Entertainment

Rag’n’Bone Man

Great news to all the lovers out there for Rag’n Three years following his revolutionary, award-winning breakthrough, ‘Human’, the British singer-songwriter returns with a continual improvement of intent on a dazzling new album, full of heart and soul. ‘Life By Misadventure’ is an amazing series of emotional songs that affect us when we start needing them.

Rory Graham, aka Rag‘n’Bone Man, said that “I’d felt sad looking around Brighton and London where I grew up…remembering all those cool places that aren’t there anymore,” The first single, ‘All You Ever Wanted’ is drive by choppy rythm guitars and a restlessness that he really felt. Watch the video here.

His 2017 landmark debut ‘Human’ was a phenomenal success; a 4x platinum album which shot to #1 week of release in the UK, became the fastest-selling album by a male artist for the entire decade and earned him BRIT and Ivor Novello Awards.

If that’s a hard act to follow, Rag‘n’Bone Man tore up the rule book and went to Nashville to write and record what would become ‘Life By Misadventure’, returning to the UK just before the pandemic first erupted. While a dose of heavy blues and soul lives within some of these new tunes, the majority of this new album finds Rag‘n’Bone Man taking a huge step forward as an artist, a songwriter, and a singer capable of showcasing tremendous warmth and real emotion with every breath.

The bulk of the album was produced and recorded by Grammy Award-winning producer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Elizondo (Eminem, 50 Cent, Fiona Apple, Alanis Morissette) at his studio just outside Nashville.

The album has been recorded purposefully like a live album – the sound is real and 100% human. Long time collaborators Ben Jackson-Cook (keys, co-songwriter and co-producer of the album), Bill Banwell (bass, and co-songwriter) and Desri Ramus (backing vocals) are joined by drummer Daru Jones (Lazaretto-Jack White) and guitarist Wendy Melvoin who joined Prince’s Revolution at the age of 19. Together these musicians have made an album full of joy and immediacy, something all too rare these days of autotune and countless overdubs. One song was even recorded in Rag‘n’Bone Man’s garage.

“We had quite a time to live with the songs this time around,” Rag‘n’Bone Man explains. “Too often, how I’d done things before, was that we’d written a song and I had to sing it the same day, and that was the version we’d use on the album. This way, it was far easier to get real emotion into the music.”

“Life By Misadventure’ is the perfect tonic for these times. An album of depth and soul, about growing up and moving forward. Enjoy the trip.

‘Life By Misadventure’ Tracklisting:

1. Fireflies
2. Breath In Me
3. Fall In Love Again
4. Talking To Myself
5. Anywhere Away From Here
6. Alone
7. Crossfire
8. All You Ever Wanted
9. Changing of the Guard
10. Somewhere Along The Way
11. Time Will Only Tell
12. Lightyears
13. Party’s Over
14. Old Habits

First single‘All You Ever Wanted’is out now on all streaming platforms worldwide via Columbia Records/Sony Music.

Official website: https://www.ragnboneman.com/

The new Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin TVC provided the opportunity to place a Filipino band behind soundtrack and musical scoring, although it was necessary for Smart to fulfill its subscriber’s wishes when it comes to getting customers closer to their foreign idols.

This is where Ben&Ben comes in, offering “Inevitable,” the song that is heard in the background, while in this romantic sci-fi TVC, Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin follow each other. Ben&Ben members simply happen to be CLOY fans with songs influenced by real-life events, as well. In a partnership between the band, Smart, and Sony Music, when it came to lending the soundtrack and musical score for this collaborative campaign, things began to fall into place.

Lead singer Paolo Benjamin said during an official statement released by Sony Music, “Inevitable” is a song that seeks to define the nature of fate, and how all our actions somehow lead us to some better place that is intended for us. “This is also a song about being honest to someone, and no matter how frightening it might feel at times, there’s freedom to bar your true nature from someone you love, even if it’s yourself.

