Philippine Book Fair

Spotted: My first book, #speakbloglive ๐Ÿค˜๐Ÿผat the Philippine Book Fair! Swipe โžก๏ธ for the schedule and location. โœจ NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS!โœจ #authorlife Special thanks to @centralbooksph @publishondemand @rhegiedgzmn for these photos ๐Ÿ–ค

Filipina singer-songwriter Bea Lorenzo and Singapore-based artist Benjamin Kheng team up one more time with new song โ€œPanandalianโ€

The stripped-down track is a Tagalog rendition of โ€œGood For A Time,โ€ released in May 2022 as a collaborative effort between these two Asian acts

Filipina singer-songwriter Bea Lorenzo teams up withSingapore-based artist Benjamin Kheng for the second time with the release of โ€œPanandalian,โ€ a Tagalogrendition of their initial collab track โ€œGood For A Time.โ€ The folk-pop track is also accompanied by the original and an acoustic English version in this bundle.

โ€œGood For A Time,โ€ previously released in March 2022, has nearly 2 million streams to date and growing.

 

With lyrics translated by Jarlo Bรขse, โ€œPanandalian,โ€meaning โ€˜momentaryโ€™ in Tagalog, breathes new life to its English counterpart and comes with a lyric videofeaturing the same dreamy visuals that accentuate the bittersweet transience of a relationship.

Kheng adds, โ€œbeing separated by miles due to the pandemic gave an added depth to the reality of the song. The songโ€™s story felt like it could live in any world or language, and singing it in Tagalog gave it such a deeper sense of longing.โ€

Filipino singer-songwriter Bea Lorenzo, best known for her prowess with the kalimba, was brought on as a feature to turn the song into a duet, highlighting the shared experience of heartbreak. Lorenzo describes the song as the seconds of silence between two people facing the realization of no longer being good for each other.

โ€œPanandalian takes that brief moment and stretches it into a bittersweet 2-and-a-half minutes, painting a picture of young love and the peace that can come with letting go,โ€ Lorenzo reminisces. 

Benjamin Kheng will be visiting Manila in early August 2022. 

โ€œPanandalianโ€ is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Philippines.

 


Stream โ€˜Panandalian' - https://lnk.to/benbeapanandalian

 

ABOUT BENJAMIN KHENG

Benjamin Kheng is a Singaporean musician, actor, writer, and lead singer of former pop outfit The Sam Willows, who landed a coveted spot on Forbes' annual 30 Under 30 Asia. 

In November 2019, he officially returned to music after a year-long break following the hiatus of The Sam Willows. His first solo single, โ€˜Wickedโ€™, and subsequent singles โ€˜Find Meโ€™ and โ€˜Lovers Foreverโ€™ were released to critical acclaim, showcasing Benjaminโ€™s versatility as a singer and lending promise to the potential of his artistry and growing repertoire.

Benjamin released his highly anticipated debut EP โ€˜A Sea That Never Stopsโ€™ in June 2020. In this highly personal EP, Benjamin explored life and love under the lens of both sincerity and cynicism. With upbeat tempos and sparkling melodies, โ€˜A Sea That Never Stopsโ€™ is simultaneously a cry and a celebration for the experiences that make us human. To date, the EP has garnered over 3 million streams from over 800,000 listeners. Benjaminโ€™s success earned him a nomination for Best Southeast Asia Act at the 2020 MTV Europe Music Awards.

In 2021, Benjamin returned with a new single, โ€˜Fresh Feelingsโ€™, featuring R&B artist J.Sheon. Building on his work in โ€˜A Sea That Never Stopsโ€™, the production for โ€˜Fresh Feelingsโ€™ is daring and wildly theatrical, drawing from Benjaminโ€™s love for gospel choir and musical theatre with glossy piano chords and layered harmonies. Love is clearly the higher power that straddles charming and clumsy with delicate and devastating. Benjamin ended the year with the song, โ€˜Baby Mamaโ€™. His single with Gentle Bones, Better With You, was awarded Single Of The Year at the Youth Music Awards 2021.

Benjaminโ€™s body of work extends beyond music and into acting. The breadth of his acting talent shows in the roles he has played โ€” from the leading role of Romeo in Toy Factoryโ€™s staging of Romeo & Juliet to his nomination for best actor in The Breakup List at the Raindance Film Festival. He is also one half of the acclaimed comedy sketch series, The BenZi Project, which has garnered over 2.2 million views on YouTube in less than a year since its inception, and The Ann & Ben Show, a music comedy sketch series with Annette Lee.

An advocate for youth and social causes, Benjamin has also been invited to speak at TEDxYouth@Singapore to share his experience in overcoming depression and anxiety disorder with synesthesia.

