‘FELIP’ Steps Out of SB19 Persona, Releases Solo Debut EP
FELIP called his debut solo EP “COM•PLEX,” which takes listeners on a journey to his innermost thoughts and psyche, and how he has evolved from his life experiences as an artist.
In a recent one-on-one interview with TV5 / ONE News.PH, the 26-year-old frontman described his new mononymous persona as “bolder, fiercer and stronger,” who has been given more freedom to express himself through songs.
“FELIP is very free, bolder than Ken. Si Felip kasi nagagawa niya ang gusto niyang gawin (Because Felip can do whatever he wants) with his sound. Ngayon kasi ang ginagawa ko experimental, kasi ako lang mag-isa eh (Right now, what I’m doing is purely experimental because I work on it alone),” he said.
Felip called his debut solo EP “COM•PLEX,” which takes listeners on a journey to his innermost thoughts and psyche, and how he has evolved from his life experiences as an artist. He tells some interesting stories throughout the record with lyrics written in both English and Cebuano.
“As human beings, meron tayong (we have our) insecurities, meron tayong (we have our) weaknesses and sometimes confident din tayo (we can get confident). Kumbaga, ‘yung complexities na meron ‘yung isang tao ay (In other words, these complexities that humans have are) very normal,” he explained.
Like other artists, Felip used his flaws as fuel to strive harder. He admitted that he used to feel bad for having a low-pitched voice, but he later on figured out a way to enhance it, which eventually became his unique selling point as a performer.
“Naging signature ko na siya. Kumbaga, wow, ‘yan ‘yung may malalim na boses sa SB19 (It became my signature, so to speak, that people started noticing I am the one with the deepest voice in SB19),” said Felip, who is also the lead vocalist and chief lyricist of the band under the stage name Ken.
In a private listening party hosted by Warner Music Philippines, Felip performed all six tracks with a full-band set, which entertained all invited guests, including members of selected media outlets and his friends in the music industry.
Felip began his setlist with “Rocksta,” a fitting prologue for his debut record with its heavy instrumentation complemented by his deep vocals. The next track “Superiority” was inspired by an animated character named Daiki Aomine from the hit Japanese sports manga “Kuroko’s Basketball.”
“MicTest” was described as a Cebuano hype-me-up song that was highly influenced by Jersey Club music in the United States. This was arguably his favorite song in the EP because of its strong connection to his Visayan roots. He considers himself a “Bisdak” or “Bisayang Dako,” who speaks Cebuano fluently.
The singer-songwriter said this is something he really wanted to highlight in his solo record. According to online sources, Felip is actually a native Mindanaoan as he was born in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur and raised in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental where the predominant language is Cebuano.
“Proud ako na Bisaya talaga ako (I’m really proud of identifying as Visayan). I think Visayan people are fun to be with. They are so cool, brave and unique. ‘Yung language natin, sobrang cool lang pakinggan (Our language is so cool). Everytime na nakakarinig ako ng Visayan na kanta ay ang sarap lang pakinggan kaya na-inspire ako gumawa ng songs (Everytime I listen to Visayan songs, it’s so pleasant to hear, that’s why I feel inspired to write songs [in that language, too]),” Felip said.
“DrinkSmoke” and “Criminal,” meanwhile, were both melancholic tracks that talk about reaching a low point in life and bouncing back from it through self-acceptance. The final song, “StrayDogs,” leaves a message of not letting yourself be affected by what people throw at you.
Felip shared that he wrote all these songs during the world tour of SB19 last year. He managed to squeeze some time and effort in between breaks from performances in Los Angeles, New York, Dubai, Singapore and key cities here in the Philippines.
“Imbes na mag-rest na pagkatapos ng concert, kailangan ko siya gawin hanggang madaling araw to finish everything. Noong pag-uwi ko rito from tour, hindi ako nagbakasyon (Instead of resting after the concert, I felt the need to work ‘til dawn to finish everything. When we returned from the tour, I did not take a vacation),” he recalled.
“I finished everything (para) ma-record lahat ng ginawa kong kanta. First EP ko kasi, so metikuloso ako sa ganitong bagay (I finished recording the songs I wrote. This is my first EP, so I'm being meticulous when it comes to these things),” Felip said.
The SB19 leader is happy to know that his bandmates are supportive of his solo exploits. “The fact na hinayaan nila ako mag-release ng (that they allowed me to release an) EP, I think it’s enough for me to know that they really support me,” he added.
He is the first member of the P-Pop group to release a solo project. Prior to his COM•PLEX EP, Felip also recorded a non-album R&B single “Palayo”(2021) and the Bicolano mythology-inspired song “Bulan” (2022), which were made available via digital downloads under his own eponymous label.
Felip is looking forward to working with other local and international artists in the future. Aside from embarking on a solo career, he remains busy wearing his hat as Ken for SB19, which is scheduled to perform in the upcoming P-Pop convention at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“COM•PLEX” is released under Warner Music Philippines and is now available in major music streaming platforms. Watch Felip’s music video for “Rocksta” in his official YouTube channel.