“The songwriting itself presents a concept of the state that is both a surreal mystery and a peaceful assurance, so we wanted to create an aural representation of what these lyrics felt like,” Miguel Benjamin added. Our method began with a mixture of acoustic guitars, which I tweaked as the main intro riff with sitar effects; kind of like a reflection of the two opposing feelings functioning together.

Details about the Smart 5G Campaign

BinJin

The TVC, a joint venture led by Korean drama stars Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin, is part of the latest Smart 5G push to make achievable what appeared unlikely. “Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin took chemistry to a much new level in the Smart 5G TVC from “The Captain Has Landed” to landing with each other’s arms as they start chasing each other on the road and through multiple dimensions just to fulfill each other again as Bin asks, “Do you think it’s possible? “Which Ye Jin responds to, “I do!”

It is indeed perfect that Smart placed together Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin in one project for the first time much from the latest development with Smart 5G, it gives the subscriber idea for us to do things we didn’t think we could do.

Thus, “Inevitable” by Ben&Ben made TVC even more powerful and strong complementing the top-tier material.

Cover art

Recently, hit producer CHROMANCE and stunning K-Pop girl group MOMOLAND have teamed up to reimagine the “Wrap Me In Plastic” worldwide smash of the former. Listen here, take a look at the video here. Also out now all digital streaming platforms worldwide via B1 Recordings/SME Korea and Sony Music.

Just when we think things could not be better for the popular single ‘Wrap Me In Plastic’ from CHROMANCE (50+ Million Spotify streams, 60 Million YouTube views, 650+ million mainland China streams), a new exciting partnership is coming to spice things up. MOMOLAND (568+ million views on YouTube, 133+ million views on Spotify Streams and 12 million views on likes)

The collaboration came about as CHROMANCE wanted to build on to the global success of WMIP to South Korea, started to dig into the world of K-Pop, and immediately took interest in MOMOLAND’s musical and visual style. Simultaneously, MOMOLAND had noticed the major success of WIMP in Asia and found the single to be such a perfect match for them, that they reached out to CHROMANCE who was instantly into the idea of collaborating.

A fantastic official video accompanies the release on MLD Entertainment’s YouTube channel, with both MOMOLAND and CHROMANCE present in the video. In addition to this, a full choreography music video will simultaneously be released on B1-owned YouTube channel Marvellous (watch here). Both videos feature a new TikTok dance, performed by MOMOLAND and part of the #WrapMeInMomoland challenge on TikTok that will kick off with the release.

CHROMANCE´s original version of ‘WMIP’ had a massive year contributing to a new wave of TikTok fever, one that hit even the most successful TikTokers of all times, including @charlidamelio and @bellapoarch.

Massive influencer account @imjoeyreed also started a global dance trend with the sound snippet that even Jason Derulo jumped on. And let’s not forget about the brilliant rendition of the former US president, which contributed to another 4 million views to the track. Snippets from both edits of the track has been used in a total of 7 Million TikTok videos all together. Furthermore, the #WrapMeInPlastic Hashtag on Douyin has over 100 million views.

MOMOLAND on their side, made their debut through the reality show ‘Finding MOMOLAND’ on M.net. The K-Pop girl group released their hit mini album ‘GREAT!’ in January 2018, and the title track ‘BBoomBBoom’ has gained much love from local and global listeners with more than 480 million views of the official video on YouTube, hopping into the Top 5 on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart on its second week on the ranking. Shortly after, they got highlighted by Forbes, as they had the most viewed K-pop videos released on YouTube in 2018 alongside with BLACKPINK and BTS. Following their blossoming popularity, MOMOLAND returned with another energetic release, ‘Ready or Not’ in 2020. With over 568 million YouTube views, more than 133 million Spotify Streams and 12 million likes on TikTok, MOMOLAND is one of the best-known K-Pop groups in the world. Next, they will pitch in their energetic musical style and remarkable dance moves to a fantastic new version of ‘WMIP’. We are more than ready to be wrapped in MOMOLAND!

Wilbert Tolentino

The very talented businessman and a latest vlogger Wilbert Tolentino, will be having his first ever fan meeting on BIGO Live for his fans and for all the BIGO users via virtual livestream this upcoming February 25, 2021 at exactly 9:00 pm PHT. It’s time for the fans to ask drastic and fun questions and can get a chance to win BIGO diamonds in an interactive segment. Be there and follow Wilbert on BIGO LIVE ID: 719868542 and tune in to his livestream for this exclusie chance to meet him and win amazing prizes.

Leading live streaming platform BIGO LIVE has proven to be a popular source of entertainment for Filipinos, especially with community quarantines around the country. The platform has seen users creating vibrant virtual communities for all sorts of content including but not limited to: singing, dancing, mukbang, makeup tutorials, and even paranormal activities for horror-lovers.

Best known for being an LGBTQ advocate and for founding and producing several prominent gay beauty pageants, this meet-and-greet with Wilbert Tolentino is part of BIGO LIVE’s efforts to provide exclusive opportunities for the community to interact intimately with their favorite local personalities. Most recently, BIGO LIVE saw YouTube comedian Boss Keng bring his comedy skits onto its platform.

Fans can prepare for the upcoming Livestream event by downloading BIGO LIVE here.

For more updates on the meet-and-greet, follow BIGO LIVE Philippines on Facebook here.

About BIGO LIVE

BIGO LIVE is one of the world’s fastest-growing live-streaming social communities where users broadcast in real-time to share life moments, showcase their talents, and interact with people from around the world. BIGO LIVE has around 400 million users in over 150 countries and is currently the market leader in the live-streaming industry. Launched in March 2016, BIGO LIVE is owned by BIGO Technology which is based in Singapore.

As Demi Lovato and Sam Fischer is now launching their new single “What Other People Say” by the help of RCA records, both artist shared their different reactons and emotions for the song’s music video that is out now and ready to be watch.

Directed by Dano Cerny, the video features both Sam and Demi set within a train carriage, showcasing them going about their own lives, but with a unity of emotion that highlights the song’s message of being alone together. Written by Sam before his single “This City” became a global hit, it was a song he always knew would be a duet and was blown away when Demi Lovato became the perfect person to accompany him on vocals.

Penned about a feeling of being alone and not wanting to let people down, the pairing takes two different lives and perspectives and unites them in one message of human experience, emotion and togetherness. With other 5 million worldwide streams since its release last week, is a truly special track with a powerful, moving and relatable chorus and is Sam’s first official single releases since “This City.”

Sam+Demi promo image (photo credit Angelo Kritikos)

Sam shares,“What Other People Say is a confession, realizing how far away you can get from who you are in an effort to be liked. It’s about the pressures of society and how getting caught up with the wrong things can change you.”

Demi weighs in about the song saying,“This song is a reflection on what it’s like to lose who you truly are in an effort to please other people and society.  It’s why I wanted to make this song with Sam – ultimately it’s about two humans coming together to connect and find solutions to their problems.”

Aside from the big triump of Sam on his new single, he also shared that he was been awarded as YouTube’s first ‘Artist on the Rise’ for 2021, along with other previous winners like Mabel, Aitch, Freya Ridings, Mahalia, Beabadoobee and Celeste.

“What Other People Say”, by Sam Fischer and Demi Lovato, Is now available on Youtube and you can now stream it and other videos of RCA Records and Sonny Music.

Raven creates melody jams that connect on a universal level, influenced by his observations about life and its parallel influences from film, art, literature, and pop culture. The 21-year-old singer-songwriter, aside from composing and performing his own songs, often dives into the production side of music making, frequently blurring the lines of bedroom pop, lo-fi rap, indie folk, and chill music to create limitless individuality that appeals to a new generation of listeners.

