When the clock hits 11:11, it’s impossible not to make a wish. It’s known as Angel Numbers, and there are countless ways to observe it. All you have to do is keep your eyes open and you’ll see them. These numbers have a distinct effect on Lesha, a fast-rising electro pop performer. “Literally anything!” says Lesha when asked what she normally whispers secretly when the clock hits recurring numerical sequences. Because 11:11 is a reminder from your angels to reflect on your purpose, I usually love manifesting career or life opportunities.”

At this point in her career, Lesha is taking on more difficult challenges and focusing her drive on conquering a larger platform. She can only say that she’s living the dream right now and that she’s ready for whatever the Universe has in store for her next.

“At this point where I am on a journey on breaking it into the International stage, represent the Filipino music industry globally, and hopefully on a world tour. With all that I’ve achieved so far, I’m deeply humbled and somehow extremely in awed of how far I’ve come in my career. Never in my life I would’ve expected to release a global collaboration album or be under Lauv or Finneas’ label, AWAL.”

Before this year closes, she’s dropping her newest track entitled ELEVEN:ELEVEN, part of her soon to be released global album entitled SUN MOON RISING. This is the shortest track in the album and probably the most chillest one.   As compared to her other releases, Lesha is proud to say that this track is a one-woman-show. No collaborators or producers worked on this track which is another reason why she feels that this song is special because she get to show people the most authentic sound in its rawest form.

“Eleven:Eleven is a dreamy synth filled track that I produced in my bedroom studio one night when I got the idea to write about how I love wishing on angel numbers specifically 11:11.  I knew the concept of Numerology had to be a part of this album since it played a huge role in my journey of manifestation and spirituality. At the time I was writing this song, I already knew the title had to be Eleven:Eleven so I used that as the direction for the lyrics and just relating it to me and my personality. This song is my own way of reminding myself of my worth, that I’m divinely guided, and is also another way of protecting my energy from any negativity,” Lesha shares.

She worked the hardest in finishing this song, doing all the nitty gritty details from songwriting, putting on music, producing and even creating her own music video.  It’s not an easy feat, but her mind is focused to doing things her own way while following what she has envisioned for every track music video and maintain a global standard quality.

“I drew inspiration for my music videos through listening to my songs all day and try to visualize the sound or how I interpret the music. Sometimes my ideas can go from very abstract concepts into something that people can easily grasp.”

Admittedly, Lesha can become an obsessive perfectionist especially when it comes to producing and creating her music videos. But it’s tougher for her than you can imagine. Stretching her creative juices in every way, shape and form.  By the way, that’s where her resourcefulness came into play being able to come up a polished finished product in the shortest time possible.

For the Eleven: Eleven music video, Lesha has the concept of her shots as inspired by Alice In Wonderland. She explains, “I’ve always wanted to do a whimsical sort of character for a music video and at the same time have it look like an exaggeration of my personality. The mime in the video is another character we injected to represent more of the darker side of how people can really choose how they appear to other people.”

She gives advice to newbies who wants to do their own music videos, “When working on a music video, the key is to find the right people who also see your vision the way you do so they get to deliver the vibe you’re going for. On top of that, you also need to be looking at whether this person is easy to work with and is professional in all scenarios. I’ve encountered working with unprofessional people, no work ethics whatsoever and it really gives the rest of the team a harder (me and a huge headache when the deadline is fast approaching.”

Call Lesha a total game changer in this cutthroat music industry, but she is determined to achieve her vision to continue being a hardworking D-I-Y artist in charge of her own brand of music. “I don’t really like putting myself in a box of just making pop music, which is why I enjoy injecting different genres I feel would fit well in the track. I love that I get to make music that is authentic to me and what I vibe with, at the same time fit many other sub-genres into my style.”

But she acknowledges that her artistry is a work in progress and still evolving. You’ll be surprised  how Lesha can still be flexible and open minded to hone her craft.

“I’ve definitely grown a lot as a producer and songwriter through the years and I’m still constantly learning as I’m making more songs. I feel like I’ve gotten to refine my taste in music while working on this album and that’s the beauty of it. The more I experiment with different genres or styles, the more I’m able to sort of shape shift my sound into something that is unique to me and my listeners.”

ELEVEN: ELEVEN” is the fourth single from Lesha’s next worldwide collaboration visual album, ‘SUN MOON RISING,’ which will be released in early 2022. It will be accessible on all digital music streaming outlets on December 3, 2021. Lesha’s music is available on Spotify, and on her YouTube Channel, you can view original music videos, covers, and learn more about music production.

Ben&Ben are completing the year on a high note, leading streaming platforms in the Philippines and scoring top-tier multimedia collaborations, as well as winning key categories at every significant award show and putting on their game-changing headline show.

The nine-piece group was crowned the Philippines’ most-streamed OPM Artist and Group of 2021 for the second year in a row, following the success of their sophomore album, Pebble House Vol. Kuwaderno is number one. Ben&Ben have gathered almost 300 million streams in 170 countries, according to Spotify Wrapped, the platform’s annual summary of 2021’s best hits, setting a new record for the folk-pop group. The Lunod hitmakers also did well in the playlisting department, with their songs appearing in 5,809,115 prominent and selected playlists on the digital platform.

On top of the streaming recognition, the acclaimed band recently bagged the top honors at the 34^th Awit Awards—the country’s version of the Grammys. Ben&Ben earned the recognition on four major categories, including the Most Streamed Artist, Record of the Year and Best Inspirational Recording for their chart-topping hit “Di Ka Sayang,” as well as Best Ballad Recording for “Sa Susunod na Habang Buhay.”

