From pop-rock lovestruck songs, classic R&B, and old-school Pinoy rock to genre-fluid sounds, we had various genres and a fusion of rising & iconic acts for September on the Concert Series!

THE NEWEST SOUNDS TO WATCH OUT FOR IN THE OPM SCENE

NOBITA

Nobita is a 5-piece pop-rock band formed in 2018 and got signed in 2021. The band mostly sings and writes about love, with their unique take on hugot love songs. Nobita’s layered arrangements and intricate vocal blending are reminiscent of nostalgic Pinoy rock. 

NOBITA mainly performs original songs and would occasionally throw in some cover songs. Because of their love for live performances, the band joined a Battle of the Bands and eventually met their manager. Members Jaeson and Sam shared a funny story of how they were pitching their song ‘Vie (Sabihin Mo Kung)’ as their gateway song to get signed. Still, their manager, Sir Joel, turned the idea down by liking the song title to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’ After re-recording the song and releasing a few more, NOBITA was eventually signed under Sony Music Philippines. 

NOBITA has hit their virality quite recently, and it’s all thanks to TikTok! Guitarist Sam shared how their sound became massively popular and even landed them a ‘Song Of The Year’ nomination in this year’s TikTok awards! Backtracking a bit, how did Nobita even gain a viral hit? The reason was Sam’s dad! He was the one who suggested uploading their latest release back in 2020, ‘Ikaw Lang’ on the mega platform. At first, the band was skeptical as they had equated TikTok to mainly just dance challenges; hence they did not get the point of uploading their track. However, Sam’s dad has his account, and he did upload ‘Ikaw Lang’ on his page just for the heck of it! A year after, NOBITA was tagged on Twitter by a fan and delivered the news to them that ‘Ikaw Lang’ has now gone viral on TikTok, with Sam’s dad’s audio upload used by around 200,000 users! It may have taken a while, but it was a well-deserved success for the tear-jerking track. 

What’s next for this rising band? Vocalist Jaeson announced that a second album is already in the works! Something to look forward to, Nobibis! But for now, NOBITA recently released their first album titled ‘BETTERFLY’ last July 28. The album is described as “experimentational,” wherein they each incorporated their individual elements into the album. While waiting for their sophomore album to drop sometime next year, you might want to stream their first one for now! 

Monster Must-listen Tracks from BETTERFLY: Sa Ulan, Paruparo Na Walang Hanggan

A piece of advice for aspiring singers, song-writers from NOBITA: “Keep on writing lang [...] Atsaka ‘yung sinusulat mo is galing sa puso mo. ‘Yun ‘yung pinaka-ingredient na kailangan. Sulat lang ng sulat.” The band are indeed writers in their own, unique way. With how they pen down lyrics and have their listeners relate to their music in whatever season they may be in, NOBITA truly knows how to connect through their music, making them stand out in the OPM scene.

NOBITA’s Concert Series setlist:

1. Totoo


2. Magasin (Cover)


3. Unang Sayaw


4. Paruparo Na Walang Hanggan


5. Di Na Mag-Iisa


6. Ikaw Lang

Where to catch NOBITA next:

Get to know more about NOBITA here:

Watch their full Concert Series set:

YSANYGO

Stemming from our IndieGround playlist in 2017 with their track ‘Imprinted,’ the genre-fluid sibling duo consisting of Ysa and Ygo Ferraz came in full circle with the Monster! 

Though having performed for the Monster in the past, being a part of the IndieGround Tour and the Monster Anniversary IndieGround Specials, this was Ysanygo’s first time on the Concert Series! It was ecstatic for these two as they were reminded of their humble start on the Monster and have now performed on the RX premiere live musical program! Such a massive win for the sibs!

The duo took a big leap and has been signed with Underdog Music since 2021, after being independent since the start of Ysanygo in 2017. But going back to the beginning, how did Ysanygo come to be? Besides being siblings, Ysa joined a songwriting competition back in school. She has the words, but she’s missing the beat. Luckily, Ygo’s got the goods! He made a track that meshed well with the lyrics Ysa wrote. Putting together the pieces, creating their magic, and viola, the song ‘Imprinted’ was made! From there, the siblings continued making music by submitting their first-made track to IndieGround and making their way into the playlist. When they first heard ‘Imprinted’ on the radio, the siblings had an epiphany where they both wanted to truly head down the music path and walk in the same direction. The duo dropped their self-titled debut EP, YSANYGO, a week after their guesting on the show. But before its release, Ysanygo performed the songs on the show chronologically. Emphasis on the chronological as Ysa mentioned that the 4-track EP must be listened to from Track 1 to Track 4 in sequence to get that whole rest and healing experience! “‘Horizon’ being such a powerful track, telling you ‘You got this!’ and with its closer track ‘Good Night!’ which is something to tell the listener to rest, drink water, [and] have a good sleep.” This is exactly how Ysa and Ygo described their debut EP. Best believe it would really make you feel at ease when you put ‘YSANYGO’ on blast.