 

ABOUT BEA LORENZO

 

Bea Lorenzo is a Manila-based Filipina performing artist whose love for storytelling, stage theatrics, and minimalist arrangements in recorded music inspires and fuels her songwriting. Her journey as a no-genre recording artist began with debut single โ€˜Ili (Hush)โ€™ which earned her recognition as an award finalist at the 2019 Awit Awards. In the same year, her act was featured on the music television programme Coke Studio Philippines. Following her 2020 single releases โ€˜Imaginary Loveโ€™, โ€˜With A Smileโ€™, and โ€˜Kapalaranโ€™, โ€˜Good For A Timeโ€™ is Beaโ€™s first international feature on a song with Singaporean artist Benjamin Kheng.

 

FOLLOW BENJAMIN KHENG

 

Instagram:โ€‹https://www.instagram.com/benjaminkheng/ 

Facebook:โ€‹https://www.facebook.com/benjamin.kheng/ 

Twitter:โ€‹https://twitter.com/benjaminkheng 

TikTok:โ€‹https://www.tiktok.com/@benjaminkheng 

YouTube:โ€‹https://www.youtube.com/user/breakinbenj 

 

FOLLOW BEA LORENZO

 

Instagram:โ€‹https://www.instagram.com/bealorenzomusic

Facebook:โ€‹https://www.facebook.com/bealorenzomusic

Twitter:โ€‹https://twitter.com/bealorenzomusic

 Source: Nyou

ASEAN Music Showcase Festival 2022 holds its first in-person showcase in Singapore this September 2022!

Southeast Asiaโ€™s first collaborative music showcase is set to feature more than 30+ performances from the region and beyond

After holding its first two editions purely online, ASEAN Music Showcase Festival (AMS) goes physical with its first in-person showcase happening on September 10-11, 2022 (Saturday and Sunday) in Haw Par Villa, an 8.5-hectare Asian cultural park located in the bustling city of Singapore.

 

Singapore, with its excellent infrastructure, government support and being a global air hub - is the perfect sandbox to host the two-day physical event. โ€œHaw Par Villa was chosen for its culturally unique setting and significance within the region, and the events of the festival will take place throughout the park amidst its sculptures and dioramas, making this music showcase festival unabashedly ASEAN,โ€ says AMS co-founder and Director of Singapore-based music consultancy Steady State Records, David Siow. The park also shares the values of AMS in bringing together diverse communities and celebrating their diversity through a common platform, adding another dimension to holding the inaugural physical edition at Haw Par Villa.

 

With loosening Covid-19 restrictions around the world to make way for economic activities such as music shows and concerts, AMS is committed to deliver collaborative, up-to-date insights about the global music industry and its impact in the region. The first physical edition of AMS will feature and attract networking opportunities with notable international talent buyers.

 

โ€œSince its inception, the ASEAN Music Showcase Festival was initiated to help regional artists stay connected with their local fans, gain new international fans and connect with music professionals from all over the world via online platforms to prepare for touring and performing live again after the pandemic subsides,โ€ AMS co-founder and Director of Educational, Governmental, and Overseas Partnership of Bangkok-based music company Fungjai, Piyapong โ€˜Pyโ€™ Muenprasertdee shares in a statement. โ€œAs the world is now moving towards opening up, the most logical next step is to organize a physical event as we believe that stronger connections both emotionally and professionally can be forged when people meet in the flesh.โ€

 

This year, AMS is expected to introduce 30+ regional and international artists on 3 stages of the two-day showcase. โ€œFor this year, we shall be broadcasting live video streams of the live performances in Singapore,โ€ says Piyapong โ€˜Pyโ€™ Muenprasertdee. โ€œSo, wherever you are in the world, youโ€™ll be able to enjoy the music performances online at the same time as someone attending the event.โ€

 

Southeast Asiaโ€™s premier collaborative showcase festival is also set to fly-in 40 international delegates to participate in the music networking and live event.

 

AMS is co-organized by Fungjai, NYLON Thailand, andBangkok Music City from Thailand; Steady State Recordsfrom Singapore; SRM from Indonesia; City Roars Festival from Malaysia; The Rest Is Noise PH from the Philippines; Baramey Production from Cambodia; andMonsoon Music Festival and Swan Zoo from Vietnam.

 

AMS is proudly supported by the National Arts Council, Taiwan ASEAN Music Action (TAMA) - supported by the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan, with Haw Par Villa - managed by Journeys Pte Ltd as venue sponsors, and TuneCore as general sponsor.

 

Blind Bird tickets are available for a limited time only. Purchase it here: https://www.sistic.com.sg/events/asean0922.

 

For more information about the third edition of ASEAN Music Showcase Festival, visit the official website.

 

NOBITA chronicles the path towards healing in new hugot anthem โ€œPaano Uusadโ€

The heartfelt track weaves a melodic pop-rock sound with bluesy riffs and tasteful guitar solos

With over 240 million streams on all digital music platforms combined, NOBITA has established themselves as one of the most prominent breakthrough bands of the last two years. Their most notable smashes โ€œIkaw Langโ€ and โ€œUnang Sayawโ€ have maintained a cultural foothold with its encapsulation of this generationโ€™s unique experiences when it comes to romantic loveโ€”young or otherwise.

Fast forward to 2022, the five-piece act is back with another hugot anthem that successfully turns grief and loss into another potential hit. Chronicling the path towards healing, NOBITAโ€™s new single โ€œPaano Uusadโ€ captures someoneโ€™s inability to move on after witnessing the tragic demise of a loved one.

 

According to the band, the song was inspired by an OPM icon who took away his life due to depression. โ€œItโ€™s all about the people who keep wondering why they were left behind by someone dear to them.โ€ NOBITA adds, โ€œJae got enticed to write a song while watching the livestream of the late iconโ€™s wife, struggling to put into words how it feels to cope with the loss of a special someone.โ€

Weaving a melodic pop-rock sound with bluesy riffs and tasteful guitar solos, โ€œPaano Uusadโ€ improves the bandโ€™s familiar sonic template in a way that doesnโ€™t overwhelm itslisteners. How they process heartbreak in โ€œPaano Uusadโ€ is interesting as far as delivery is concerned: itโ€™s straightforward, but done with emotional honesty.

The track is accompanied by the release of a music videodirected by John Selirio, who has worked with the band on their previous single โ€œIkaw Lang.โ€ Selirio emphasizes that the visual narrative offers a portrait of someone grieving and trying so hard to make sense of the shifting emotional state.

โ€œThe concept has something to do with the 5 stages of grief,โ€ the filmmaker shares. โ€œThe song itself defines how to move on and how to get out of the situationโ€”from crying to acceptance stage. I want to capture that vibe in its intimate form possible.โ€

NOBITAโ€™s โ€œPaano Uusadโ€ is out now via Sony Music Entertainment. Watch the music video here.

Source: Nyou

Filipino-Norwegian artist Clinton Kane reflects on loss, love, and mental health in new album, MAYBE SOMEDAY IT'LL BE OK

Heโ€™s set to headline an international tour this year, including Manila as one of his destinations

Filipino-Norwegian singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Clinton Kane has released his debut album MAYBE SOMEDAY ITโ€™LL ALL BE OK via Columbia Records. The 9-track LP features RIAA Gold-certified lead singles โ€œCHICKEN TENDIESโ€ and โ€œI GUESS Iโ€™M IN LOVEโ€ as well as โ€œGO TO HELLโ€ and โ€œ14โ€ in addition to five brand new tracks. Listen HERE.

 

Touching on themes and personal experiences with loss, love, mental health, etc., Clinton might just make listeners feel strong enough to let their emotions out too. Kane says, โ€œThis album is a collection of personal experiences and key moments that have had an impact on my life. Itโ€™s unapologetically myself. Iโ€™ve been working on this project for three years, and to think this whole journey started from a panic attack that forced me to try writing a song is surreal to me.โ€

 

He adds, โ€œThe name of the album was actually inspired by a phone call I had with a close friend. We were sharing stories about mutual trauma, and at the end of the call he said โ€˜maybe someday itโ€™ll all be ok.โ€™ It wasnโ€™t too depressing, but not too optimistic either, and Iโ€™ve always felt like I live in that grey area - that juxtaposition between hopefulness and hopelessness.โ€

 

Earlier this month, Clinton announced a massive global headline tour slated for the fall, which follows two sold-out North American headline runs the past year. The 53-date trek begins in Edmonton, AB on September 3 with stops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas (Life Is Beautiful), New York, Toronto and more. On November 1, Clinton will kick off the international leg of the tour in Dublin, IE with shows throughout Europe and Asia, including Manila on December 3, 2022 at the New Frontier Theatre.

 

Additionally, Clinton will be contributing a portion of touring proceeds to various charities serving the different continents and cities he will be performing in. A dollar per ticket sold in the US will be donated between Take Back The Night, a national advocacy organization with local chapters that amplifies voices and convenes community for survivors of sexual abuse and assault, and Noise For Now, which supports local abortion providers and advocates in areas where access has been threatened or eliminated.

 

Visit https://www.clintonkane.com/ for tickets and more information.