Ben&Ben also made headlines for their advocacy work a few days ago, particularly for lending their song “Kayumanggi” on the music video campaign that supports the coastal communities in La Union. The project, which was spearheaded by Emerging Islands, a coastal-based arts organization and National Geographic, showcased the cultural richness and scenic beauty of Bangar and Bauang, San Juan, as well as its hard-working people.

To cap off a successful year, their smash single “Pasalubong,” a collaboration with Moira, was used as the main song for the John Lloyd Cruz-Bea Alonzo reunion film, One True Pair, which streamed on Jollibee’s official YouTube last December 1, 2021.

In an official statement, Ben&Ben expressed that there have been a lot of trade-offs in their personal and collective lives in the past year, but they’re grateful for the success and support of their fandom, Liwanag in every project that they’re part. “With everything happening and all the blessings coming our way, it’s a whole lot to be grateful for indeed,” the band shares. “The hard work is worth it in that sense for sure, but we do go through our fair share of personal struggles as well, especially with this year and even the past year being two of the absolute most challenging years so far, not just for us but for so many in the world too. We want to thank our listeners especially though, because they really were the ones that give us that daily reminder that it is all worth it.”

The multi-award-winning group will play at Kuwaderno: A Ben&Ben Online Concert this weekend, their biggest headline show to date. The digital concert, which was shot live at the Araneta Coliseum, is expected to alter the virtual concert-going experience by fusing artistic disciplines such as theatre, dance, symphony, and technology. The band will also perform songs from Pebble House Vol. 2, their recently released sophomore album. 1: Kuwaderno, as well as a few classics and audience favorites. The show’s tickets are still available on ktx.ph.

It doesn’t always have to be sink or swim when it comes to mental health. Ben&Ben create a sense of drowning in torrential sadness and fear in the music video for their new single “Lunod” shot by award-winning filmmaker Jerrold Tarog (Heneral Luna, Sana Dati).As they have their zoom conference, we have learned so much from the discussion on how they give value to mental health issues and how it relates to their new song. They also discussed their experiences while doing their newly released and played it during our zoom event.

Taken during the zoom meeting

“The music video is a deeply introspective and symbolic interpretation of the song, which is all tied in together from the concept and writing, down to the location,” lead vocalist, guitarist and Lunod chief songwriter Paolo Benjamin explains. “In the video, the song is narrated as the band, with Zild and juan karlos, move deeper and deeper into the tunnel slowly—losing breath, then in the latter half taking powerful strides to move out of it. This signals a ‘rebirth’ into a new, more mature version of the self.”

The cinematic visuals were shot at the El Deposito water reservoir, an underground location known for its historical significance to the events that lead to the Philippine Revolution, Philippine-American War, and World War II.

“Lunod” serves as the band’s reunion project with Jerrold Tarog, who helmed the music video for their 2018 track “Susi,” off the historical epic drama, Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral. “We love collaborating with visionaries in their fields, and so it was a dream working with him,” the acclaimed folk-pop group reveals.

Ahead of the music video release, the nine-piece collective dropped a live acoustic performance of “Lunod” last month. The version, which features collaborators Zild and juan karlos, strips down the bluesy, classic rock arrangements of the original for a more subdued take. The intimate interpretation of the song is part of an exclusive EP release featuring multiple iterations of “Lunod” in various formats, including an extended version of the track.

“The multiple versions for ‘Lunod’ were intended to bring a full listening experience to our listeners; for them to hear what more could be brought out of the song,” Ben&Ben shares in a statement. “We decided to release for streaming the acoustic jam of ‘Lunod,’ the extended version in the music video.”

Aside from the EP, ‘Lunod’ received a remix treatment from hip-hop artist Zelijah, who channeled his struggles with mental health on the production level, and even added a rap verse to convey the mental strains that he went through during the pandemic, and after being diagnosed as bipolar. The “Bipolar remix” of the track gives Zelijah the opportunity to put his own character into the song, and reinterpret it with ethereal sonic elements that blend trap, hip-hop, modern electronica, and rock music genres.

In addition to the ‘Lunod’ EP, Ben&Ben and its label, Sony Music Philippines, recently opened a Lunod-themed café at Latitude Bean+Bar in Malate, Manila, as part of Ben&Ben’s Kuwaderno Pop-Up Café activities, which will run from November 25 to November 27. A Lunod art piece inspired by Zelijah’s Bipolar Remix, as well as other creative activities connected to mental health, are featured in the pop-up café.

The Kuwaderno Pop-Up Café offers Liwanag and ordinary people a chance to immerse themselves in Ben&Ben’s highly lauded record and impending digital concert through a variety of activities. Jess + Pat’s in Maginhawa, QC, and Kale Café in Fairview, QC, are the two additional unique pop-ups.

Kuwaderno: A Ben&Ben Online Concert tickets can also be purchased at the three pop-up venues throughout Metro Manila. Ben&Ben’s upcoming digital concert, set to alter the concert-going atmosphere, will combine live music performance with several creative disciplines such as theatre, dance, symphony, and technology to create an audio-visual spectacular completely unique.

Ben&Ben’s “Lunod,” featuring Zild and juan karlos, is out now on all streaming platforms worldwide via Sony Music Philippines. Watch the music video:

“Lunod” collaborators Zild and juan karlos are also set to join Ben&Ben on Kuwaderno: A Ben&Ben Online Concert, happening on December 05, 2021 (Sun) from 8pm to 11pm. Get your tickets here.