Monster Must-listen Tracks from YSANYGO: Horizon, Comfortable Silence

Ysanygo took a shot in the dark, and the results returned tenfold. From just trying out their luck with bedroom music, getting their freshly-made track played on local radio, to now having their debut EP and steadily making a name for themselves in the local music scene, Ysanygo imparts their own experience as a bit of advice to those who are aspiring musicians, lyricists, producers themselves. “Just do it! [...] Just keep making and your hard work’s gonna pay off for sure.” “It’s important that you’re not so hard on yourself.” 

YSANYGO’s Concert Series setlist:

1. Imprinted


2. Friday Afternoon Drive


3. Horizon


4. Whatever's On Your Mind


5. Comfortable Silence


6. Good Night!

Where to catch YSANYGO next:

Get to know more about YSANYGO here:

Watch their full Concert Series set:

YOU CAN NEVER GO WRONG WITH THE CLASSICS

JAY R

Dubbed as the Philippines’ King of R&B, Jay R still got it! After a decade of experience and being in the industry, Jay R still has the groove and the rhythm, which was very visible in his recent Concert Series performance! This proves how Jay R is still ever-so-deserving of this title.

Jay R has been a pioneer in the music industry and even established his own record label in 2006, presently known as HomeworkZ Music. With its roster consisting of Jay R himself, Mica Javier, Kris Lawrence, and collaborations with artists left and right, the label is still up and thriving! Besides his music label, Jay R has made a name for himself in the OPM scene, especially with the success of his 2007 ballad ‘Bakit Pa Ba’. Jay R shared a backstory of why and how that song came to fruition. Renowned Filipino composer Vehnee Saturno pitched two songs for Jay R back then, one being ‘Bakit Pa Ba’. Jay R immediately felt great about ‘Bakit Pa Ba’ and instantly chose that song as his. It was a match made in music heaven, as Vehnee Saturno actually wrote ‘Bakit Pa Ba’ with Jay R in mind, and the rest is classic history! With the success of this song, Jay R has actually wanted to create part 2 of ‘Bakit Pa Ba’ but has some doubts since the song was such a big hit!

Jay R is a hitmaker and established his mark in the R&B side of Filipino music! It’s always a pleasure having him around and seeing him perform, as he still has that same jive and groove from before and up until now! 

JAY R’s Concert Series setlist:

1. Parachute


2. Design For Love


3. Blessed


4. Bakit Pa Ba


5. Buti Na Lang by Kris Lawrence


6. Pangako


7. Bae You (with Kris Lawrence and CLR)

Check out JAY R’s new music video for his latest single ‘Blessed’ here: 

 

Get to know more about JAY R, Kris Lawrence and CLR here:

Watch their full Concert Series set:

SPONGE COLA

Every OPM enjoyer has had Sponge Cola in their MP3 playlists in the early 2000s, singing along to hits like ‘Tuliro,’ ‘Jeepney,’ ‘Di Na Mababawi,’ and more! The pop-rock band is one of the biggest and most prominent in the OPM industry, and we are always honored to have them sing for the Monsters on the Concert Series! For this performance, Sponge Cola brought two friends, former member Chris Cantada and singer-songwriter Kai Del Rio.

Looking back at the start of Sponge Cola’s journey, from a high school band with a dream to a big-named band already considered “legendary status” in the OPM scene, did the members even think of actually making it this far and achieving great heights? “I did kind of imagine doing this for a very long time, kasi you don’t kind of walk into something thinking it’s going to end tomorrow.” Frontman Yael Yuzon expressed. He also shared his first-ever RX experience! And no, it wasn’t through any of the Monster shows, but it was through the RX Band Breakout way back in 2000! Yael joined the competition when he was a sophomore in high school with a band called ‘Lilian’ alongside Ryan Villena, Yan Yuzon, and Patrick Tuazon. It seems like Yael also had his RX full-circle moment!

Their latest release is a 19-track album, 'Hometown, Part 2’. One of the tracks, ‘Hometown,’ was inspired by the hit K-drama ‘Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha.’ Yael took inspiration from the nighttime scenes where Hong Du-Sik (played by Kim Seon-Ho) and Yoon Hye-jin (played by Shin Min-ah) would always meet under the moonlight, but bad things would eventually happen to Hye-jin and Du-sik would always be to the rescue. Yael translated these particular scenes to ‘Hometown’, hence the lyrics of the song’s chorus. Another K-drama-inspired track is ‘Siguro Nga,’ which is in parallel to Bae Suzy, Kim Seon-Ho, and Nam Joo-hyuk’s drama ‘Start Up’, specifically Episode 9. (We won’t spoil anything to those who haven’t seen the show!) Yael also mentioned that ‘Siguro Nga’ is a song for those with TOTGAs or The One That Got Away. We’d already know how heart-wrenching the music is with just that short description.

Monster Must-listen Tracks from Hometown, Part 2: Hometown, Siguro Nga - Acoustic

Sponge Cola is the band for those who want to feel something, whether in love or life, and they have been delivering iconic tracks for years! They truly are legends in status and continue to keep going and growing. More power to you, Sponge Cola! The RX studio is always open for you.

SPONGE COLA’s Concert Series setlist:

1. Tuliro


2. Laman Ng Panaginip


3. Kung Ako Ang Pumiling Tapusin Ito


4. Hometown


5. Siguro Nga


6. Jeepney

Where to catch SPONGE COLA next:

Get to know more about SPONGE COLA here:

Watch their full Concert Series set: