P-Pop and K-Pop Collide at Coke Studio PH’s Ultimate Fandom Concert

Coke Studio Philippines showcases extraordinary acts year after year through this global platform that brings together the best of today’s music scene.

From established artists to emerging talents, Coke Studio presents an opportunity for fans to experience #RealMagic, and provides a refreshing take on music and stage performances with unexpected collaborations — or what Coke Studio calls them: “collisions.”

Throughout its seven seasons, we’ve seen collisions between some of the biggest industry names and rising stars such as national girl group BINI and rap group PLAYERTWO, and pop princess Sarah Geronimo and This Band.

For their 8th season, Coke Studio is elevating their concert experience with their biggest event yet — one that puts the spotlight on the real stars of the industry: the FANS.

The Coke Studio: Ultimate Fandom Concert is more than just a live music performance but a clever mix of genres that give a refreshing new take on sound. Coke Studio also bridges the gap between fans and musicians by bringing together artists and music enthusiasts from diverse backgrounds into one electric event united by the universal language of music.

This year’s lineup features explosive colliding performances between Filipino music and K-Pop acts, putting iconic Pinoy artists such as ALAMAT, Nik Makino, Illest Morena, Kyle Echarri, and Zack Tabudlo onto the global stage alongside international K-Pop sensation, NewJeans.

Last Sept. 5, the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) arena was bathed in a striking red glow, the signature color theme of the Coca-Cola company, and was packed with P-Pop and K-Pop fans sporting their faves. The Beat Asia got to witness this musical extravaganza and we’re here to share all our favorite moments amid all the showstopping performances!

Coke Studio brings fans to the forefront

Prior to the start of the concert, hosts AC Bonifacio and Jeremy G (Glinoga) kept the energy high as they went through a series of icebreaker games that showcased the fans’ talent and love for their idols. Songs from the artists were played, and the fans were challenged to do a dance and song demo. Each performance was displayed on the stage screens in “Kiss Cam” style as they were spotted through the crowd.

And boy, did each of them deliver! The fans definitely went all out as they performed on-point choreography of NewJeans’ top hits such as “Hype Boy” and “Ditto.” The featured fans also got a limited-edition Coke Studio hoodie for their impressive display.

Speaking of hoodies, the concert was brimming with amazing giveaways and Coke Studio merchandise. All ticket holders were able to receive a Coke Studio tote bag, which included special merchandise such as LED concert bands, sticker packs, magnets, a notebook, a lanyard, and patches. If you wanted more (trust us, they were really awesome!), more merch was also available for purchase in the ground-level lobby.

There were also a few booth activations located at different sections around the arena where fans took photos and made memories with friends and loved ones.

One booth we particularly loved was the Spotify booth where you can write and sign notes to your fave artists. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that all the artists get to read their fans’ heartfelt messages — ours included! Saranghaeyo, NewJeans! *finger heart emoji*

As it was a Coca-Cola event, the arena was overflowing with free beverages, making sure that fans would enjoy the concert with an ice-cold Coke in their hands. From the booths and merchandise down to the fun games and promise of electrifying performances, Coke Studio has created a space where fans can do what they do best: support, share, and celebrate their beloved artists.

Event Highlights: The Ultimate Fandom Extravaganza

At 6:30 PM, the lights dimmed, and a ten-second countdown began, setting the fans abuzz with anticipation. AC and Jeremy returned on stage to officially open the concert.

Jeremy expressed his excitement for tonight’s performances, reminiscing on how it seemed only yesterday that the first-ever season of Coke Studio invited fans to get a taste of groundbreaking collaborations from the icons and rising stars of original Pinoy music (OPM).

AC further articulated the goals of Coke Studio and how it merges the “different styles and sounds into new songs that made our dreams, hugots (emotions drawn from deep within), and kiligs (romantic moments).”

She then gave a shoutout to the fans for their endless support which fuels OPM as a genre, “You guys are the real magic of music; the real magic of Coke Studio!”