On his debut single “Paraluman,” rising singer-songwriter, rapper, and producer Raven captures the essence of young love. The catchy track is his first release under Sony Music Philippines, and is available today on all digital platforms worldwide.

Raven

Written as a tribute to the muse that inspired his music journey, the up-and-coming artist expresses his romantic admiration through a pop-rap tune that he recorded using a smartphone. In the first few verses, he compares the girl that he used to have a crush on, with the extraordinary muses that earned their place in the pantheon of art and literature’s greatest, from Mona Lisa to Ophelia. Raven then proceeds to spit poetry with a renewed sense of passion and excitement, hopping from one metaphorical reference to another in a bid to put his creative inspiration on a pedestal.

Over stripped-down guitars and minimal flourishes, Raven taps into the zeitgeist with his version of pop music that is steeped in bedroom aesthetic and lo-fi hip-hop influence, distilling various music forms to create something that is palatable to the streaming generation. His distinct sense of music style has the potential to gain foothold in mainstream consciousness, particularly in the Gen Z demo, but what sets him apart from his contemporaries is the unassuming earnestness in his words and music—one that is lavishly crafted with a balance of accessibility and wallflower demeanor. It makes sense why “Paraluman” is destined to be a future hit just by scratching the surface: it knows how to compromise with prevailing trends while sticking to its principles by heart.

The next few months saw the song evolve into a more polished material—thanks to the guidance and support of Rico Blanco and Balcony Entertainment, who helped Raven realize his vision with a more defined music direction. For his part, Raven re-recorded the song with a slightly different approach, throwing in some new techniques and subtleties to deliver a jam that wouldn’t feel out of place on both radio charts and obscure playlists.

“Paraluman,” his debut track, will be part of his upcoming album, Lika Na under Sony Music Philippines. The new record is currently under production, and is slated to be released this year.

Stream Raven’s debut single here.

The music Video of Singapore-based singer-songwriter Jean Tan’s Oak Cherry Wine remix is now out on her YouTube channel. The video for the newly version was directed by Stockholm-based Singaporean film director, Mandy Tay. The visual narrative features a pair of lovers dancing through the quotidian scenes of Stockholm city: traditional meets contemporary, and ballet meets street dance, the couple whirl around each other in a dream state, swirling like a glass of (oak cherry) wine.

As a follow up to her recently-released 5-track EP, ‘Blooms’, theremix to the spellbinding single, ‘Oak Cherry Wine’is produced by Singaporean music producer, Feng Lee, and was made available on digital music platforms worldwide last 29 January 2021.

Marrying Jean’s lyrical sensitivity with 양중은YangJung Eun’s dulcet vocals, this refreshing take stays true to its original composition. The remix is elevated by a new arrangement – a lo-fi beat, the jazz-hop push and pull, the syncopated neo-soul electric piano – becoming more than just the sum of its parts.

“It was a surreal experience working across borders while the world was on lockdown for much of 2020. The collab took off really well because June Eun is such an amazing and friendly guy! I guess we were just trying to make the best out of a crazy year”, says Jean Tan on working together with 양중은Yang Jung Eun.

Written in her distinctive, bluesy vein, ‘Oak Cherry Wine’ is a love song interwoven with Jean’s personal experiences. It tells the story of Jean’s personal struggles with kidney disease, and of the man who stood by her in the celebratory and difficult moments alike. Like all truly good romance stories, the song’s lyrics has a bittersweet tinge, and is all the better for it – a love that is tried and true.

Follow Jean Tan: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Follow양중은Yang Jung Eun: Instagram | YouTube

Ben&Ben latest song encourages listeners and music fans to live in the moment freely and truthfully without the need to succumb to expectations. The Filipino folk-pop outfit Ben&Ben have officially dropped a soaring new single called “Inevitable” this Valentine’s Day and out now in all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music.

“Inevitable is a song that tries to describe the nature of fate, and how all our actions somehow lead us to some better place that is destined for us. It’s also a song about being real with someone, and that no matter how scary that may seem at times, there is freedom in bearing your truest nature with someone dear to you, even if that someone is yourself”, according to the lead vocalist and guitarist Paolo Benjamin. The empowering track ascends to a place where love can be inevitably beautiful even in its simple, unassuming terms. It was written by Paolo Benjamin during a random afternoon run by the beach near the place where Ben&Ben live—coming into fruition after a solitary moment spent with nature and the spiritual force above him.

Production-wise, Ben&Ben retain the sonic hallmarks of their prior releases, while employing ultimately rewarding experiments in texture and tone. Its ‘world music-meets-acid jazz’ sound displays the band’s newfound musical direction, melding sporadic bursts of colors with their otherworldly approach. Thanks to the song’s eclectic blend of sitar-sounding riffs, propellent rhythms, jazzy chords, and ethereal arrangements, the nine-piece band ventures beyond the confines of their radio-ready sound without alienating the distinct pop sensibilities that made their songs a streaming and crossover hit in the Philippines, and elsewhere in Asia.

“The songwriting in itself presents a concept of the state that is both a surreal mystery and a peaceful certainty, so we wanted to create an aural representation of what these lyrics felt like,” Miguel Benjamin (lead vocals and acoustic guitars) reveals in a statement. “Our process started with a mix of acoustic guitars, which I tweaked with sitar effects as the main intro riff; kind of like a representation of the two contrasting feelings working together. We then built everything around this contrasting union with Jam’s drums and Agnes’ bass carrying the steady base of the song, and then Pat’s piano, Poch’s electric guitar and pads, Keifer’s violin, Andrew and Toni’s percussions; Andrew, Miguel, Poch, and Toni’s backing vocals, and some ambient sounds.”

Unlike their usual process where the members of the band jam their song a few times before recording the material, “Inevitable” was born out of a shift in production perspective. “With this song however, we decided to record a demo individually then went to record our parts a few days after without knowing how the song would sound like in the end,” Poch Barretto (lead guitar, backing vocals) said. “During the time we were creating the song, one of our band mates, Toni, was also recovering from a major surgery and had to record her parts from home. Thankfully she was able to send her parts on time with the help of our producer.”

Despite the several challenges during its recording phase, “Inevitable” ended up reaping significant attention before its actual release. The song eventually made it as the official theme of Smart Communications’newest commercial ad featuring Hyun Bin and Son YeJin—stars of the highly acclaimed and popular Korean drama, Crash Landing on You. Patricia Lasaten shares, “Many of us are mega fans of the CLOY couple, so this is definitely a dream collaboration with Smart. We can’t help but be kilig and at the same time wish that our co-fans who would hear the song would also connect it with the evolving story of Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin. It’s also our gift to the fans, and to the couple as well. We’d like to thank Smart for this amazing opportunity.”

The start of the path of Zack Tabudlo’s Island Records saw the young musician go ahead at full pace. His song ‘Sigurado’ reached the Top Viral PH charts and remained there for four weeks, following its inclusion in the Your Home online collection. There’s also ‘Cruel,’ which was launched a few months ago and has racked up over 86,000 YouTube views and much more than 240,000 Spotify streams.

The sultry ‘Nangangamba’ is Zack’s biggest single to date, the first under Island Records Philippines, whose play counts on Spotify clocks at over a million views.

 Iyong-Iyo: a tender ballad about love and yearning

Yet Zack shows no signs of stopping down, as demonstrated by his new single ‘Iyong Iyo.’ Originally written by Achariya Dulyapaiboon, interpreted by Tiny Corpuz, and executed and produced by Zack Tabudlo,’ Iyong Iyo’ sees Zack placing it all on the line and giving literal possession to everything.

