Last Sept. 5, the SmartAraneta Coliseum was packed with music fans as Coke Studio Philippines held its Season 9 concert, bringing together an exciting lineup of local and international artists.

Curated from social listening and careful research, The Coke Studio Live at the Big Dome lineup served up a feast of explosive collaborations and electrifying performances. This year’s theme revolved around cross-genre tracks, and each collaboration showcased a unique blend of musical genres that delighted fans and made music history with every note.

“OPM (Original Pilipino Music) is very much alive! If you look at the charts now, you see more OPM music. Everybody really worked hard to uplift OPM, and we’re really grateful for the small part that we play in giving these rising artists a platform to thrive,” said Teejae Sonza, Coca-Cola Trademark Category Marketing Head, ASEAN & South Pacific. 

More than just a music platform, Coke Studio is all about uplifting people through music and creating shared moments that will last a lifetime. This year’s lineup exemplified that through never-before-seen collaborations between some of today’s hottest artists and rising musicians. The event featured Coke Studio fan-fave collaborators ALAMAT, who teamed up with singer-songwriter MRLD. Indie band Over October also shared the stage with Ena Mori, while Dionela delivered a sultry R&B/Hip-Hop track with up-and-coming rapper Alex Bruce.

But icing on the cake was the presence of the nation’s girl group BINI, who dropped their fourth Coke Studio track alongside the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth (OFY), and global heavy-hitter Lauv, who returned to Manila for a truly exciting set filled with all his beloved songs such as “I Like Me Better,” “Chasing Fire,” and “Paris in the Rain.” Here’s what went down last Friday night.

Pushing the Boundaries of OPM

If anything, Coke Studio is a platform where artists are encouraged to create and experiment. With this season focusing on cross-genre tracks, it was a night packed with unexpected soundscapes.

The night kicked off with an explosive performance by Filipino boy group ALAMAT, who returned to the Coke Studio stage. The six members opened with their latest single, “Hiraya,” and followed up with hits “Sa ‘Yo Pa Rin Uuwi,” and “Dagundong.”

They then welcomed Coke Studio rookie MRLD, who performed “Ikaw Pa Rin,” “Ligaya,” and “Sandali.” The singer also shared that apart from this being her Coke Studio debut, it’s also her first live performance at the Araneta Coliseum.

The two artists returned to the stage to perform their Coke Studio collab track, “Rock Baby,” a reimagined record of the VST & Company classic.

“When we heard that song was going to be our peg, we were excited. We immediately took that line, ‘Rock Baby Rock’ as the main hook. Even though it didn’t run through the whole song, we made sure it’s there alongside our own sound,” MRLD told The Beat Asia. “The surprising part is we were able to give it justice and bring it back to life.”

“We were excited to make it our own, because each of us has something to offer,” added Jao. “We were able to give it our own flavor.”

Alamat celebrated their fourth collaboration with the platform, having previously released tracks with artists like Iñigo Pascual (Season 5), Dwta (Season 7), and Nik Makino (Season 8). When asked how the experience has helped them evolve as artists, Jao shared, “When we started, there were only a few of us who wrote songs. Coke Studio encouraged us to write more, and we discovered more about ourselves. It has been a big part of growth. We learned so many different genres from other artists, and we learned how to hone our craft, so thank you so much, Coke Studio!”

On the other hand, MRLD is gaining momentum, having just released their debut album, “7th Sense,” last March. When asked if there were any challenges they had to overcome during its production, they answered, “With the tracks, most of the songs were written two or three years ago, so the challenge was paano ko siya maramdaman ulit (how do I feel them again)? Like with the sad songs, if I’m happy where I am now in life, it’s difficult to put myself in those shoes again. But thanks to the producers of the album, we were able to revive those feelings, and the storytelling feels were still there. I was also able to produce, which I haven’t done in a long time. Usually, I would just send over my songs to the producers, but for this album, I was very hands-on.”

The night seemed to have just begun as Over October made a rockin’ Coke Studio debut with “Bitin,” “Kaakit-Akit,” “Lumayo,” and their hit song, “Ikot.”

During the pre-show interviews, we got to chat with the band and asked if there was a change they would like to see in OPM.

“I think not paying too much attention to the numbers. You’ll be surprised at how many good artists there are that don’t have big numbers,” said the band’s lead vocalist, Josh Buizon. “I think that would change it. It may be difficult at first, but you can start by going to open mics. You’ll be surprised at how there are so many smaller acts that are so good!”

Filipino-Japanese singer-songwriter Ena Mori brought her bright pop energy to the stage afterwards, as she performed “SOS,” “Trust Me,” and “King of the Night.” She was then joined by Over October to sing their collab track “Tulad ng Dati.” The song has a feel-good sound with lyrics about reminiscing about the past. The song samples Sam Concepcion and Tippy Dos Santos’ “Dati,” giving it a whole new vibe and flavor.