From the Magiliws and Illians to the Team Kyle’s and Bunnies, each name was met with resounding cheers as their fandom names were called, proving their power and unyielding support for the musicians.

Alamat and Nik Makino Set the Bar High

Six-member boy group, Alamat, known for their pop music characterized by indigenous sounds partnered with impressive choreography inspired by Filipino folk dances, opened the concert with their hit track, “Maharani.” The song was as catchy as any pop song can get blended with indigenous instrumentals and lyrics that featured classical Tagalog terms like “Bathala” and “Lakan,” and choreography inspired by the “singkil,” a traditional Maranao dance.

Taneo, Mo, Jao, Tomás, R-Ji, and Alas take the Coke Studio stage for the third time, having previously collaborated with Iñigo Pascual in season 5 and Dwta in season 7.

Tomás expressed how heartwarming it was to see music events continuously celebrate OPM such as what Coke Studio does each season.

“We are definitely #proud for being one of the chosen performers here tonight,” Jao added.

Alamat’s discography ranges from Pop and Reggae to R&B, which gave their stages a lot of flare, setting the bar high for the night’s performances. Even if it was our first time seeing them live, we could truly see their talent and the unique quality of their music — one that could definitely be the trigger that will catapult them onto even bigger stages.

The group performed three other songs from their roster of hits including, “Day and Night,” “Noli,” and “Dayang.”

After a quick selfie with their fans, Alamat gave way to welcome rapper Nik Makino who gave fans a thrilling performance of his track, “Sipag Lang.” The rapper made waves online for his controversial tracks during the pandemic. He delivered a fun and energetic set full of humor as he interacted with the crowd, and solid beats that got our heads nodding along.

One of our favorite moments was when Nik gave a very important piece of advice to the ladies in the crowd.

“Don’t let anybody tell you that you’re ugly, man. You’re beautiful just the way are,” he said before proceeding to sing “Kay Ganda.” He followed this up with “Moon,” “Sobrang Solid,” and “We Made It.”

A true solid act, Nik Makino looked like he was having the time of his life onstage, which was reflected in his performances and made everyone enjoy it just as much.

It wouldn’t be Coke Studio without collaborations, and the first collision of the night was between Alamat and Nik who performed their track “Ngayong Gabi.” Each artist expressed their surprise and excitement upon learning about the collaboration and gave a short spiel on how the song was created.

Afterward, AC and Jeremy introduced a touching video compilation from the Magiliws and Dayones, the official fan club names of Alamat and Nik, respectively, which presented another form in which Coke Studio connects fans with their beloved artists.

Illest Morena and Kyle Echarri heat up the stage

The night was far from over as girl boss Illest Morena took center stage and performed “Pick Up.” Her swagger and sassy stage presence gave her performance that additional kick, which proved to us that she’s definitely an artist that should be on your radar.

“Just groove to the beat, feel the flow, and let me take you someplace else. Ready for real magic coming your way?” the rapper asked, which her fans reciprocated with deafening cheers.

She definitely brought #RealMagic on stage as she performed her hit songs “Slow Burn,” “Sabik” and “Faded (Raw).” Consider us impressed! Illest Morena has made it to our playlists, and we cannot wait to see how she breaks through the industry with her “girl power” tracks.

Kyle Echarri is no stranger to the spotlight, and we can all see that the moment he stepped on stage to sing “Dyosa.” Armed with his boyish charm, charisma, and immense talent, this all-rounder gave us a show from start to finish, making us wonder how he hasn’t made it to the top in the nine years that he’s been in the business.

Yes, you read that right. You might have seen Kyle when he began his singing career as part of Sarah Geronimo’s team on The Voice Kids in 2015 when he was just twelve years old! Since then, he has been part of numerous singing and acting projects including roles for film, TV, and the stage, and has also released three albums and an EP.

