party. Brimming with confidence and pride, the song is bound to have listeners’ ears hooked into the song with its witty, expressive lyrics and fun, sing-along appeal.

The special track “Merry Go Round” is a mid-tempo R&B cut dedicated to the K-pop group’s supportive fans, ‘Merry.’ The chorus line repeats the line ‘Merry-Go-Round, Round, Round’ to show the members’ wishes to be with the fans more than ever.

“Ready Or Not” is out now on all digital platforms worldwide.

Follow MOMOLAND in their Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

Do you want to know the recent developments that involve the biggest and most prolific hip-hop record label in the Philippines? ,Well in the last 7 years, independent record label UPRISING has been in the forefront of hip-hop in the Philippines, with members located across the country and in North America and dedicated audiences spanning the globe. Despite the unprecedented challenges brought upon by the 2020 pandemic, UPRISING is not yet done with the year: the label is due to put out a string of highly anticipated releases and a new website for hip-hop fans, new and old.

UPRISING began 2020 with The FlipTop Festival, the premiere and massively popular music gathering in the country, back in March: headlined by its full roster and guest artists from across the Philippines, drawing thousands of fans to witness a celebration of hip-hop culture and solidarity just before the nation grinded into a halt. A steady stream of music releases continued—numerous singles, music videos, and albums—supported by live online battles and performances, the most recent of which was representing the country in the ASEAN Music Showcase Festival’s inaugural edition online.

They soon adapted to the mobility constraints, although other projects posed more challenges than others. “Since our roster is from all over the country, it’s tough not getting to see each other in person like we normally do a few times in a year. It’s tough for the group projects in that their entire creative processes were shaken up. Sure we can always pass files over email, but it’s never the same as getting together, writing, producing, brainstorming, and all of that,” co-founder Alaric “Anygma” Yuson shares.

Forging independence and community

The success of FlipTop and UPRISING is deeply rooted in independence, especially in its creative vision: a no-holds-barred approach when it comes to localizing hip-hop in the country, recontextualizing a Western art form into a medium that reflects Filipino sensibilities and making it accessible in its own way. With at least 6.5 million followers combined in its online platforms and more than a billion views of its battle rap videos, the hip-hop label’s success was instrumental in maintaining its independence and establishing a tight-knit community organically, an incredibly rare feat. Loyalty and united vision have a lot to do with it, according to Anygma. “It definitely helps to not just have a solid vision, but a like-minded team that’s equally ready to fight for it. In the face of adversity, and there is plenty, nobody even thinks about jumping ship. We all just steel ourselves and maybe even rile each other up to keep fighting, or fight back.”

He credits much of this to the fans, too. “I don’t think it’s much of a secret when I say, authenticity cannot be copied, and genuine and conscientious passion cannot or should not be defeated by ulterior motives,” he adds. Letting the work speak for itself is UPRISING’s strongest selling point, the way it has resonated with listeners and fans through all these years—an affirmation as viral as their battle rap videos are—is its most priceless resource when it comes to going up against a traditional music industry. “We try our best to let our work speak for itself, and just keep pushing. And it’s not some convoluted goal either. We know what we’re up against, we know that things might, or most-likely will fail, we just keep doing it. I mean, nobody else will, anyway. So it might as well be us.”

“Still hungry, still pushing for our brand of hip-hop”

With already three albums (UPRISING Full Tank’s BalasaEP, Kartel’sKontrapuntoLP, and Tatz Maven’s SigeSimulaLP) out before November 2020 alone, the prolific label adds four more records to its diverse hip-hop discography to wrap up the year.

• TeknikaBrutal’sPuro EP (out now) combines the lyrical sharpness and rhyming prowess of emcee duo Apoc and Batas, the dynamic enriched with the addition of beatsmith beast, KMG and scratches by turntablist DJ Arthug to provide an entirely new sound layer to play with and supplement the beats and the verses in this new 8-track EP.
• KMG’s The Oddyssey(due later this month) is his latest instrumental album featuring a new array of crisp, hard-hitting boombap soundscapes.
• Illustrado’sHanggangKamatayandouble album (out in December 2020) is the expansive, 28-track follow-up to the critically acclaimed self-titled album by UPRISING’s resident hardcore rap group, comprised by Apo Lerma, Batas, Sayadd, and Goriong Talas. Expect harder material, including solo tracks from each member as the group goes against the grain, continuously surpassing their already phenomenal track record collectively and individually.
• Apoc’sFree Fallin’ EP (out in December 2020) is his sophomore album and first solo English rap project, harkening back to his early days rapping in English as part of hip-hop groups Heavenly Host and Blunt Force (the latter, alongside labelmate Batas). Showcasing his lyrical dexterity and command of both languages, Apoc masters the latter further as he incorporates more of his self-taught instrumentation, as opposed to sample selections. Expect funk-infused soundscapes in this latest offering.