When asked about the unique qualities they were able to put into the track, Josh replied, “I think we brought in our signature sound — like the band feel of it. Our sound is more on the rock side of things, so we were able to bring down a little bit of that flavor. We also distributed the writing. A lot of the English parts of the song are Ena, and the Tagalog ones are Over October. I think in that sense, we also brought our own flavor to those verses and parts that we were singing.”

“I think I reminisce in that alternative soft rock part of the track. It was a challenge coming from synth pop, then going into the alternative side, but there was still a bit of synth pop element in there. It really just homogenized with all of us,” added Ena.

“Ena was also saying she liked one of our songs with ‘70s elements. So we tried adding some of those to the track too,” added Joshua Lua, lead guitarist of the band.

With Season 9 being their first Coke Studio stage, the two artists also expressed how amazing it was to be part of the lineup. “We keep saying it over and over, it’s really a dream come true! Growing up, we would see Coke Studios and all of the artists, hoping one day we would be able to be a part of the seasons. We’re just really happy to be here, soaking everything in. We’re just having a great time!

“I think we’re all proud of ourselves to be able to do this,” said Ena. “It’s such a surreal moment! It's also a challenge to do everything perfectly, but I'm just grateful for the opportunity.”

Fierce rapper Alex Bruce brought the house down with “Bling” alongside her back-up dancers. Although she only had one song for this set, everyone was energized by her performance, which is proof that she’s someone to look out for.

Following her performance is Filipino R&B artist Dionela, who charmed the crowd with his soulful music and meaningful lyricism that earned him a spot in a unique pocket of OPM. The singer made us all feel kilig as he sang two of his biggest hits, “Marilag” and “Sining.”

For their collaboration track, the duo sang about situationships in “Fall Season,” a soulful R&B track reimagined from Moonstar88’s “Migraine.”

“I produced the track and I actually created it in the middle of traveling between gigs,” Dionela told The Beat Asia. “And for some reason, it was so easy to do. Maybe because I was happy at that moment in time, and I guess that translated to the music. I just let the music create itself.”

Alex Bruce also shared how amazed she was by the process, admiring Dionela’s work as a producer, saying how she had learned a lot from the experience, and even hopes to produce her own music someday.

Dionela also sang his song “Oksihina,” which he stated was the song that still surprises him every time he performs it live.

“That song was written when I had fatal COVID, and I wrote it on the back of the receipt of the last food I wanted to eat,” he revealed. “Every time I sing that song, it feels like, you know, I wouldn’t have been able to sing this song if things turned out differently. It’s a new beginning every time I sing it.”

After a short intermission, with the hosts leading the audience with a round of games, it was finally time for the main event. The Orchestra of the Filipino Youth gave us their soaring rendition of BINI’s “Blooming,” before the girl group brought the house down with back-to-back performances of “Blooming,” “BlinkTwice,” and “Salamin, Salamin.”

They also sang their latest Coke Studio track, “Oxygen,” which they performed alongside the company orchestra.

“This isn’t the first time we’re performing on the same stage since we already worked together at the BINI concert,” BINI Jhoanna shared during the pre-show interviews. “It’s a full circle moment for all of us.”

Coke Studio then welcomed a beloved global artist to the stage, who played a 16-track set that took us on an emotional roller-coaster ride. Lauv reunited with his Filipino fans, causing the singer to get emotional from the cheers and support he received. Some of our favorite stages included his opening number “Paris in the Rain,” “Steal the Show,” the “Mean It – Eyes – Superhero” medley, “Who,” “NeverNot,” and of course, the song he described as “will always be our baby,” “I Like Me Better.”

Safe to say that Coke Philippines did it again, serving up exciting collaborations and performances worth remembering. When we think about how far this platform has come, we remember that more than good music, it has also created memorable moments for everyone present.

“When this started nine years ago, it was all about uplifting the sights and sounds of Filipino music. We’re not creating something new here. We’re just listening to what’s out there on the radio, listening to what the fans are telling us, as well as what’s on social media platforms and responding to and co-developing it with the artists that we work with,” said Teejae.

“We are very fortunate to have worked with a lot of artists. We’re very happy to give people a platform, and we’re very happy when our alumni become big in the industry. Hopefully, this platform can also help them be discovered by more audiences in other parts of the globe, because that’s the value of Coca-Cola. It’s about uniting people, creating shared moments, and uplifting the world through music and connection. We’re very happy to be part of this development of OPM, and to continue supporting the industry and the passions of the Filipinos as well.”

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