Now that he’s all grown up, Kyle showcased his raw talent which has since transitioned into a more polished act that kept our eyes on him all throughout his performance. We think charisma is something you are born with, and he definitely has that star quality to him. If that large group of fangirls cheering for him while he was taking a sip after serenading us with “Cupid’s Aim” said anything, it was that he could charm the pants of anyone while doing the most mundane of things.

He also performed “Panaginip” and his top hit “Pangako” before bringing back Illest Morena for another Coke Studio collision.

In an exclusive interview with The Beat Manila, Kyle and Illest gave us a brief insight into what their collab song “Believe” was all about.

“Actually, for my verses, I based it on what’s happening in my life right now. I’ve been focusing on myself more, upgrading, [and] doing self-work. But as a whole, I think we were just really at that moment when we’re very in our creative space.” Illest told us.

“At first, we wanted to do a love song, but Coke challenged us to do something different for once. So, we did a song about self-belief and self-confidence, and we wrote it in about four or five hours!” Kyle added.

We definitely believed the song was fire and showcased two key components of a Coke collision: great sound and great chemistry. It might be too much to ask, but we’re rooting for more music from this dynamic duo.

Zack Tabudlo delivers a passionate performance

We don’t think we’ve seen anyone perform live as passionately and as cleanly as Zack Tabudlo. It was almost like listening to a live recording, which further proved his rising popularity not just in the Philippines but also abroad.

He serenaded us with tracks like “Nangangamba” and “Pano,” which gave us all the kiligs and chills from his captivating vocals and live band performance (nothing beats a gripping guitar solo). His riveting energy on stage and his relatable music resonated with the audience, which made his set a contender for the night’s best act.

Having only seen and heard his performances online, seeing him live was definitely an entirely new experience and one you should witness at least once. Zack also performed his Coke Studio track “Fallin’” which he sang and co-wrote with Nasty C, and closed the set with the heartwarming “Give Me Your Forever,” a track from his first album which the artist mentioned received plenty of shoutouts from South Korean idols.

NewJeans hypes up the crowd

Surely, you knew where were headed when we mentioned that previous sentence.

When the much-awaited set of the night finally arrived, you could feel the energy shift across the arena, the cheers becoming louder and bolder. Even Zach himself was hyped up for the next stage, which showed in how he carried his own “Bingky Bong” light stick all throughout his performance.

NewJeans stepped onto the Philippine stage with their hit track “ETA” and the crowds went wild! Everyone was singing and dancing along, turning the concert into a massive party!

Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein greeted their Filipino bunnies with big waves and excited grins.

“It is so so lovely to be here today at Coke Studio, the ultimate Fandom concert here in the Philippines!” Hanni cheered.

“I can already feel the energy coming from you guys!” Minji added as she pointed out the crowd singing along to their performances.

“I totally agree! Thank you so much for giving your time to be here with us today. Salamat po (thank you)!” Danielle said which garnered loud cheers at her cutesy Filipino greeting.

The group then performed their poppy track “Bubblegum” and the retro bop “Supernatural” before going into another ment where they complimented some of the fans sporting bunny headbands and carrying cute message boards.

They closed off the set with a powerful performance of their Coke Studio song “How Sweet,” which we couldn’t help but stand up and dance to at this point of the concert. When the lights dimmed after that performance, the fans began to chant “Isa pa (one more)!" and “NewJeans!”

The group returned for an encore performance of another Coke song “Zero” before taking a group shot with their Filipino bunnies, wrapping up the perfect fanfest and sending fans home a little sad that it’s over, yet with a full heart from this one-of-a-kind experience.

Coke Studio: The Ultimate Fandom Concert is a testament to how music connects and brings people together to create something new — even magical. We dare say Coca-Cola is a true purveyor of happiness whether that’s through exciting music collaborations or through a good ole’ bottle of Coke.

We simply cannot wait to see more collisions that will not only excite fans but promote good music and incredible talent from the country.

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