As part of UPRISING’s 7th anniversary, the label also launched the beta version of their official website, uprisingrecords.com.ph, last November 13. “Expect to see a more streamlined and consolidated portfolio of what we’ve worked hard on for the past years, as well as all our upcoming plans. In this fast-paced and fleeting technological era, it’s most likely pretty easy to overlook all our past or simultaneous releases and content so hopefully people dig that deep on our site,” Anygma explains. The website contains UPRISING’s artist roster, full discography, social media updates, latest news and events, as well as online orders of music and official UPRISING merch and affiliated brands.

Being stuck at home for months has not stopped four-piece alternative rock outfit Rocksteddy from creating music. Although it has been difficult for musicians to write, record, and polish their own songs, the Lagi Mo Na Lang Akong Dinededmacollective still managed to make it work.

“Isolation has been a challenge,” guitarist Juven Pelingon said. “Through video platform, live streaming is the best way to connect with other artists and fans. Everyone was forced to write and record their new material separately, but we’ve made the most of what we have.”

With this creative endeavor comes a brand-new single that will surely resonate with a lot of music fans. “Wag Mo Akong Iiwan,” the band’s latest offering talks about the challenges of maintaining a love that’s slowly dimming in the process. “It’s about the hardships of maintaining and choosing to love each other till the end,” vocalist Teddy Corpuz shared. “But most importantly it talks about hope and not giving up on each other. Feeling ko saktorin ‘yung song sapanahonngayonnamaramingrelationships ang nasisira at nasusubukanbecause of the pandemic.”

The whole songwriting and recording process was indeed a struggle for each member. They had to adjust, compromise and bring out their creativity despite the limitations.

“We used to be able to jam and form new song concepts together in studios before laying down the tracks in recording.” bassist Christian Sindico said.  “Now, we send drafts to each other online and individually record our parts before sending all the components back for final mixing.”

How did they pull it through? For Rocksteddy, keeping the fire alive is all that matters more than anything else. “The pandemic somehow affected us in some ways, but our passion connected us in terms of doing music together,” drummer Jeff Cucullo said. “Music is a form of language and expression, a way of escape. I’m sure my bandmates would agree with me.”

“Wag Mo Akong Iiwan” is now available on all digital platforms worldwide.

Dionela, up-and –coming singer-songwriter remix of his smash hit, “Agaw” is far more emotionally tugging than its previous iteration, and owes its magic to the impressive contributions of his collaborators. According to Dionela, “I’ve been a fan of Flict-G and Dello even before I started making music. It’s an honor to work with artists whose creativity inspires me to be better. Their infectious and razor-sharp lyricism not only adds depth to the song’s overall appeal, but also takes everything up a notch in all artistic and emotional fronts.”

The original version, which has racked up more than a million streams on Spotify, recounts the soulful pop persona’s devastating experience of being left behind in a breakup. The song has built a reputation for its wounded sentimentality and heartfelt chorus, and easily stands out among the pack—thanks to Dionela’s expressive R&B vocals.

With Flic-G and Dello hopping on the remix, “Agaw” delivers the punch with a more in-your-face approach. Both hip-hop acts aid in dropping verses that swing between despair and helplessness, complementing the track’s skittering, atmospheric beats and cinematic production.

Both Flic-G and Dello express excitement in working with the young singer-songwriter, with the latter feeling motivated in putting a different flavor to the track. Dello adds, “It still has the same feels, but rap listeners would find comfort in this particular bop because our verses slap. It has crossed genres and explored a different vibe.”

Flic-G on the hand, reveals that working remotely on the project during the pandemic proved to be challenging to all parties, but somehow managed to bring out the best in them. “The remix is labor of passion and love. We’ve all worked hard to finish this collaboration despite the limitations and circumstances.”

“Agaw” remix is now available on all digital platforms worldwide via Sony Music Philippines.