 


 

MAYBE SOMEDAY ITโ€™ll ALL BE OK TRACKLIST:

1. MAYBE SOMEDAY ITโ€™LL ALL BE OK

2. 14

3. COLD

4. CHICKEN TENDIES

5. KEEP IT TO YOURSELF

6. ONE MORE DAY WITH YOU

7. I GUESS Iโ€™M IN LOVE

8. GO TO HELL

9. I WISH I COULD HATE YOU FOR BREAKING ME AND CALLING IT LOVE

 

About Clinton Kane:

Clinton Kane isnโ€™t afraid to cry. Heโ€™s also not afraid to ask questions, laugh, scream, speak his mind, or push the envelope. He might ponder God in one song only to wonder what the f*ck went wrong with a relationship in the next. For as wide-ranging as he may be lyrically and conceptually, heโ€™s also a highly disciplined and self-taught singer, guitarist, pianist, drummer, and producer. As far as the story is concerned, Clinton bounced around from Perth, Australia to The UK as a kid. On a teenage sojourn to Santorini and beyond, he lived out of a backpack as he gained traction with a series of independent releases before signing to Columbia Records. In 2019, he served up the this is what it feels like EP before guesting on โ€œDrownโ€ by Martin Garrix in early 2020.

 

Building an international fan base, he generated over 1 billion-plus streams across a catalog highlighted by โ€œFix It To Break It,โ€ โ€œi donโ€™t want to watch the world end with someone else,โ€ and โ€œremember the mornings.โ€ He has also sold-out successive headline tours and incited the applause of NME, Billboard, and more in addition to landing on Forbesโ€™ โ€œ30 Under 30 Asia.โ€ The loss of three family members, heartbreaking relationships, nights sleeping on park benches, and an unbelievable trip to the brink of adulthood inspired his 2022 full-length debut album, MAYBE SOMEDAY ITโ€™LL ALL BE OK [Columbia Records], featuring the gold-selling singles โ€œCHICKEN TENDIESโ€ and โ€œI GUESS Iโ€™M IN LOVEโ€ as well as โ€œGO TO HELLโ€ and โ€œ14.โ€

 

Follow Clinton Kane:

Website | YouTube | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Source: Nyou

4th Impact explores themes of heartbreak and betrayal on emotional ballad โ€œTapat saโ€™yoโ€

Their new single is produced by Lee Oh Won, the hitmaker behind some of the most compelling chart-toppers in K-Pop

Responsible for ushering in the girl group renaissance in Pinoy pop, 4th Impact delivers feisty bangers that woosh listeners back into the groove. The former X-Factorfinalists are now part of Sony Music Philippines and ShowBT Philippinesโ€™ growing P-Pop roster, which includes award-winning boyband SB19 and promising newcomer KAIA.

In an attempt to showcase their more vulnerable side, the Here We Go act returns with a heartfelt ballad that distills themes of betrayal and loss into an empowering statement of moving on. 4th Impactโ€™s new single โ€œTapatsaโ€™yoโ€ is inspired by breakup stories from the members of the girl group, and digs deep into the universal truths of going through pain and rebuilding oneโ€™s sense of self from the ground up.

โ€œAs always, we were hands on in both the songwriting and creative process,โ€ shares the sister act in a statement. โ€œWe co-wrote โ€˜Tapat saโ€™yoโ€™ with Angelo Calucin and Renz Salazar, and our utmost goal is to deliver a heart-wrenching message that a lot of people can relate to. The vocal arrangements and harmonies were done by 4th Impactโ€™s very own Mylene.โ€

โ€œTapat saโ€™yoโ€ is helmed by renowned K-Pop producer Lee Oh Won, the man behind some of the biggest hits from SHINee's Taemin, Stray Kids, TVXQ, Wanna One, and SB19. The track was recorded at Monostery Recording Studio with the help of Isagani Palabyab and Lee Oh Won himself.

โ€œWe are honored to be working with renowned Korean composers and producers,โ€ says 4th Impact. โ€œLee OhWon is so kind yet very professional and strict in a good way. Like us, he is a perfectionist. And we love it.โ€

The powerful pop ballad features a melodic string section and acoustic elements, which add a layer of emotional resonance to the material. With enthrallinginstrumentation and soulful vocals to back it up, โ€œTapatsaโ€™yoโ€ addresses the foibles of romantic love with maturity that goes beyond years.

The release of โ€œTapat saโ€™yoโ€ comes with a music video directed by Emman Zii. Reflecting the lyrical premise of the song, the visuals find the girls of 4th Impact trying to reminisce about their good old past, while picking themselves up from the ruins of their failed romantic relationships.

According to Zii, 4th Impact was fun to work with, and brought their A game during the shoot. โ€œI can say that our shoot was really relaxed. Everybody knows what they need to do. and I look forward to working with them again soon.โ€

4th Impactโ€™s โ€œTapat saโ€™yoโ€ is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony MusicEntertainment. Watch out for the release of its music video on 4th Impactโ€™s official YouTube page this July 22, Friday at 9pm.

Source: Nyou