The music was inspired by the original Thai song for the ‘Let’s Fight Ghost’ series, according to Zack, which is scheduled to air in March 2021. Compared to the original, I chose to take it to a different environment with new styles and vibe,” the renowned singer-songwriter and producer shares.”I decided to go with something mild with the original foundation, but instead of going full ballad, it has a “slow dance” feeling to it.

In the glimmering chorus,’ Kahit pa ba sa kabilang buhay,’ di maglalaho,’ the rising singer-songwriter and producer croons, demonstrating his lyrical penchant for themes like romance and longing. Gentle harmonies and mellow instrumentation make you feel like you are floating, and enable Zack to flex his vocal range’s upper register, his high notes triumphant and sincere.

Zack explained about the song cover art and divulged that he truly conceptualized and gave his full attention to its design. It clearly tells that an exorcist falls in love with a wandering spirit. According to him “ I have thought of including a Halloween-like ghost costume in it which shows a person under s white cloth with holes in it but has this heart glowing from his chest, the acclaimed alt-pop sensation says. “He wants to be like the ghost to really feel the same connection, with his heart glowing, symbolizing how much love he feels for the ghost”.

Zack Tabudlo’s ‘Iyong-Iyo’ is out today on all digital platforms worldwide via MCA Music Inc. Stream it here: https://open.spotify.com/album/6Pa87VouOnvJGvSLYdAevR?si=vtgz6K_qQtyHT5F7D3fItg

Zack Tabuldo

About Zack Tabudlo

Zack Tabudlo is an all-pop R&b artist from Manila, Philippines. He start his career through his love in music. Zack also joined and became a finalist for reality talent show Talentadong Pinoy at the age of 10. He was a contestant for the voice kids season 1 and had a stint as a member of youth singing group GRAVITY and one half of teen pop duo Zack and Fritz.

As for his music production he has been mentored by Venn Saturno and Chris Anthony Vinzons of SonicState Studio. Certainly Zack earned his stripes and Zack is still developing his different techniques and sensibilities.

Indeed, Zack has been influenced by the contemporary pop chart- toppers Shawn Mendes, Harry Styles and Island Records label mate Charlie Puth. Even though he has been influenced by those amazing singers, he still has his unique approach in music. His artistry can be characterized as a tasteful blend of R&B, soft rock, funk and vocally drive pop.

The video shows a couple struggling as they deal with the changes in their relationship. The music video also comes with a meta-karaoke version of the track that allows fans to sing their hearts out and engage with the narrative. It was released last February 10, Wednesday.

The onscreen and offscreen love team amassed a fandom in social media with pranks, viral videos, and challenges. In “Siguro Nga,” JaiGa—as they are popularly known for—portraya fictional romantic couple in disarray.

According to the band’s vocalist and guitarist Yael Yuzon, Agassi is a dear friend whom he plays basketball with every Tuesday. “I also produced the song he wrote for Jai during the stricter quarantine period through file sharing,” he said. “I also watch their daily vlogs. On some level, I felt like I was always involved in their love story. It just made sense to cast them.”

The video shows Agassi Ching singing “Siguro Nga” in a neon-lit karaoke bar, while Jai Asuncion is in the very same room with friends, silently crying and hurting inside. Separated by their own version of realities, both characters try to move forward with the changes in their respective lives, albeit having a difficulty wiping out their memories together—especially with the song forever binding them in spirit.

“A person’s go-to videoke song says so much about who they are and what they are about,” Yuzon reveals. “I’ll just leave it at that.”

Guitarist ArmoArmovit shares that the visual treatment focuses on honoring people who are no longer present by living lives with meaning and memory. “We want them to feel nostalgia for a person in their past who was a meaningful presence in their lives; sadness for the loss, but also, hope for the future.”

Inspired by the hit K-drama, StartUp, Sponge Cola’s “Siguro Nga” was written by Yael Yuzon as a tribute to one of its beloved characters, Han Ji-Pyeong. Its lyric video features various footage from Seoul, South Korea that includes locations from the series.

The music video of “Siguro Nga” is out now on YouTube.