A Night of OPM: Warner Music's 'We Play Here' Festival Goes to School
Despite gusty rains and large crowds, fans and music lovers from different parts of the country gathered at Warner Music Philippines’ “We Play Here” school tour at the University of the Philippines Diliman, College of Science Amphitheater, last Friday, Aug. 23, to revel in a night of Filipino music and more.
Prior to the show, Warner Music’s artists performing at the festival sat down with the media to talk about their music and upcoming performances.
Speaking about performing for the first time in the Philippines, one of the festival’s headliners, English singer-songwriter Griff, told the media, “I’m so excited to be here. This is my first time in the Philippines. I almost don’t have any expectations, but I have a feeling that Filipino fans are really fun and really committed, so I’m really excited to perform.”
Meanwhile, Dilaw, the Filipino band behind the hit song “Uhaw,” talked about their learnings from working together for about three years. “I think our chemistry is good despite creative clashes here and there because we take each other seriously and we respect each other enough that I know I can learn so much from each of these bandmates. I feel like we all share that vision,” said lead guitarist Leon.
On what their message is to other up-and-coming artists like themselves, the six-piece band Letters from June said, “Don’t be afraid to take that leap, kasi (because) you would never know unless you try.” Meanwhile, soloist Arthur Miguel advised them to “not be afraid of rejections” and to keep on creating music until they see success.
Similarly, Sugarcane vocalist Cedric Angeles advised rising artists to “never quit” despite the lack of confidence, while queer music artist Paul Pablo said, “do it for yourself,” as this is where being an artist starts. Lastly, Pinoy band Kahel said that “patience and discipline” are the keys to being a good artist.
Kicking off the night was the quintet Kahel, who started off the show with a bang with their songs, including their rendition of “Beh Buti Nga.” This was followed by the set of Letters from June, who serenaded the audiences with covers of Ben&Ben’s “Maybe the Night,” BINI’s “Huwag Muna Tayong Umuwi,” a duet performance of I Belong to the Zoo and Moira Dela Torre’s “Patawad, Paalam,” and their debut single, “Bituin.”
Next up was Sugarcane, who gave the audiences the feels with mellow tracks such as “ Paruparo” and “Leonora.” The band also surprised the crowd with the appearance of their guest performer, Gian of Cup of Joe, who sang their latest track “Pagbigyan” together with the band, which had the audience asking for an encore.
Lighting up the stage is Paul Pablo, who shone with song-and-dance performances of “Takaw Tingin,” “Hilo,” and “Atin ang Gabi.” The singer also brought out his emotional side with vocal performances of his pop-ballad tracks, “Sagi” and “’Di Inakala.”
Griff turned the festival into an intimate jamming session, playing the keyboard to songs from her debut album, “vertigo,” such as “Astronaut,” “Miss Me Too,” and “Anything.” The singer also showcased her guitar prowess, with songs like “Shade of Yellow” and “So Fast.”
The night went on with the set of Arthur Miguel, who charmed the audiences with his honey-like vocals and acoustic-heavy session with songs such as “Ghinost,” “Dito, Sa Ilalim Ng Buwan,” “Maling Panahon” and a cover of Taylor Swift’s “august.” He was also joined by special guest and R&B-dream pop artist jikamarie during his “Malabong Ugnayan” stage, followed by a solo performance of his hit song, “Lihim.”
Bringing in the swag into the “We Play Here” stage was Filipino hip-hop and rap act PLAYERTWO, who hyped up the crowd with “LET ME!,” plus a performance of their TikTok-viral hit “That’s My Baby” with Australian singer-songwriter Oliver Cronin and “FLYY” with the show’s most-anticipated special guest, Felip.
Dilaw also painted the stage red with their colorful set, featuring songs such as “Janice,” “Nilalang,” “Maskara,” “Orasa” and of course, their hit song “Uhaw.”
The last stage featured the SB19 member and power vocalist Stell, who made the crowd dance with his upbeat solo songs “Classic” and “Room,” and made their hearts swoon and weep, belting his ballad tracks “’Di Ko Masabi” and “Anino.”
Warner Music’s “We Play Here” at UP Diliman is the festival’s second iteration, following its first edition held at the Samsung Hall in SM Aura in April 2023. It is also the festival’s first school tour stop.
Want to know if they’re coming to your university? Make sure to stay updated by following “We Play Here” on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) pages!
The “We Play Here” school tour at UP Diliman is brought to you by Warner Music Philippines.
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